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About Karena Cash

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So far Karena Cash has created 11 blog entries.

Update: P-EBT for 2021-22 School Year

Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) has been one of the most vital supports for children and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, providing grocery money to families who would have usually received free and reduced school meals.  We are excited to share that Kentucky has received final federal approval for P-EBT benefits for the 2021-2022 school year. This round of benefits will be administered differently than previous rounds, so please read the following information carefully. Kentucky Youth Advocates will [...]

By |2022-05-03T16:06:07-04:00May 3rd, 2022|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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Child Care Assistance Program FAQ for Kentucky Families

Child care is essential for Kentucky families to thrive. With annual costs reaching up to $11,000, however, families across Kentucky are struggling to pay for child care. The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps eligible families pay for child care, providing vital support to families with young children. Despite how vital the program is, very few eligible families are participating in the program and applying for and participating in the program can be confusing. With [...]

By |2022-04-28T09:03:27-04:00April 27th, 2022|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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Deep Dive into House Bill 7 + What It Means for Kids and Families

Safety net programs, including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP), play a critical role in making sure families struggling to make ends meet can have food to eat, cover basic family needs, and access critical supports and services needed to be healthy and thrive. This is especially important as new evidence emerges [...]

By |2022-04-19T16:58:54-04:00April 19th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
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March Madness for Kids’ Nutrition

For most Kentuckians, March is a sacred time of basketball and brackets. For our school nutrition professionals and students, however, March is also the home of National School Breakfast Week and National Nutrition Month.  Throughout the pandemic, one slam dunk for kids has been the USDA Child Nutrition Programs, which ensure kids across Kentucky have access to at least two meals a day during the school year and one a day during the summer months. [...]

By |2022-03-10T16:02:57-05:00March 10th, 2022|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Help Families Claim the 2021 Child Tax Credit!

Over one million Kentucky families can claim the second half of the expanded Child Tax Credit this tax season, which is open until April 18!  The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 made big changes to the Child Tax Credit, expanding eligibility to cover an estimated 93% of Kentucky kids and splitting the credit into two halves. Eligible Kentucky families received the first half of the expanded credit through monthly Child Tax Credit payments that [...]

By |2022-02-03T13:47:03-05:00February 3rd, 2022|Blog, Economic Security, Race Equity|
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Community Input: Jail Practices to Support Children Visiting Incarcerated Parents

Kids rely on their parents to provide a safe home where all of their emotional, physical, and financial needs can be met. Unfortunately, in Kentucky more than one in 10 children have had a parent separated from them due to incarceration—the 6th highest rate in the nation.  Parental incarceration is an Adverse Childhood Experience that has been referred to as a “shared sentence” due to the short and long-term effects it has on a child’s [...]

By |2022-01-27T17:14:13-05:00January 27th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice, Race Equity|
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The Good and Bad News for Child Care in 2022

The recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill) will be used to repair potholes in our nation’s roads and bridges. However, there is a major pothole for kids, families, and local economies that we have yet to address: child care.  Thankfully, the child care sector has gotten some much needed investment via federal COVID relief measures including CRSSA, CARES, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to help stabilize the sector. As we [...]

By |2021-12-21T13:43:08-05:00December 21st, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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October 2021 Update on the KY Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity

Read about the September meeting of the Commission on Race and Opportunity here.  The Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity held an October meeting featuring presentations from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Prichard Committee. These groups presented on topics ranging from the workforce and economic opportunity to education and discipline.  The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s presentation walked through the Chamber’s racial equity report that was released earlier this year, Achieving Equity to [...]

By |2021-11-10T15:04:39-05:00November 10th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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It’s Open Enrollment Season!

It’s open enrollment season, and kynect is back to help Kentuckians find affordable healthcare plans! Kynect is Kentucky’s state-based healthcare and family support marketplace, where Kentuckians can browse for affordable health insurance plans and apply for family support programs, such as child care, health care, and food assistance.  Kentuckians can enroll in health coverage through kynect between November 1, 2021 and January 15, 2022; however, families have been able to browse available plans since October [...]

By |2021-11-01T10:37:49-04:00November 1st, 2021|Blog, Health, Medicaid|
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Bolstering the Early Childhood Workforce: Good for Kentucky Families, Child Care Centers, and Economy

In this week’s Advocate Virtual Forum, we covered one of this year’s hottest topics: compensation for early childhood educators. Panelists Laura Hogan with National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Brenda Hagan with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, Jennifer Washburn with iKids Childhood Enrichment Center, and Kevin Fields with Louisville Central Community Centers discussed the challenge’s child care providers are facing, issues facing the early childhood workforce, and potential solutions to common workforce [...]

By |2021-10-14T14:53:29-04:00October 14th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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