This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier-Journal on December 5, 2016. It is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time: Kentucky’s own Tom Cruise plays attorney Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, and Jack Nicholson is Colonel Nathan Jessup in the 1992 film, A Few Good Men. You surely remember. Kaffee is pushing the Colonel and pushing him hard. The irascible Nicholson shouts, “You want answers?” And the usually cool Cruise explodes back, [...]
Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org JEFFERSONTOWN, KY – The Kentucky KIDS COUNT 2016 County Data Book provides a snapshot of children by county, including county-level rankings of child well-being based on 16 different indicators. The counties with the highest rankings on child well-being include (in order) Oldham, Boone, Spencer, Woodford, and Ballard Counties. Detailed data are available for every county in Kentucky. Please click here for your county’s profile. This year’s book goes a step further [...]
Through a partnership with Kentucky Youth Advocates, Kosair Charities®, and Casey Family Programs, First Lady Glenna Bevin invited youth and young adults from across the state with diverse backgrounds to come together as the First Lady’s Youth Leadership Council (FLYLC) to forge a common ground around three big issues that affect children in Kentucky: child welfare, child abuse and neglect, and family preservation. My name is Cynthia Schepers and I was in foster care since the [...]
We are honored to work with First Lady Glenna Bevin on the new First Lady's Youth Leadership Council. Young leaders from across the state are working with Mrs. Bevin to change policies and practices related to the child welfare system and help more kids have a safe and loving home. As one member, Tessa, says, "The youth settling in one place and feeling comfortable and safe is what we're working for here." The council recently met to [...]
Stacy with her husband, mother, and father November is National Adoption Month. Stacy shares her story about finding a forever family and calls on all of us to open our hearts and minds to care for young people who have been adopted. Stacy's mom, Phyllis, also wrote about her experience as an adoptive mother here. By Stacy Hildreth Ortiz My name is Stacy Hildreth Ortiz. I was adopted at the age of two [...]
November is National Adoption Month. When adoptive parents open their home, they create loving forever families across Kentucky. In this guest blog, Phyllis shares her story of adopting children from the Special Needs Adoption program. Though they faced challenges, her family is strong and has built connections to strengthen other adoptive families. Hear from Phyllis's daughter, Stacy, here. By Phyllis Hildreth When I was young and saw pictures of orphans, I thought I would have [...]
Contact: Emilee Coomes, BoxcarPR 502-797-5058 Emilee@boxcarpr.com Andrea Bennett, Kentucky Youth Advocates 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Access to Oral Health Care in Kentucky Has Increased, Yet Children Face Pressing Oral Health Needs New Report Highlights Findings of 2016 Oral Health Study of Kentucky's Youth Jeffersontown, KY - Access to oral health care has increased since 2001, yet more children face urgent dental needs, according to a new study co-released today by Delta Dental of Kentucky and Kentucky Youth Advocates. [...]
Photo Credit: Lafayierre Mitchell, YouthBuild Louisville student By Nikkia Rhodes and Judi Jennings This summer, Nikkia Rhodes and 10 more young people participated in a five-day Summer Art Camp held at YouthBuild Louisville for friends and families with incarcerated loved ones. The Special Project created the camp as a way to address the impacts of incarceration that the Annie E. Casey Foundation describes in a recent report, A Shared Sentence: The Devastating Toll [...]
New data released today by the U.S Census Bureau reveals that more than one in four Kentucky children still live in poverty. The American Community Survey 1-year estimate shows 25.9 percent of Kentucky children lived in poverty in 2015, which was not a significant change from the 2014 estimate. This estimate reveals that the percent of Kentucky children living in poverty remains higher since the recession began in 2008 (23.5 percent). “We know the data [...]
Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates New health insurance data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that health insurance coverage rates for people of all ages in Kentucky increased from 85.7 percent in 2013 to 94.0 percent in 2015. Kentucky's overall coverage rate is now tied with two other states at 10th in the nation. The one-year estimates from the American Community Survey [...]
