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Tomorrow, September 20th, is “High Attendance Day” for all public schools in Kentucky. Districts and schools have been building up to this day by finding ways to award the schools who record the highest percentage of enrolled students coming to school that day. We know that showing up to school is important for every child. It’s so important that for at least two decades, state accountability indexes have included school and district Average Daily Attendance [...]
Did you know today is Constitution Day? On September 17th of 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution in Philadelphia. Most Americans know that this document established the framework of our government and the rights and freedoms that “We the People” enjoy today. A lesser known fact is that the Constitution requires the decennial census that we’ve been blogging about for the past few months. In fact, Article 1, Section [...]
Hundreds of youth and adults attended Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol in 2018, and we need you to help pack the rotunda and ask elected officials to prioritize kids in 2019. Join us on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 for the 15th annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol! Register here. Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol began in 2004 as an effort to unite advocates from across the state to raise their voices on behalf of children’s [...]
Every year, the first Sunday after Labor Day, the United States recognizes and celebrates grandparents. Grandparents are important members of our families as they are the keepers of our family history, provide insight and advice on life’s milestones, and help keep family connected. In Kentucky, there are tens of thousands of grandparents who have also stepped up to raise their grandchildren. There are several reasons for grandparents to raise their grandchildren, including parental death, parental substance abuse, military [...]
Photo provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation Last month, we blogged on the various ways the data from the decennial census are used and why it is therefore critically important to make sure everyone in Kentucky is counted in the #2020Census. Spring of 2020 may feel far away, but it takes a lot of planning to achieve an accurate count – planning that can’t start soon enough! The single best action [...]
Traumatic experiences can happen to any of us, whether it’s growing up in an abusive or dysfunctional home or surviving a natural disaster. And, while everyone who has experienced trauma wants to move beyond it, the part of our brain tasked with ensuring our survival can complicate the process, even when we don’t remember the event. In highly stressful or potentially life-threatening situations, our brains activate a fight or flight response. Without even realizing it, [...]
There has been some serious excitement in my house this week, as our daughters prepare for their first days of school. We’ve gone to school to deliver their bags of school supplies – crayons, markers, scissors, notebooks, and glue sticks. We’ve visited their classrooms and met their new teachers. We’ve picked out their first-day-of-school outfits and prepared their new backpacks. In our house, back to school is a pretty big deal. My first- and third-grader [...]
Recently, a federal judge halted implementation of Kentucky’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver, also known as Kentucky HEALTH. Since then, there’s been a fair amount of confusion and questions among Medicaid-eligible recipients, health providers, and advocates. When it comes to any issue – and that includes Kentucky HEALTH – Kentucky Youth Advocates asks the same essential question, “Is it good for kids?” Read more in our recent statement here. Conversations continue between the Bevin Administration and the [...]
Back to school time is a mixed bag full of emotions. Parents are rejoicing at the prospect of having a routine again, while also mulling with the fact they must send their kids away for longer periods of time, or maybe for the first time. Kids on the other hand, are excited to be back at school and around their friends all day, but the return of school also means the return of homework and [...]
Photo provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation As a part of the U.S. Constitution, America has one chance every decade to count each resident through the decennial census. The census count helps determine everything from how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives, the number of state legislative districts needed, how much federal funding is allocated to states and localities, and which communities need a new elementary school, [...]
