admin, Author at Kentucky Youth Advocates

Summit Participants Propose Solutions to End Child Abuse Deaths

More than 200 advocates from across Kentucky gathered in Louisville last Saturday at the Kentucky Summit to End Child Abuse Deaths. Participants heard from a range of diverse perspectives including legislators, judges, professionals from multiple disciplines, and officials from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. After the morning panels, attendees at each table prioritized solutions for ending child abuse deaths in Kentucky. The solutions from the table discussions were compiled, and the group at [...]

By admin|2012-01-20T11:44:51-05:00January 20th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

It’s Time to Put Away the Paddle

Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates released a new issue brief, “Ending Corporal Punishment in Kentucky Public Schools.” Kentucky is one of 19 states that still permit the use of corporal punishment in public schools. The issue brief highlights the negative consequences corporal punishment has on students, the disproportionate use with certain student populations, and alternative approaches to school discipine that are more effective and can improve outcomes for all children. In Kentucky, local boards of education [...]

By admin|2011-12-30T11:51:55-05:00December 30th, 2011|Blog, Education, Youth Justice|

Access to Oral Health in Kentucky and the United States

By: Jim Cecil, DMD, MPH Oral health is intimately associated with overall health! By extension, oral diseases, infections and conditions are associated with systemic conditions and diseases. Recent reports indicate that oral infections are associated with diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, stroke, adverse birth outcomes, and other common and chronic systemic diseases. Given these significant associations, I believe this represents a clarion call for integration of the health care delivery [...]

By admin|2011-12-20T12:00:29-05:00December 20th, 2011|Blog, Health|

Kentucky Youth Advocates Receives $100,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant to Increase Assets to Promote Healthy Families in Kentucky

Kentucky Youth Advocates has been awarded a Roadmaps to Health Community Grantof$100,000 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to improve the long-term health ofpeople in Kentucky by advocating for the implementation and improvement of two state-level tax credits for working families, a state-level Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. Both tax credits will provide working families with additional income support to help them close the gap between what [...]

By admin|2011-11-15T17:13:47-05:00November 15th, 2011|Blog, Economic Security|

New County-Level Economic Well-Being Data Available on the KIDS COUNT Data Center

New economic well-being data on the KIDS COUNT Data Center reveals that the number of Kentucky tax payers filing for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) rose from 17.3 percent (296,273) in tax year 2000 to 20.7 percent (379,255) in tax year 2008, Tax year 2009 data will likely show a significant jump due to the EITC expansions within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The federal EITC allows low-income working families [...]

By admin|2011-11-01T12:27:10-04:00November 1st, 2011|Blog, Economic Security|

Kentucky Voices for Health: Medicaid Member Feedback is Needed

What has been your experience with the recent/ongoing Medicaid managed care transition? Kentucky Voices for Health is monitoring the roll out of Medicaid managed care to over 500,000 Kentuckians. They are seeking input from consumers across the Commonwealth as to their experiences with the transition (good and bad). Examples include: Several individuals on waiver programs or in nursing homes, who will not be served through managed care, received enrollment letters Medicaid recipients who have not [...]

By admin|2011-10-24T12:37:05-04:00October 24th, 2011|Blog, Health|

Kentucky Must Maintain its Commitment to Children Zero to Five

“I feel safe and cared for, mommy.” “I feel healthy and nourished, daddy.” “I am ready for school!” These are not likely statements that I would hear from my 2 and 4 year old children, but I might hear – “I love you mama,” “Hug me dada,” a round of the a b c’s, or funny stories about their best friends, Henry and Finn. These things melt my heart on a daily basis and give [...]

By admin|2011-10-20T12:39:47-04:00October 20th, 2011|Blog, Education|

A Win for 70,000 Kids

Unfortunately this fall makes both Cards’ and Cats’ fans turn to basketball rather than the gridiron. As we prepare for basketballs’ opening games, picture a standing room only crowd of “these kids” at Rupp Arena and another packed house of “these kids” at the YUM!Center. And then think about some 25,000 more of “these kids” who can’t squeeze in. The 70,000 “these kids” to whom I refer are the young people enrolled … or perhaps, [...]

By admin|2011-10-13T12:43:30-04:00October 13th, 2011|Blog, Education|

Low-Income Families Losing Ground Under Child Care Assistance Policies in Kentucky

Families in Kentucky are worse off based on four of five key child care assistance policies, according to a report released today by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). Child care, which helps children, families, and communities prosper, comes at a high price, and many families are relying on child care assistance programs during our tough economic times. But, Kentucky’s families are vulnerable to losing ground due to federal budget cuts and the end of [...]

By admin|2011-10-11T12:49:55-04:00October 11th, 2011|Blog, Economic Security, Health|

They Deserve a Second Look

By: Elizabeth Young As an intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates I am new to advocating for policy change. My experience with the juvenile justice system comes from my work with children charged with status offenses. From that vantage point, I can tell you what actual cases look like when children are charged for misbehaviors like skipping school, ignoring rules, or running away from home. There are children charged with truancy because an overworked parent was [...]

By admin|2011-10-06T12:53:20-04:00October 6th, 2011|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Youth Justice|

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