Angie Albright of Fayetteville lobbied on Capitol Hill last week, urging lawmakers to provide funding for early childhood education and other programs that benefit mothers and small children.
"This is something Arkansans care about," said Albright, who serves as director of the Clinton House Museum.
More than 200 people from across the country participated in the Save the Children Action Network's annual Advocacy Summit.
Organizers stressed "just how crucial those first five years of life are for children," she said. "The research on this is pretty staggering and profound. When children get quality child care and quality education before the age of 5, they are so much less likely to commit violent crimes, less likely to get into drugs, more likely to go to college and that kind of thing."
Participants also encouraged lawmakers to continue funding for international maternal and child health programs.
"Both of these issues have wide, bipartisan support," she added.