LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Fewer Arkansas children are living in poverty, but the state's kids continue to suffer from declines in both health and education, according to the annual Kids Count Data Book.

The study showed the number of Arkansas children living in poverty dropped by 9,000 from 2016 to 2017 - the period covered by the study. And Arkansas's overall economic well-being improved to 36th in national rankings. Rich Huddleston, executive director at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said growing up poor is one of the biggest hurdles in life kids can face.

"The child who grows up or spends any significant time in poverty is much more likely to have their health negatively impacted, the brain development impacted, school performance is going to suffer and also their ability to get better jobs that pay better wages are most significantly reduced the longer that they spend in poverty,” Huddleston said.

The Annie E Casey Foundation report also showed the state doing worse in both education and health, with poor results in both math and reading proficiency. In addition, Arkansas had more low-birthweight babies, fewer children with health insurance and more child deaths than in the previous year.

On the positive side, the state was in the top 15 for pre-K enrollment and high school graduation rates.

Huddleston said Arkansas children continue to suffer from the state's persistent racial and ethnic divide.

"Poverty rates for children of color tend to be twice as high as poverty rates are for white kids,” he said. “I mean, that's really due to no fault of their own or even to their parents. But it's really the result of centuries of bad state and federal policy."

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs with the Casey Foundation, said direct lines can be drawn between improvement in well-being and policies that have supported those successes.

"The investment in health care through the Affordable Care Act, through the Children's Health Insurance Program and even through Medicaid Expansion has had a significant impact on all children, but also on children of color,” Boissiere said.

Boissierre also said an accurate 2020 census count is critical, because major federal programs - including Head Start and the Children's Health Insurance program - allocate more than $880 billion each year based on census data.

Everybody loves to get something free and right now, kids aged 12-17 can get a fishing and hunting license at no cost from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The license is good for one year and normally sells for $15.

Bobby Jones, outdoor connection coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said the free licenses are funded by donations to the Nevada Youth License Fund.

"This is actually the third year that the program's been active," Jones explained. "We keep it open as much as possible. We're just limited by the amount of donations that we have. Right now, we have almost 2,000 available and they go fast."

Youth can get a free license on the Nevada Department of Wildlife website or wherever the licenses are sold. Children under age 12 do not need a fishing license. The state said almost two-thirds of the kids who have taken advantage of the program in the past have never had a hunting or fishing license before.

Jones emphasized the program is designed to tempt kids to leave the digital world behind for a short time and enjoy some time outdoors. It could lead them to even consider a nature-based career like wildlife biology, forest management or outdoor education.

"Essentially what we're up against is a lot of kids are engaged in their phones and social media, TV," Jones pointed out. "They're constantly bombarded with things. We're trying to make it a little bit easier for them to enjoy the outdoors."

Some of the most popular fishing spots include Lahontan in the Fallon area, Wild Horse and South Fork in Eastern Nevada, and Lake Mead down south.


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The University of Nebraska is addressing a shortage of lawyers who represent the state's most vulnerable children, especially in rural areas.

The attorneys are being equipped to work with kids who have suffered through physical, emotional, or financial trauma - and are often living in poverty.

Of Nebraska's 5,500 licensed attorneys, only 7% of them practice in rural areas.

Michelle Paxton, director of the Nebraska Children's Justice and Legal Advocacy Center, said two thirds of child neglect and abuse cases originate outside the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas, in what she calls "rural legal deserts."

"We have twelve counties in Nebraska with zero attorneys living in those counties," said Paxton. "We have 22 with less than three."

Paxton said that there are too few qualified rural child justice attorneys, which means lawyers may drive hundreds of miles for juvenile cases, creating delays and court backlogs.

The University of Nebraska program will add lawyers trained to handle issues unique to children in low-income families.

Attorneys who work on juvenile court cases are getting the tailored knowledge they need, but Paxton added that the program is also creating an opportunity for those attorneys to network and get support from other lawyers in the field - who are often isolated.

"And so they don't often have another attorney doing this type of work that they can rely on for support and mentorship," said Paxton, "and our program provides that support and mentorship so that they are not only willing to continue working in juvenile court, increase their hours in juvenile court and increase their commitment. "

The advocacy center will also develop a case-tracking tool, enabling people to find an attorney online.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.



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Statistics show one in five children in Texas struggles with hunger.

Approximately 10,000 students a day are getting a nutritious meal through the Summer Food Service Program offered by the Houston Food Bank. The meals are distributed across the food bank's 18-county region.

Jourdan Stansberry, senior manager of education programs for Houston Food Bank, said they partner with summer camps, churches and other nonprofit organizations to serve the students. She added anyone who is not near a meal site can take advantage of their non-congregate option.

"Sites that are considered rural by the Texas Department of Agriculture," Stansberry explained. "It's a grab-and-go model where families can pick up the meals, It's like a five-day bundle of frozen meals, breakfast and snacks, so 10 meals all together. They're able to pick it up and take it home."

Locations of the meal sites in the Houston area and across Texas are available at the Department of Agriculture's Summer Meal Site Map. The meals are available to anyone 18 years old or younger or students with a disability, up to 21 years old.

The meals are distributed at more than 250 sites around the Houston area. Students do not have to register to take advantage of the meals. Stansbury emphasized it is a great way to ensure kids have access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer. She added the menus consist of more than just a sandwich and chips.

"One thing that I know has been pretty popular is our orange chicken with rice, and we also have broccoli, vegetable-medley side that goes along with that. We saw also chicken tikka masala," Stansbury outlined. "We try to expose them to different meals, not only healthwise but also culturally."

The Houston Food Bank expects to distribute around 800,000 meals this summer. The meal program runs through Aug. 8.


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