Blog Archives - Kentucky Youth Advocates

2020 Open Enrollment and Former Foster Youth

2020 Open Enrollment and Former Foster Youth

The 2020 open enrollment period for health insurance begins November 4, 2019 and goes through December 13th. Let’s make sure everyone who is eligible signs up for the health insurance they need to stay healthy. While November is National Adoption Month, we must remember those children who were not connected to a family and instead transitioned out of foster care into adulthood. Compared to youth in families, youth who age out of foster care have disproportionately [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2019-11-04T15:57:58-05:00November 4th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|

Adoptive Mom and Biological Mom Team Up so Their Children can Thrive

Adoptive Mom and Biological Mom Team Up so Their Children can Thrive

By Stacey Burton As a child I dreamed of being a mother to a house full of children. That dream did not change throughout the years, but the plan of how the dream would be fulfilled and what that family would look like changed drastically. I remember watching documentaries on adoption and foster care as a teenager and knew that would somehow fit into my story. Now, many years later, not only did foster care [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2019-11-04T15:43:23-05:00November 4th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Launch of the Family First Act Communications & Advocacy Toolkit

Launch of the Family First Act Communications & Advocacy Toolkit

Children and teens involved in the child welfare system do best in families, where there is a safe and stable environment that supports their growth and well-being. Passage of the bipartisan federal Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 (Family First) took important steps to realign federal funding to ensure children in foster care are placed with families and to prioritize critical supports, such as mental health and substance abuse treatment, in-home parent skill-based programs, and [...]

By Shannon Moody|2019-10-24T12:49:03-05:00October 24th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Children With Incarcerated Parents Too Often Overlooked

Children With Incarcerated Parents Too Often Overlooked

By Judi Jennings, Ph.D. Louisville Family Justice Advocates Special Project art activity by Layfierre Mitchell October is national SEE US SUPPORT US Month led by the New York-based Osborne Foundation to raise public awareness about the impact of parental incarceration on children. Parental incarceration is more than a temporary separation of child and parent because incarceration affects children differently than other forms of parental loss. Having an incarcerated parent carries strong social stigma [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2019-10-23T08:53:19-05:00October 23rd, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice|

Status Update on Federal Investments in Child Care

Status Update on Federal Investments in Child Care

National politics. Most of us are sick of hearing about it. We turn on our televisions, or most likely, scroll through our phones to stare at the day’s headlines. We are fatigued by the infighting, the suspicion, the intrigue, and the outright salaciousness of our national life. It is tempting to flip the channel to something less stress inducing, or to deactivate our social media in hopes of making the intense political world in which [...]

By Ben Gies|2019-10-14T18:11:08-05:00October 14th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|

Wildcats and Cardinals Banding Together for TEN-4 Day

Wildcats and Cardinals Banding Together for TEN-4 Day

This was originally posted as an op-ed by the Kosair Charities Face It Movement in the Courier Journal and Kentucky Today. By Dr. MELISSA CURRIE AND DR. CHRISTINA HOWARD It’s finally fall in the commonwealth, which means cooler temperatures, leaves changing, and college football season. As child abuse pediatricians at University of Kentucky and University of Louisville, we are well aware of the deep rivalry when it comes to our sports programs, and we both proudly support [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2019-10-10T11:13:58-05:00October 10th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Celebrating (and Practicing!) Good Dental Hygiene in October and Beyond

Celebrating (and Practicing!) Good Dental Hygiene in October and Beyond

By Alicia Whatley October is National Dental Hygiene Month. This is a great time to celebrate the critical work dental hygienists do and to help raise awareness on the importance of good oral health. It’s especially important as we near Halloween and the endless amounts of candy that never seem to disappear. Practicing good oral hygiene is important for everyone at every age. Engaging in daily dental hygiene practices helps to prevent gum disease, cavities, [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2019-10-10T15:54:24-05:00October 10th, 2019|Blog, Health|

Child Abuse is 100% Preventable: 5 Ways to Act

Child Abuse is 100% Preventable: 5 Ways to Act

The Department for Community Based Services’ annual report on child fatalities and near fatalities due to abuse and neglect was released last month. This report is mandated by law and provides information on the fatalities and near fatalities due to the maltreatment of children under the age of 18 in Kentucky. The report details data on fatalities and near fatalities and discusses demographic information as well as perpetrator information and risk factors present in the [...]

By Shannon Moody|2019-10-02T14:08:47-05:00October 2nd, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

#BeThe1To

#BeThe1To

As National Suicide Prevention Month wraps up, we believe it’s important to discuss prevention efforts for children, teens, and young adults throughout the year. One way we’re committed to doing just that is through ongoing advocacy that emphasizes the mental health needs of Kentucky youth. The School Safety and Resiliency Act of 2019 (SB 1), developed in response to the tragic 2018 Marshall County High School shooting, ensures all students are able to learn in a [...]

By Mahak Kalra|2019-09-30T17:59:41-05:00September 30th, 2019|Blog, Education, Health|

Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids

Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids

By Alicia Whatley Research shows that kids’ beverage choices are just as important as food choices for healthy growth and development. Teaching healthy beverage choices at a young age can help ensure healthy choices in the future. To guide healthy beverage choices for children, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, America’s Pediatric Dentists, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association have formed a campaign called Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids outlining the consensus [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2019-10-01T11:05:01-05:00September 30th, 2019|Blog, Health|

ACTION ALERTS!

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ALERTS!