Kentucky should have its own Earned Income Tax Credit

This letter originally appeared as a Reader Letter in the Courier Journal on May 30, 2013. You can find it online here. I share some of the fears brought up in the recent article, “Kentucky tax reform commissioners fear Gov. Beshear will shelve revenue proposals.” I own a small tire business in Custer, Ky. — a very small town in Breckinridge County. Some know my business as “The Tire Shop” — others as “Bob’s Tires.” [...]

By |2013-06-03T10:00:45-04:00June 3rd, 2013|Blog, Economic Security|

Kids, Families and State Budget Debates

There is a swirl of speculation about the topic.  Is the Governor going to call a special session, and – if so – what will be on “the call?”  Or what are the priorities emerging at this very moment in Cabinet-level planning for the 2014-16 budget? Any talk about budgets offers us both hope and worry.  Will it spotlight the very real need for fundamental and systemic changes in the state’s tax and budget structures [...]

By |2013-04-25T11:04:15-04:00April 25th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|

Remember the Benefits of the Earned Income Tax Credit on this Tax Day

For the last few months, I've been volunteering as a tax preparer with the Louisville Asset Building Coalition, helping individuals and families who earn less than $50,000 prepare their taxes.  I’ve seen young students filing and single, working moms who are simultaneously raising children and going to school file taxes. I’ve heard stories about individuals falling on hard times in the last few years, and met one person who was working his way out of homelessness. As families across the state and [...]

By |2013-04-15T13:09:25-04:00April 15th, 2013|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Unemployment Affects Children Too

A version of the following post first appeared in A Better Life, a blog for the Courier-Journal about the aftermath of the recession. Big news last month was that Kentucky’s unemployment rate was under 8 percent for the first time in four years. It is good news that the unemployment rate has been steadily declining in the last year. However, unemployment remains a problem, not only for parents, but for their children. When a parent loses [...]

By |2013-04-08T09:23:02-04:00April 8th, 2013|Blog, Economic Security, Education|

Is the Tide Turning for Kids in Public Discourse?

The following post first appeared in A Better Life, a blog for the Courier-Journal about the aftermath of the recession. http://youtu.be/WIndJDVCPAY In Tuesday’s State of the Union address, child and poverty advocates across the country had their wishes granted – to hear the President discuss poverty issues, and children’s issues. (Gun control advocates and climate change advocates got their wish too – as did many other advocates). While in reality, the SOTU is little more than “political [...]

By |2013-02-13T17:17:48-05:00February 13th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|

Children’s Advocacy Day 2013: When it comes to kids, do we have courage?

The weatherman cooperated.  Citizens from throughout the Commonwealth – hundreds of them – showed up.  The atmospherics were great – the Blue Apple Players performing a scene from “Lincoln”; a high school dance team jazzing up the scene; and, young people talking about public policy issues like human trafficking and a smoke-free environment  that count in their lives.  And the 9th Children’s Advocacy Day kicked off. The sun may have been shining bright on our [...]

Protect Kids from Cuts

On January 29 the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced cuts to some vital programs for children, in response to a projected $86.6 million budget shortfall for the Department of Community Based Services. The planned cuts target the Kinship Care Program and the Child Care Assistance Program both of which affect thousands of families and children across the Commonwealth. Cutting the Kinship Care and Child Care Assistance Programs will cost the state more [...]

By |2013-02-04T16:23:29-05:00February 4th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|

Idle Teens and Young Adults: the Number of Disconnected Youth in Kentucky Jumped 49% Since 2000

Jeffersontown, KY – Nearly 6.5 million teens and young adults in the U.S., including 110,000 in Kentucky, are not enrolled in school and not employed, even part-time. These youth are veering toward a path of chronic underemployment as adults and are failing to gain the skills employers need in the 21st century, according to a new KIDS COUNT report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Many of these young people ages 16-24 face numerous obstacles, [...]

By |2012-12-03T15:22:38-05:00December 3rd, 2012|News Room|
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