Even during relatively “good” economic times in Northwest Arkansas, child poverty has grown faster than the overall population. As our region has grown more successful, many of our children have fallen behind. While the region’s poverty percentage is lower than that of most of the state, the number of children living in poverty in both Washington and Benton counties is higher […]

Imagine you’re exhausted. You’ve worked for the past 20 hours straight, your son has a cold that has gotten worse over the last week and your daycare won’t let him come back until he’s fever-free. You have to take tomorrow off from both your jobs to stay home with him and you don’t have the […]

5 things you should know about the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) 1. Both sides of the aisle are singing the praises of EITC programs. Since its inception, the EITC has received broad bipartisan approval because it supports working Americans and has been the most effective measure ever enacted to help families leave poverty behind. 2. Without […]

Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases the Kids Count Data Book, a comprehensive, 50-state look at child welfare. Arkansas made gains in health coverage and education over the last year, but the child poverty rate went up to 29 percent. Those ups and downs are consistent with national trends, but what would it […]

The gap between the rich and poor in Arkansas is growing, and it is hurting all of us. Increasing inequality in Arkansas holds back economic growth, damages the democratic process, and keeps many low income and minority families stuck in poverty. But it can be fixed. Arkansas will be a stronger state if we correct […]

Arkansas’s Current Minimum Wage Is Inadequate A fair and adequate minimum wage is critical to a strong economic system that both supports the economic well-being of workers and their families and meets the labor needs of businesses. Unfortunately, although there have been periodic increases in the federal minimum wage over the past four decades, the […]

The child poverty rate in Arkansas, now at 26.8 percent, is higher than the national average and shows a disturbing upward trend that’s likely to continue as the state experiences the effects of the recession. Over the last ten years for which data is available, the poverty rate has increased by just over two percent. […]

The Arkansas economy continues to strain under the recession that has swept the nation. The Great Recession’s toll on Arkansas workers has been particularly heavy for those who started behind during better times, including minority and low-income families. For them, jobs are still scarce, wages are low, the cost of living is rising and vital […]

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 of the state of Arkansas children—22.6 percent of whom lived in poverty. Today, 24.9 percent of […]

This overview offers tips to advocates on the best way to learn more about Arkansas’s share of the ARRA. It also charts the larger funding streams impacting children and families that flow to states and local communities. It does not begin to capture the full range of funds and programs under the ARRA, but provides […]