Blog – Kentucky Youth Advocates

Let’s Measure What We Value — The Well-being of Kentucky Students

Let’s Measure What We Value — The Well-being of Kentucky Students

You’ve probably heard the quotes, “What gets measured gets managed,” or “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it,” or even, “We measure what we value.” Central to each of these quotes is the premise that capturing data is the foundation for examining growth, impact, and understanding how the decisions we make change outcomes. If we care about outcomes, we have to measure them. Data as a Compass The Kentucky Department [...]

By Hannah Edelen|2026-11-05T15:59:01-05:00November 5th, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|

A Shared Sentence: Parental Incarceration + Impact on Kids

A Shared Sentence: Parental Incarceration + Impact on Kids

October is Parental Incarceration Awareness Month and serves a reminder of the impact of having a loved one behind bars and the direct consequences on children and families. This shared sentence is considered an Adverse Childhood Experience and is associated with negative health and other social outcomes. Research continues to demonstrate how parental incarceration impacts kids – creating disruption and trauma, instability for families, and increased reliance on community supports. Parental Incarceration [...]

By Hannah Edelen|2026-10-29T09:50:26-04:00October 29th, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice|

Bringing Communities Together at The Kids Table

Bringing Communities Together at The Kids Table

Across the state Kentucky kids are enjoying fall break, trips to the pumpkin patch, and Halloween excitement. At Kentucky Youth Advocates, we’re reflecting on The Kids Table – a series of four Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children regional convenings focused on how kids are faring in each region, state policy solutions, and opportunities for advocates to get involved. The Kids Table provided an opportunity for community members to convene, learn from each other, and share [...]

By Alicia Whatley|2026-10-23T13:33:15-04:00October 23rd, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Making Moves: Young People Shaping Policy in Kentucky

Making Moves: Young People Shaping Policy in Kentucky

Young people across Kentucky have ideas, experiences, and perspectives that can help shape stronger communities and better policies. But for their voices to make a difference, they need more than an invitation to speak. They need opportunities to build their skills, connect with decision-makers, and play a meaningful role in shaping the decisions that affect their lives. At Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA), we believe young people deserve a seat at the table, not just [...]

By Jami Garth|2026-10-15T15:50:38-04:00October 15th, 2026|Blog|

Child Support Dollars Should Support Kentucky’s Kids

Child Support Dollars Should Support Kentucky’s Kids

Child support dollars owed by a non-custodial parent are intended to help families meet the everyday costs of raising children, including groceries, clothing, housing, school supplies, and other basic needs. But for some of Kentucky’s lowest-income families, child support being paid on behalf of a child may never reach the family caring for them. On October 1st, members of the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary heard testimony about Kentucky’s current child support “cost recovery” [...]

By Andrew Alvey|2026-10-08T15:09:57-04:00October 8th, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Guest Blog: The Reality of GAL Representation in Kentucky

Guest Blog: The Reality of GAL Representation in Kentucky

By Margarett Alexander, Alexander Law Office For over twenty years, I have served as a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) and court-appointed counsel, primarily in Barren and Metcalfe counties. I stand in courtrooms on behalf of hundreds of children who did not choose to be there and who needed someone whose only job was to speak for their best interests. I became a GAL because I have spent my adult life [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2026-10-07T14:39:13-04:00October 7th, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Bloom Kentucky Sprout-Out: Cultivating Shared Stewardship Around Opioid Abatement Funds in Clark County

Bloom Kentucky Sprout-Out: Cultivating Shared Stewardship Around Opioid Abatement Funds in Clark County

By Sarah Caton Walters, Director of Communications at Greater Clark Foundation Communities can spend years preparing for opportunities they never know will come. When opioid settlement funds began making their way to local governments across Kentucky, Clark County had a rare opportunity: not to only distribute new resources, but to decide together how those resources could create lasting change. Public dollars belong to the community, and they offer the most possibility when the [...]

By Hannah Edelen|2026-11-04T15:26:23-05:00October 1st, 2026|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Economic Security, Health|

Take Action to Protect Data for Decisionmaking

Take Action to Protect Data for Decisionmaking

Have you ever used Kentucky KIDS COUNT data? Do you care about funding for programs like the Child Care Assistance Program, school meals, and SNAP? Is it helpful to understand the demographics of people in your community? Have you driven on a highway in Kentucky this week? If you answered yes to any of these questions (and we suspect you all did!), then we need your help! The U.S. Decennial Census has been [...]

By Tara Grieshop-Goodwin|2026-10-15T18:05:01-04:00September 30th, 2026|Blog, Economic Security|

Respite for Kinship Caregivers: Providing a Break, Ensuring Stability

Respite for Kinship Caregivers: Providing a Break, Ensuring Stability

Last week, Tatum Abel, a foster and kinship lived experience advocate and former True Up Peer Network member, spoke before the Kentucky General Assembly’s Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children about the importance of expanding access to respite care for kinship caregivers. We are grateful to Committee Co-Chair Rep. Samara Heavrin for inviting Tatum to share her lived experience and ideas for strengthening support for kinship families. When children cannot safely remain [...]

By Andrew Alvey|2026-09-24T17:05:45-04:00September 24th, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Building Connections During Kinship Care Month in Kentucky

Building Connections During Kinship Care Month in Kentucky

This year, the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky in partnership with Kentucky Youth Advocates, through the support of Casey Family Programs, hosted a series of free Kinship Connections events to increase awareness and support for kinship caregivers, grandparents, relatives, or close family friends raising children. The event in Logan County on September 19th was one in a series: the first event took place on May 27th in Laurel County. KYA and the Kinship [...]

By Linda Stettenbenz|2026-09-24T12:56:28-04:00September 23rd, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|