Note: This blog is fifth in a series of posts covering the findings in the 2017 Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. Although employment is on the rise in Arkansas, a new report released last week by...
Note: This blog is third in a series of posts covering the findings in the 2017 Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases the Kids Count Data Book, featuring new numbers...
Ranking 47th in the latest national rankings in economic well-being, Arkansas continues to struggle with poverty that affects its children, according to the 2017 KIDS COUNT® Data Book released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. More than one...
Each legislative session brings its own bag of mixed goods, and the Regular Session of the 91st General Assembly was no different. While we were concerned about the constant push for legislation that punishes poor people, there were definitely...
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) and the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (AR-GLR) have researched the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the opportunities it provides to improve educational outcomes for all students in Arkansas....
In partnership with the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, today we’re releasing a new policy brief on the importance of talking, reading, and singing with children from birth. More than half of Arkansas children start kindergarten...
AACF would like to thank Governor Asa Hutchinson for including $3 million in his FY 2018 budget this legislative session for our state’s Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) pre-K program—the first permanent funding increase since 2008. However, despite a major...
We want to thank Governor Hutchinson, members of the General Assembly, and our partners for their hard work this legislative session on issues of critical importance to Arkansas’s children and families. In the session that wrapped up Monday, we...
Arkansas pre-K program needs an investment of $20 million to maintain quality, avoid cuts Pre-K works! Research has shown that children who attend quality pre-kindergarten programs are better prepared for K-12 education and are more likely to read at grade...
$20 million investment needed to maintain quality; avoid cuts The evidence is overwhelming: Pre-K works! Research has shown that children who attend quality pre-kindergarten programs are better prepared for K-12 education and are more likely to read at grade...