Bloom Kentucky is powered by grantmaking partners across the state, united by a shared commitment to end Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and promote resilience through systemic change. We focus on forward thinking policy solutions and strategic investments that address the root causes of adversity, strengthen protective factors, and build brighter futures for all Kentuckians.
Featured News & Upcoming Events
Policy Change Can Improve Health & Well-being Across Kentucky
Kentucky’s future depends on the well-being of its children. Strong communities launch thriving families, and thriving families nurture children who grow into healthy, hopeful adults. State policy change and budget investments can address multi-generational challenges on a broad scale and move upstream to prevent adverse experiences from occurring in the first place. These systemic changes can support all Kentucky communities in fostering opportunities for all kids and families to flourish.
ACEs & PCEs
Regional Data
Click the link for your DCBS service region to view its data profile.
Cumberland | Eastern Mountain | Jefferson | Northeastern | Northern Bluegrass | Salt River Trail | Southern Bluegrass | The Lakes | Two Rivers
The Opioid Settlement and Impact for Kentucky Kids
Kentucky communities will see well over $980 million dollars over the next 18 years from the Opioid Settlement. Half of settlement funds will go to the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission and the other half to counties, cities, consolidated local governments, and urban county governments. With investments and persistence, we can ensure there is not another generation negatively impacted by the opioid epidemic.
Take Action
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If you are interested in learning more about Bloom Kentucky, reach out to Hannah Edelen at hedelen@kyyouth.org.
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Ask your legislators if they know about ACEs and help educate them about the impact of trauma and ways to mitigate and prevent it if they don’t. Look up your state Senator and Representative.
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Make a public announcement about ACEs and recommendations to address impacts, such as an op-ed or statement.
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Host a Community Conversation.
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Host a ‘Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope’ documentary screening in your community to start the ACEs conversation.
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Sign Up for email updates!
Advocacy Corner
Want to contact your legislator about a bill? It’s simple!
- Find your Legislator
- Use the email and office contact information which can be found on their individual bio pages.
- If you would like to call and leave a message for your legislator, you can call the Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181.
- Be Prepared– Have the bill number and the action you desire ready to communicate!
Want to learn more? Check out KYA’s advocacy tips for more information.
The interim is the perfect time to meet with legislators—they have more availability and are focused on preparing for the next session. Utilize April to December to build relationships and educate them on your cause.
Steps to Meet with Legislators During the Interim:
1. Schedule a Meeting – Call or email their office to request a meeting. You can find all contact information on the LRC website.
2. Do Your Research – Understand their stance on issues, committee assignments, and recent legislative actions.
3. Prepare Your Message – Keep it concise. Share a personal story, relevant data, and a clear ask (e.g., support a bill, allocate funding, attend an event).
4. Engage in Conversation – Ask questions, listen to their concerns, and be open to discussion.
5. Follow Up – Send a thank-you email or card summarizing key points and providing any requested information.
Building relationships now strengthens your advocacy when the legislative session begins. Need additional advocacy support? Check out great advocacy tips.
Data is an important element of advocacy. Using data can help illuminate disparities and contextualize challenges and opportunities for many Kentuckians. The 2024 Kentucky Data Book, online Kids Count County Data Dashboard, the Opioid Data Dashboard on Kids and Families, and the regional data on ACEs in Kentucky are great tools for examining well-being in Kentucky. If you are passionate about a particular issue, explore these tools to see how you can incorporate data in your advocacy work.
Application in Action
- If you are a local leader, you might be interested in exploring county specific data and can do so through the online Kids Count Data Dashboard.
- If you are interested in thinking about prevention and advocating for local dollars to be spent in a way that supports upstream efforts for kids and families, you might explore the Opioid Data Dashboard on Kids and Families.
- If you are interested in ACEs and the specific impact of your region, you could explore the regional profiles on the Bloom Kentucky website.
Before a bill is voted on in the House or Senate Floor, it must pass out of Committee. Both the House and Senate have separate standing committees that meet when the General Assembly is in session. During the interim, separate committees are combined into one interim joint committee.
Committees have “jurisdiction” or a specific area of focus, such as education, health, or justice. You can find information about each committee along with a list of its members on the Kentucky Legislative Research Committee website.
As an advocate, it’s important to know which committees align with your issue area and who serves on them.
Advocate Action: Find a committee that interests you over the interim. Tune in online or in-person. All committee meetings can be watched online on KET or the LRC’s YouTube Channel.
Have you ever heard that old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? Such is the case when we talk about investing in prevention to reduce the long term economic costs of adversity in childhood. The policy and budget investment choices we make now for upstream efforts have implications for thriving downstream.
As an advocate, you can use Bloom Kentucky’s latest report to discuss with your Senator or Representative the importance of investing in kids and families.
Not sure where to start?
- Find your Legislator
- Schedule a Meeting – Call or email their office to request a meeting. You can find all contact information on the LRC website. Check out tips for contacting your legislator.
- Review the Economic Impact Report, watch the webinar, and come ready with an “elevator pitch”!
- Identify what you would like to see take place during the 2026 Legislative Session.
- Discuss how adversity is showing up in your community and how your legislator can make an impact.
- Stay engaged! Continue to build rapport with your legislators and identify opportunities to keep the conversation going.
Bloom Kentucky is supported by a growing list of grantmakers, including
Kentucky Youth Advocates is the backbone organization for the Bloom Kentucky initiative.