(AP) _ Advocates in Arkansas are calling for policy changes to increase access to work and education for immigrant parents and children.Advocates say children who are immigrants or have at least one immigrant parent are more likely to live in or near poverty in Arkansas than their counterparts in other states.
A report from the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation found that about 56,000 children from immigrant families in the state live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line.
Rich Huddleston is the executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. He says it’s difficult for a child living in poverty to be in good health or thrive emotionally, socially and physically.
Community leaders say the state can assist children by supporting prekindergarten and after-school programs, and by making higher education more affordable.
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