Arkansas groups focused on child wellness say new data shows the state is struggling to support its youth.
The 2026 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation showed conditions for Arkansas children worsened in multiple areas between 2019 and 2024, including education and health.
Keesa Smith-Brantley, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said the findings are especially troubling because, as recently as 10 years ago, Arkansas was a leader in both areas.
“It shows the impact of Arkansas consistently choosing to not invest in things that we know are proven to help children improve their well-being and their family’s well-being,” Smith-Brantley asserted.
The number of uninsured children in Arkansas continues to increase and has doubled since 2016. Smith-Brantley acknowledged there were some improvements, including declines in the teen birth rate and the number of children living in poverty. In 2019, Arkansas ranked 13th in the nation in education. It has since fallen to 34th.
Smith-Brantley noted lawmakers have not consistently invested in the state’s pre-K program, leaving a majority of 3- and 4-year-olds unenrolled in early childhood education programs.
“Individuals just truly not being able to put their children in a place to be ready for when they enter school, which obviously impacts our reading scores and our math scores, which is also reflected in our worsening indicators,” Smith-Brantley observed.
Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said it is important to remember the data represents children who need the right environment to thrive.
“It’s a child who either has enough to eat or doesn’t have enough to eat,” Boissiere explained. “It’s a child who is either in a stable home and has access to quality education to put themselves on a pathway to thrive, or it’s a child who doesn’t have those necessities.”
