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Statement on Passage of SB 73 by Senate Judiciary Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – As Kentucky kids learn and socialize increasingly in online spaces, it’s as important as ever to put safeguards in place to prevent and address exploitation and promote child safety. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in cases of online sexual extortion, or “sextortion” – where perpetrators use social media platforms, gaming sites, and messaging [...]

By |2025-02-06T09:59:09-05:00February 6th, 2025|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|
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Educator Sexual Misconduct: The Role of Technology and Prevention Efforts

A recently published study in the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse examines how technology has been used to facilitate educator sexual misconduct in Kentucky’s schools. The study’s author, Kotomi Yokokura, discusses the findings below. Between 2016 and 2021, 74 Kentucky educators had their licenses suspended, voluntarily surrendered, or permanently revoked by the Kentucky Education Professional Standard Board for educator sexual misconduct. Within these cases, over 120 students were affected. These students were as young as [...]

By |2025-02-04T12:00:43-05:00February 4th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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OP-ED: “Say What?” Legislative Proposals for Kids

This originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader, NKY Tribune, and Courier Journal. By Terry Brooks “Say what?” Merriam Webster describes this idiom as “a way to express surprise or disbelief at what someone has said or at unexpected news.” It is also the most popular response to any question or request directed to my three teenage grandkids. I’m never sure if that teen response is genuine surprise or a very skilled stalling [...]

By |2025-01-31T16:17:58-05:00January 30th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid, News Room, Youth Justice|
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High Ratings + (Sometimes) High Frustrations: Special Education in Kentucky

In 2024, the Kentucky Department of Education received the highest possible rating for its special education system. This rating is based on the Commonwealth’s ability to meet the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is the federal law that governs special education laws and funding. Kentucky has all the necessary policies and procedures in place that IDEA requires, and the state systems are designed to align with federal government laws.   Although [...]

By |2025-01-16T12:57:03-05:00January 16th, 2025|Blog, Education|
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Announcing the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2025 State Policy Priorities Agenda

Media Contact:  Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Louisville, KY – Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners from across the Commonwealth released the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2025 priority agenda. The Blueprint speaks with a common voice to create brighter futures for all Kentucky kids and their families. The Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children is a coalition of non-profit, public, and private organizations that stands on three pillars: thriving communities launch strong families, strong families launch successful kids, and successful kids launch a prosperous future [...]

By |2024-12-10T12:54:44-05:00December 11th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid, News Room, Youth Justice|
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Launching the Opioid Data Dashboard on Children and Families

Throughout Kentucky, families and communities have felt the impact of the opioid epidemic. For too many families, the impacts have hit very close to home and loved ones have been lost. While we can’t take away those losses that families have experienced, Kentucky has a tremendous opportunity in the wake of the crisis to heal with communities stronger than they were before. Managed by the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, the opioid settlement means that [...]

By |2024-12-09T09:16:25-05:00December 5th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Race Equity|
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The State of Child Care from the Perspective of Kentucky Providers and Parents

Kentucky kids need safe spaces to learn and socialize while their parents work. And before they begin kindergarten, many families rely on child care – whether in homes or centers – to provide this care. Despite the clear indication that child care is needed for Kentucky families, there continue to be challenges to finding and staying connected to care, especially for children with disabilities.  During the month of September, KYA surveyed child care center directors/owners [...]

By |2024-12-05T15:53:16-05:00December 5th, 2024|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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Messages from Kentucky’s Young People: Positive Experiences in Action

If we want to make Kentucky the best place to be young, we need to create a Kentucky where kids have an abundance of Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs). In the 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book, Kentucky Youth Advocates not only shares the latest statewide and county-level data on child well-being, we also dive into the disproportionate impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Kentucky kids, progress on efforts to mitigate those impacts, and the power [...]

By |2024-11-20T14:48:53-05:00November 20th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child health, education, economic security, and family and community Louisville, KY – The 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on 16 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, [...]

By |2024-11-20T08:26:32-05:00November 20th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Strengthening Kentucky Homeschool Settings

Kentucky kids access education in a variety of ways, including public schools, private schools, and homeschool settings.  Over the past several years, the number of families choosing homeschool for their children has grown substantially. There are many reasons that families choose to homeschool their children, but whatever motivation the family has for initiating homeschool education, it is important to ensure that all Kentucky kids are in a safe learning environment where they receive a high [...]

By |2024-11-07T11:10:58-05:00November 7th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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