The family and community environment of a child have a great impact on their educational success and opportunities. A few family and community factors that contribute to the achievement gap are: 1. Parental involvement in both the home and...
The factors that have caused the achievement gap are varied but can be broken down into three categories: schools, family and community, and health. Schools are critical when it comes to a student’s educational achievement and opportunities. Because of...
(First in a five-part series) As we watch both the national and Arkansas economies struggle out of the recession, many of us wonder what we can do to protect our communities and working families from a future crisis of...
Any doubt that vulnerable children and families are worse off during the recession will be quashed after reading today’s Wall Street Journal article, “Middle Class Slams Brakes on Spending.” The poorest fifth of Americans had to spend more on...
Arkansas is a Low Tax State, But Not for Families Living in Poverty Recently released data from the Census Bureau confirms that overall, Arkansas could be considered a “low tax state.” However, families living near or below the poverty...
Thirty-one years ago, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families cobbled together data on the well-being of children from census reports, annual reports, planning documents and grant proposals. The result, “Arkansas Children Have Problems,” was a comprehensive and accurate portrait...
More than 50 people attended AACF’s Policy Cafe in Bentonville last week to learn about children’s issues and to share their concerns with our staff and volunteers. They included representatives of our partner organizations, parents, school officials, students and...
The clock is ticking. Current child nutrition programs at the Federal level are set to expire September 30. Time is running out for Congress to pass a reauthorization bill. Last month, the Senate-version of the bill passed. Called the...
Six months ago President Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act. Today is a very exciting because the Patients’ Bill of Rights protections kick into gear. This Bill of Rights will help thousands of children and families keep...
The Senate is expected to take up tax legislation this month that is crucial to the middle class. A bill to cut middle class taxes could be introduced as early as this week. We at Arkansas Advocates for Children...