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You may have heard that if something is working, you should just leave well enough alone and let things continue as they are. At some point, progress will plateau and you can figure out how to move forward. However, I would contend something different. In his book, If It Ain’t Broke…Break It!, well-known business leader and author Dr. Robert Kriegel states that when things are going well, that is just the right time to re-think how to improve and continue climbing upwards. I agree with Dr. Kriegel, which is why we at Kentucky Youth Advocates, with your help, went through an extensive planning process for the next phase of the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children this year.

Since 2007, Kentucky Youth Advocates has joined with hundreds of organizations passionate about helping children on a common, statewide policy agenda. Working together has helped us become more effective as child advocates and be more successful at improving policies that make Kentucky a better place to be a kid. In fact, in the last two years, wins for kids have been a common occurrence. Our legislators have responded to the Blueprint positively and stepped up in many ways to make children a priority. We are so thankful for their support of children.

Despite the progress we’ve made, children in Kentucky still need our help. We struggle with immense needs, ranging from poverty to special needs to education to health. To continue making progress, we need to think bigger, broader, longer term, and deeper. And now, in the midst of great success, it is time to re-think what we are doing so that we can do things better for kids now and in the future.

Earlier this summer, several of you, including community leaders, advocates, legislators, and partners, joined with us in the “Big Ideas for Kids” input gathering campaign. We heard from nearly 300 of you via a public survey, postcards, letters, and emails. We cannot thank you enough for sharing your Big Ideas for Kentucky kids. Those ideas helped us identify the problems and solutions that need to be addressed in the next chapter of the Blueprint effort.

Last week, we joined several Blueprint partners and supporters to unveil a new Blueprint – Blueprint 2.0 with three new cornerstones: Thriving communities, strong families, and successful kids.

We invite you to learn more about the Blueprint and to get involved! Read the 2016 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy agenda here, and learn more about the new Blueprint and its cornerstones in the video below. We also hope you’ll recommit to being a Blueprint partner and sponsor the 2016 Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol on January 14, 2016. We look forward to working with you on the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children as we make a bigger impact for Kentucky’s kids together!