Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. As we prepare to stuff our faces with our favorite holiday dishes, let’s not forget those who struggle finding a meal to eat each day. Forty eight million people (or one out of six Americans) suffer...
Because ARKids First is a vital link to health services for so many of our state’s children, we must very carefully consider any changes to coverage options. In Arkansas, 52 percent of children receive coverage through ARKids First (Arkansas’s Medicaid and the Children’s Health...
The Joint Budget Committee of the Arkansas General Assembly recently rejected an increase in state funding for the Arkansas Better Chance pre-K program for fiscal year 2016. This marks the eighth straight year without an increase, a cut once...
The wisest investment Arkansas can make in its people is to provide quality pre-K. Arkansas is a poor state where almost one-third of our children live in poverty and more than 60 percent are eligible for free and reduced...
The last funding increase for pre-K in Arkansas kicked in on the first day of fiscal year 2008, which would have been July 1, 2007. For a program that’s proven to be such a powerful tool, that’s way too...
Last year, more than 700 assisters were trained and licensed to help consumers enroll in coverage offered through the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace and Arkansas’s Private Option. The experience of enrollment assisters provides an important perspective for...
Children who participate in pre-K, particularly low-income children, are better prepared for kindergarten.
Our state budget outreach director, Pat Bodenhamer, is also a United Methodist pastor. Her work for AACF carries her around the state, often speaking to religious groups about the importance of understanding our tax system as a way to...