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Save the Dates: Children’s Advocacy Week at the Capitol February 1st-5th

For 16 years advocates for kids have gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol. On Children’s Advocacy Day, advocates fill the halls of the Capitol and ask their elected officials to step up for Kentucky kids—leading to many policy wins and building awareness of issues facing kids and their families. Children’s Advocacy Day is critical to building a brighter future for Kentucky kids. Amidst COVID-19, the strains on families, communities, and the [...]

By |2020-09-14T23:31:25-04:00September 14th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Youth Justice|
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Child Care: State Offers Some Limited Relief and Now It is Time for Congress to Act

On August 31st, Governor Beshear announced a number of measures intended to provide some relief to Kentucky’s child care providers and the kids and families who rely on them. Let’s be clear – there are no magic wands when it comes to the challenges presented by COVID-19 for the child care sector. The announcement represents a commendable and unenviable job of listening to providers, listening to families, and taking steps to prop up the fundamental, [...]

By |2020-09-10T15:17:30-04:00September 9th, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky Releases Resource Handbook for Kinship Caregivers

Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky Releases Resource Handbook for Kinship Caregivers New reference guide includes tips and information for Kentucky’s thousands of kinship families LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — A new handbook, created by the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky in collaboration with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Office, features resources for grandparents and relative caregivers navigating Kentucky’s child welfare system and caring for vulnerable children. In A Kentucky Grandparent and Relative Caregiver Handbook, caregivers will [...]

By |2020-09-09T12:29:18-04:00September 9th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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Op-Ed: Kentucky Kids Need Federal Action Now

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal September 3, 2020.  By Terry Brooks, executive director Kentucky Youth Advocates To say that autumn 2020 may bring surprises is the classic understatement. Can you imagine a year ago – or even a few months ago – seeing a September when kids are in front of a screen at home instead of in a classroom at school? Or an October when talk about college football playoffs [...]

By |2020-09-03T13:58:55-04:00September 3rd, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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‘Growing Up in Foster Care is What Makes My College Experience More Difficult’

By Tyler Hunter I am Kentucky born and raise – yea, I am proud of it, too. I am also proud of the life I was chosen to live. Because of my biological mother’s substance abuse in the 1990’s, I was placed in kinship care after 3 days entering this world. Throughout my childhood, I was placed with many other relatives. Eventually, at the age of 13, I was placed into the foster care system. [...]

By |2020-09-08T11:05:07-04:00September 2nd, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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Promoting Cessation to End Teen Vaping

In Kentucky, rates of youth cigarette smoking have been decreasing, but the usage of e-cigarettes has surged. The percentage of twelfth grade Kentucky students using e-cigarettes jumped from 12.2% to 26.7% from 2016 to 2018. This upward trend for youth e-cigarette use is being seen by high schools nationwide with 25% of all high school students reporting use of electronic nicotine products in 2019. While teen vaping has increased, new research from JAMA Pediatrics indicates [...]

By |2020-09-03T15:19:26-04:00September 1st, 2020|Blog, Health|
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Federal COVID-19 Relief Updates and Calls To Action

Updated September 16, 2020 Tumbleweeds seem to be blowing around the halls of Congress these days as families continue to struggle to feed their children, pay their rent, care for their children, and work to overcome the challenges of life during COVID-19. For a brief moment it seemed like politics would be put aside in favor of doing what is best for kids and families. But the spectacular leadership of our representatives in Washington seen [...]

By |2020-09-16T09:28:42-04:00August 31st, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Making Kids Count in the 2020 Election!

There are no shortage of concerns on the minds of Kentuckians as we prepare to vote this November. This will be a consequential election. The local, state, and federal leaders we select will determine policy that will impact our daily lives for what may be generations to come. But how often do we pause to consider--specifically--how our choices at the ballot box will impact us, and particularly young children who depend on us to make [...]

By |2020-09-17T12:23:37-04:00August 26th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Progress Report: Steps We Have Taken to Address Systemic Racism

As we stated back in June, Kentucky Youth Advocates is committed to addressing systemic racism across Kentucky and within our organization. To that end, we wanted to provide a brief update on actions we have taken. To ensure that every Kentucky kid can grow up healthy, safe, and hopeful, Kentucky Youth Advocates is working to address racial disparities by: Establishing an internal race equity team to create an environment in which we are intentional, accountable, [...]

By |2020-08-20T10:51:19-04:00August 20th, 2020|Blog, Race Equity|
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The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Kentucky Kids & What You Can Do About It

By Judi Jennings, Ph.D. The National Survey of Children’s Health shows Kentucky ranks 3rd highest in the nation (at 12%) of children experiencing parental incarceration. Only Oklahoma and New Mexico rank higher, reflecting the underlying connections between incarceration and systemic poverty. Louisville Family Justice Advocates (LFJA) recently co-led an Urban/Rural Learning Exchange, including a focus on parental incarceration, with two amazing allies: Dreama Gentry, Partners for Education at Berea College and Hasan Davis. Davis is [...]

By |2020-08-26T09:44:56-04:00August 18th, 2020|Blog, Health, Justice, Race Equity|
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