Safe Schools, Safe Kids, Bright Futures

Kentucky’s legislative School Safety Working Group (SSWG), made up of bipartisan legislators, stakeholders and other experts in school safety, has met since June 2018 to listen to and discuss proposals to improve school safety across the Commonwealth. While many states across the nation are feeling pressure to provide a quick, reactive solution, the SSWG, co-chaired by Senator Max Wise and Representative Bam Carney, approached these meetings through an intentional process -- hearing what is currently [...]

By |2019-02-06T16:43:00-05:00January 8th, 2019|Blog, Education, Health|

In 2019, Let’s Work Together for Kentucky Kids

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal.  Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA) recently released its 2018 KIDS COUNT County Data Book. This is, in many ways, the report card for Kentucky’s kids on a state-wide, regional, and county-level basis. Lots of data. Lots of good news. Lots of challenges. Though we’ve seen improved rates in 93 out of 120 counties, nearly one in four Kentucky kids still live in poverty. We have [...]

Kentucky Teens Say E-cig Use Rampant and Adults Are Unaware

A new infographic from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Kentucky Youth Advocates highlights the surge in e-cigarette usage among teens seen across the commonwealth and the nation. While youth cigarette smoking in Kentucky has steadily declined, the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, known as vapes and Juuls, is putting a new generation of teens at risk of nicotine addiction. “Kentucky just can’t afford to addict another generation to tobacco products, and the fact that youth e-cig [...]

By |2018-12-10T16:46:38-05:00December 10th, 2018|Blog, Education, Health|

Kentucky Teens Say E-cig Use Rampant, Adults Unaware

Media Contacts: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Bonnie J. Hackbarth 877-326-2583 bhackbarth@healthy-ky.org LOUISVILLE, KY – A new infographic from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Kentucky Youth Advocates highlights the surge in e-cigarette usage among teens seen across the commonwealth and the nation. While youth cigarette smoking in Kentucky has steadily declined, the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, known as vapes and Juuls, is putting a new generation of teens at risk of nicotine [...]

By |2018-12-10T14:24:28-05:00December 10th, 2018|Education, Health, News Room|

Announcing the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2019 Priorities!

The Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children stands on three cornerstones: Thriving communities launch strong families. Strong families launch successful kids. Successful kids launch a prosperous future for Kentucky. We’re launching the 2019 Blueprint policy priorities with partners from across the commonwealth with those three cornerstones in mind. We invite you to learn more about the Blueprint priorities and how to get involved. Check out the 2019 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy priorities. Read the fact sheets for the [...]

Five days, Five KIDS COUNT Community Conversations, Countless Lessons

To mark the release of our Kentucky KIDS COUNT 2018 County Data Book, we spent last week on the road, visiting five communities across the Commonwealth, including Louisville, Paducah, Glasgow, Manchester and Covington.  Our goals were two-fold. First, we wanted to introduce community leaders to the 100+ local data points available through the Kentucky KIDS COUNT Project that can give them a picture of how kids are faring in their counties. Secondly, we wanted [...]

By |2018-12-04T18:59:05-05:00December 4th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health, Kids Count, Youth Justice|

Common Ground and Common Good for Kentucky Kids

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader. GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO via the Lexington Herald Leader Kentucky Youth Advocates recently released its 2018 KIDS COUNT County Data Book. This is, in many ways, the report card for Kentucky’s kids on a statewide, regional and county level. It will surprise no one that the report is filled with both good news and challenges. We have made some headway in reducing the percentage of [...]

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on Federal Re-Approval of the Bevin Administration’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Louisville, KY – This summer, a federal judge halted implementation of the Bevin Administration's 1115 Medicaid Waiver to modify Kentucky's Medicaid Program, and today, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its re-approval. When it comes to this – or any policy – our question is always the same – "Is it good for kids?" And the [...]

By |2018-11-20T21:11:49-05:00November 20th, 2018|Health, Medicaid, News Room|

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 [...]

2018 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Holistic Look at Child Well-Being

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 502-895-8167 *122 Louisville, KY – The 2018 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book offers the latest data on 17 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the commonwealth have improved, worsened, or stayed the same over a five-year period. Detailed data is available for every Kentucky county at www.kyyouth.org/kentucky-kids-count/. "Core to our mission, we believe that children of every background and in every part of Kentucky deserve all the tools and opportunities that [...]

Go to Top