arkansas advocates for children and families
Federal funds helped Arkansas childcare providers stay afloat, but staffing struggles continue
Sherrie Gillespie wasn’t sure if the daycare center she runs in Monticello would survive the COVID-19 pandemic. “I may have stayed open, but I know I would have had to cut some services in order to maintain payroll and pay bills,” she said. Thanks to $445,000 in federal grant funds, Head of the Class Childcare […]
Governor’s working group issues suggestions to improve Arkansas’ foster care system
A working group of more than 130 Arkansans with experience in child welfare and foster care released a list of 11 recommendations on Monday to improve the state’s foster system, which has long suffered from staffing and home shortages. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders created the working group by executive order in February. The group included […]
Arkansans face more challenges than most accessing child care, report shows
Arkansas is one of the top states where families struggle most to access quality child care, according to an Annie E. Casey Foundation report released Wednesday. From 2020 to 2021, nearly 15% of Arkansas children from birth to 5 years old lived in families in which someone quit, changed or refused a job because of […]
Arkansas’ short-staffed Division of Children and Family Services manages fewer foster children
A staffing shortage in the government agency that handles Arkansas’ foster care system has led to higher caseloads and more turnover, according to the most recent quarterly report from the Division of Children and Family Services. Meanwhile, the number of Arkansas children in foster care has decreased over the past year, even with a slight […]
Arkansas Legislature saw wide range of maternal and reproductive health legislation in 2023
Prenatal and postpartum healthcare policies rose on Arkansas’ priority list after abortion became illegal in the state, but did not rise high enough, according to advocates for the well-being of pregnant and newborn Arkansans. Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Knoxville, introduced several bills to bolster this area of healthcare during the 2023 legislative session. Some made it […]
Proposed restrictions on transgender pronouns in Arkansas schools head to Senate floor
The Arkansas Senate will consider requiring public school teachers and professors to use the pronouns and names students were assigned at birth unless parents specifically allow them to do otherwise. House Bill 1468 would require written permission from a minor’s parent or guardian for school employees to use any “pronoun or title that is inconsistent” […]
Crowd rallies outside Capitol in support of public education
As the mother of a mostly non-verbal, autistic four-year-old, Special Sanders said she wants to be her son’s advocate. He begins kindergarten in the fall, so she’s paid close attention to the governor’s proposed education plan, Arkansas LEARNS. “Much has been said about the so-called parent empowerment that Arkansas LEARNS offers, but I’ve never seen […]
Bill to help pregnant and parenting teenagers finish high school advances in Arkansas House
A bill that would create support systems for teenage parents in Arkansas schools passed the House Education Committee unanimously Tuesday and will go to the full House for approval. Arkansas has an 87% higher teen pregnancy rate than the rest of the United States and one of the lowest high school graduation rates, said Rep. […]
Arkansas child and family advocacy group names new executive director
Keesa Smith, a former deputy director for the state’s Department of Human Services, is the new executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, the group announced Thursday. Smith will start with the longtime advocacy and public policy organization on Feb. 20, replacing Rich Huddleston, who retired last year after almost two decades at […]
Arkansas will no longer auto-assign new Medicaid expansion enrollees to private plans
State Medicaid officials made a subtle change this month to reduce the number of low-income Arkansans who receive financial assistance to purchase private health insurance. Previously, those eligible for the state’s expanded Medicaid program who didn’t choose a commercial health plan would be automatically enrolled in one. But with the Sept. 1 policy change, the […]