Blog Archives - Kentucky Youth Advocates

A Holistic Look at Child Well-Being in the Commonwealth

A Holistic Look at Child Well-Being in the Commonwealth

Core to Kentucky Youth Advocates mission, we believe that children of every background and in every part of Kentucky deserve all the tools and opportunities that we as a commonwealth can provide. This Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book serves as an annual report card for how we are meeting that charge for all of our kids. The 2018 County Data Book offers the latest data on 17 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across [...]

By Terry Brooks|2018-11-12T15:42:10+00:00November 13th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid, Youth Justice|

National Adoption Month: Kentucky’s Needs and Resources

National Adoption Month: Kentucky’s Needs and Resources

Every child needs a family. We know that children succeed when they are with caring adults who can help guide them as they grow. The commonwealth has over 9,800 children living with foster families or in group homes as a result of abuse, neglect, or dependency. The goal in Kentucky is to reunify children in foster care with their parents, and, when that cannot happen safely, children become eligible for adoption from foster care. November [...]

By Tina Agonva|2018-11-08T20:29:31+00:00November 8th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Celebrating Dental Hygienists Across the Commonwealth

Celebrating Dental Hygienists Across the Commonwealth

October is National Dental Hygiene Month, and we’re celebrating dental hygienists across Kentucky! Dental hygienists play a critical role in helping children and adults by examining signs of oral diseases such as gingivitis, educating patients on ways to improve and maintain good oral health, and providing preventative services such as providing fluoride varnish, removing of plaque, and cleaning. However, the Making Smiles Happen: 2016 Oral Health Study Kentucky Youth tells us that many kids aren’t [...]

By Mahak Kalra|2018-11-01T10:11:07+00:00October 31st, 2018|Blog, Health|

Guest Post: From a Safe Sleep Enthusiast

Guest Post: From a Safe Sleep Enthusiast

Originally featured on the Kosair Charities Face It Movement blog. By Jessie Whitish Traveling with my son—now nearly three years old—requires an extra suitcase. Is it full of snacks, extra clothes, or enriching toys? No. It’s packed with all the things he loves to sleep with in his bed at night! His sleep sack, two light blankets, a stuffed Pete the Cat, three Disney princess dolls, an elephant lovey…you get the idea. Nowadays his toddler bed is [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2018-10-30T12:30:19+00:00October 30th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|

Preventing Dropouts, Building Brighter Futures

Preventing Dropouts, Building Brighter Futures

October is National Dropout Prevention Month, which calls our attention on increasing awareness of the long-term effects on not only the students, but also the economy and society when students drop out of school. It offers a reminder to us to become better informed about how to prevent students from dropping out of school so that every child has the opportunity for a brighter future that a high school diploma helps ensure. In Kentucky, the [...]

By Harper Kelly|2018-10-24T16:12:02+00:00October 24th, 2018|Blog, Education|

What is the Family First Preservation Services Act?

What is the Family First Preservation Services Act?

There are a lot of changes happening within the child welfare system in Kentucky due to recent state policy changes, agency commitments from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and both state and federal funding that will have a profound impact on how our child welfare system functions and supports Kentucky children and families. The Cabinet has begun work on implementing House Bill 1, along with other needed reforms to transform the way our [...]

By Shannon Moody|2018-10-18T21:12:09+00:00October 18th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Family Recovery Court: Families Together, Safe, and Healthy

Family Recovery Court: Families Together, Safe, and Healthy

Family is important. When a member of the family is going through a hard time, the rest of the family shares in that struggle, and when the family experiences successes, the rest of the family can revel in that joy as well. In light of the rise in substance use disorders both nationally and especially here in Kentucky, many families are facing more of those low times and, unfortunately the children in those families also [...]

By Terrance Sullivan|2018-10-04T20:16:40+00:00October 4th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice|

Guest Post: Opening Doors for Young Parents Like Me

Guest Post: Opening Doors for Young Parents Like Me

Originally featured on the Kosair Charities Face It Movement blog. By Tina Agonva In 2008, I became a young parent raising a newborn. It was not easy. Kentucky has 57,000 children who are living with a parent who is between 18 and 24 years old, according to the latest policy report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Opening Doors for Young Parents. At 81%, our state ranks second in the nation for the percentage of children of [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2018-10-04T15:40:43+00:00October 4th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|

Building Opportunities for Kentucky’s Young Adult Parents and Their Children to Thrive

Building Opportunities for Kentucky’s Young Adult Parents and Their Children to Thrive

There are 50,000 Kentucky young adult parents facing a unique set of challenges and opportunities to help their families thrive, according to the latest KIDS COUNT® policy report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Opening Doors for Young Parents. With the right support, all parents — regardless of their age, income, or education — can create a stable environment for their children while also adding to a stronger Kentucky workforce. The report in many ways confirms [...]

By Terry Brooks|2018-09-25T12:01:08+00:00September 25th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count|

Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow

Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow

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 [...]

By Harper Kelly|2018-09-19T11:33:20+00:00September 19th, 2018|Blog, Education|

ACTION ALERTS!

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ALERTS!