skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Layoffs at CA immigration services center lead to protests; Trump: Six-week abortion limit is "too short"; WV voters worried about abortion care, reproductive health access; IL Latino communities advocate for a cleaner environment.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Vice President Harris says she'd consider a bipartisan cabinet should she win in November, Louisiana is the latest state to push the false claim of noncitizen voters, and incidents of 'swatting' contribute to an increasingly toxic political culture.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Alaska's 'canary of the sea' is struggling with a deteriorating whale environment, those in rural as opposed to urban areas are more likely to think raw milk is safe to drink, and climate change increases malnutrition in America's low-income counties.

Report: AR Child Poverty Rate Improves, But Remains High

play audio
Play

Monday, August 8, 2022   

Arkansas ranks in the bottom ten of states in a new report on child well-being across the nation.

The annual KIDS COUNT report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation measures states in four areas: economic well-being, education, health and family and community. In this year's analysis, Arkansas ranks 43rd.

Rich Huddleston is the executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. He said even though the state has made progress over the past decade, 22% - or about 152,000 kids - are living in poverty.

"The research is pretty clear that child poverty really can have a negative impact on child health," said Huddleston, "early brain development, school performance, their future employment and earning prospects and as a state can really weaken our future workforce and economy."

Huddleston noted that the poverty rates for Black, indigenous and other children of color is worse and that it's no coincidence. Rather, he said, it's the result of decades of discriminatory public policies at the state and national levels.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president for external affairs at the Casey Foundation, said there have been public policies - like the expansion of the Child Tax Credit during the pandemic - that pulled millions of kids across the nation out of poverty.

Unfortunately, she said the KIDS COUNT report finds the rates of anxiety and depression among children and young people have shot up. Boissiere noted that they were struggling before the pandemic.

"The pandemic absolutely exacerbated that," said Boissiere, "with schools closing, with lack of access to normal socialization that children would see - and we're seeing a particular increase in trends among Black and native children, and also LGBTQ children and young people."

Huddleston said Arkansas lawmakers are holding a special session, although the focus of the session is not child well-being.

"We're really encouraging our state policymakers to step away from doing tax cuts, which we've already done the last few years," said Huddleston, "and instead to make targeted investments in public policies that we know will improve child outcomes."

He said some policies that could improve families' lives in the state include extending health coverage eligibility for pregnant women and new mothers, making it easier to obtain food assistance, and overhauling harsh policies in the state's cash assistance program.



Disclosure: Annie E Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Education, Juvenile Justice, Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Research shows South Dakota had the fifth-highest rate of cropland abandonment between 1986 and 2018, trailing Texas, North Dakota, Kansas and Montana. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Researchers mapped American croplands that have fallen out of production in hopes of inspiring new uses for them, such as renewable energy. Roughly 3…


Social Issues

play sound

The Public Children's Services Association of Ohio has launched a groundbreaking new initiative called Practice in Action Together, aimed at …

Social Issues

play sound

New polling found an overwhelming majority, 85% of Americans believe abortion access should be allowed in some situations. Two years ago in the …


A plan for the Trump Administration put together by a right-wing think tank, called Project 2025, calls to reclassify tens of thousands of employees as political appointees. (Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)

Social Issues

play sound

Former president Donald Trump is vowing to eliminate or alter thousands of government jobs if he wins this November, which could have a big effect on …

Social Issues

play sound

As Connecticut's school year begins, the state is still dealing with a teacher shortage. Almost every subject area is facing a statewide shortage …

Studies show ending the subminimum wage does not hurt employment in tipped industries. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

National proposals to end taxes on tips might have mixed effects on New Yorkers. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have …

play sound

New Yorkers could see relief from medical debt if several national proposals move forward. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a new …

Social Issues

play sound

Eligible Oregon families have until Monday to apply for summer food benefits. The Summer EBT program provides families with a one-time payment of $12…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021