Forum on Child Poverty in Arkansas

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families partnered with the League of Women Voters and the Legislative Taskforce on Reducing Poverty and Creating Economic Opportunity and other community partners to host a forum on the deepening problem of child poverty in Fayetteville, AR on October 20.

Brett Kincaid of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families was on hand to talk about Arkansas’s partnership with the Half in Ten campaign. Forum participants included public school officials, college students, researchers, community activists, and others. The Washington County League of Women Voters identified poverty as the issue area they were most interested in pursuing this year and was instrumental in coordinating this event.

Rich Huddleston, co-chair of the Legislative Taskforce on Reducing Poverty, was also on hand to give an overview of the taskforce’s work, which began after the state legislative session in 2009. The taskforce expects to have its policy recommendations—which incorporate many of the Half in Ten campaign goals—to the governor in November and is planning a press event on November 15 to release their report to the public.