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World Hearing Day 2021: A Reminder for Parents and Guardians

By Danielle Hempel, MSSW Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates For many people, the five basic senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) are not something they give much thought to. However, for those with hearing loss, it is something most of us think about everyday, including myself.   After suffering from tinnitus, or ringing in your ears, since childhood, I was finally diagnosed with asymmetrical hearing loss when I was 22, joining nearly 700,000 Kentucky residents who are deaf or hard of hearing (HOH). For me, it was almost hard to [...]

By |2021-03-02T12:36:57-05:00March 2nd, 2021|Blog, Health|
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New P-EBT Benefits Are Coming!

We are excited to announce that Kentucky has received final federal approval and the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefit has been extended for October 2020-June 2021. This round of benefits will be administered differently than previous rounds, so please read the following information from the state carefully. View the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services' FAQ document and see infographics with more details below. Who is eligible?  For the months of October 2020 through [...]

By |2021-03-04T17:16:22-05:00February 26th, 2021|Blog, Education, Health|
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Guest Post: Prioritizing Oral Health Sets Kids Up for a Healthier, Brighter Future

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader February 25, 2021. By Dr. Stephanie Poynter It is no secret that Kentucky has historically had a poor reputation when it comes to our dental health. In a recent study ranking states with the best and worst dental health, the Commonwealth ranked 41st in the nation in indicators of dental wellness. We have among the lowest dentists per capita, highest sugar-sweetened beverages consumption, and highest [...]

By |2021-02-25T15:49:52-05:00February 25th, 2021|Blog, Health, Medicaid|
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Strengthening the Statute of Limitations for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

One in four girls and one in thirteen boys will experience sexual abuse at some point in their childhood, with more than 90% of perpetrators being someone the child or their family knows. Research tells us that most adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse don’t disclose, or tell anyone, about their abuse until much later in their lives. And when abuse is disclosed during childhood there are still delays. James Van Buren, MD, FAAP, UK [...]

By |2021-02-25T15:59:54-05:00February 24th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Young Children Do Not Belong in Juvenile Court

The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) released a new report highlighting the importance of establishing and, in some states, raising the minimum age for trying youth in juvenile court. There are currently 28 states, including Kentucky, that do not have a minimum age threshold, meaning that children as young as five or six can legally have their complaints brought before a judge. Despite a national decline in youth complaints (or arrests) over the last several [...]

By |2021-02-25T15:53:46-05:00February 24th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Youth Justice|
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Physically Distant But Still Together: Children’s Advocacy Week Recap

When Children’s Advocacy Day transitioned to Children’s Advocacy Week, no one was sure what to expect. Would advocates still be interested if the events were virtual? Would state leaders still attend if they couldn’t see advocates in-person? Would anyone still take action on bills that are good for kids? The answer was a resounding YES. Advocates, you showed up in a BIG way. Legislators and other state leaders did the same. Between live events, Facebook [...]

By |2021-02-24T13:17:34-05:00February 24th, 2021|Blog|
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2021 Bills to Watch that Seek to Advance Race Equity for Kids

As our commonwealth works to overcome the “dual pandemics” of COVID-19 and systemic racism, Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children have a common vision of a brighter future for every Kentucky kid and their family. We are counting on legislative leaders to prioritize policies that advance race equity and address systemic racism in the current and future legislative sessions. We previously shared our commitment to ensure all policies within the 2021 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy agenda [...]

By |2021-02-18T14:26:41-05:00February 18th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Thank You to Our 2020 Census Champions Awardees

We love giving awards to decision makers who have stepped up for kids. This year during Children's Advocacy Week, in addition to the usual Champions for Children awards given to legislators who prioritized kids during last year’s General Assembly, we also gave 2020 Census Champions awards to those in state government who went above and beyond to promote a fair and complete 2020 Census count of the commonwealth. Going into 2020, I thought the [...]

By |2021-02-16T15:21:05-05:00February 16th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Help Is On The Way for Child Care Providers: What’s Coming and How To Get It

Help is finally on the way for Kentucky’s struggling child care sector. We know that it continues to be a rough environment for child care providers  and their employees -- similar to other small businesses that rely on face-to-face interaction. The struggles of the pandemic continue to impact child care as much as, or perhaps even more than, ever before. In late December 2020 the U.S. Congress passed and the President signed into law a [...]

By |2021-02-12T11:27:14-05:00February 11th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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Funding Kentucky’s Child Abuse Pediatricians and their Teams

For the third year in a row, Kentucky has the highest rate of child maltreatment in the nation. Kentucky also has much higher rates of domestic violence and caregiver substance use in cases of child abuse than the national average. With more than 20,000 cases of substantiated child maltreatment, the need for expert pediatric forensic services is crucial. However, as Dr. Christina Howard, Child Abuse Pediatrician at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, explained, “Kentucky has five practicing [...]

By |2021-02-11T17:58:51-05:00February 11th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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