An Analysis of Juvenile Justice in Arkansas For decades Arkansas has struggled to effectively address the needs of juvenile offenders. Now, with significant decreases in juvenile arrests and commitments to the DHS Division of Youth Services, Arkansas can concentrate...
Get Involved! The phrase “there is strength in numbers” is especially true when it comes to child advocacy. We can’t be successful without the help and support of concerned citizens like you. We’ll keep you informed about what we’re...
Health reform continues to progress through the House and Senate. On Saturday, November 7, the House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2009 bill by 220 votes. AACF thanks Arkansas Representatives Marion Berry and...
When parents cannot protect their children, the State of Arkansas has the responsibility to do so. The Arkansas Division of Children and Families Services (DCFS) has the main responsibility for children removed from their homes and taken into care....
An Update on the Tax and Budget System Now that President Bush has signed the financial rescue legislation called the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, child advocates are waiting to see what the $700 billion dollar bailout will mean for...
Tina and Tracy are sisters who entered the Arkansas foster care system when they were 12 and 13. Their mother was in an abusive relationship and could not care for them, and their father and stepmother did not want...
An Update on the Tax and Budget System Now that the Democratic and Republican Conventions are over, Congress is set to return to work on September 8. There are several pieces of legislation that benefit children and families that...
Nearly two out of every five Arkansas school-age children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight1. Obesity among children and adults has been increasing across the United States since the mid-1970s,2 including in Arkansas, which has consistently ranked...
Arkansas’s economy has followed the national downward slide over the past year or so, though experts still debate whether the “r” word — recession — truly applies. No matter what you call it, most low- and middle-income working Arkansans...
Arkansas’s state and local governments play an important role in providing a wide variety of critical services to their citizens. They ensure that our children and the elderly have adequate health care; that roads and parks are well maintained;...