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What Federal Changes in SNAP Means for Kentucky Kids and Families

This is part of Kentucky Youth Advocates’ series on the federal landscape and the impacts on Kentucky children and families.  It’s been a busy month in Washington as Congress works to finalize the federal budget for the next 10 years. Earlier this week, the U.S House Budget Committee narrowly advanced a budget reconciliation measure that will cut an estimated $300 million from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – the largest proposed reduction in program history.  The proposal [...]

By |2025-05-22T15:54:44-04:00May 22nd, 2025|Blog, Economic Security|
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The Key to Success in Foster Care: Inclusion and Communication

By Kayla Harmon, a member of KY SEAT Having a child in foster care is one of the most heart-wrenching and complex experiences a biological parent can go through. It’s not just a separation from your child; it’s a journey full of emotional ups and downs, personal growth, and—most importantly—learning to trust in a system that will hopefully bring your family back together.  But one thing is certain: the key to success in this process [...]

By |2025-05-22T14:56:58-04:00May 21st, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Racial Disparities in Foster Care: A Continuing Crisis

This blog was originally published on True Up. By: Tatum Abel, Peer Engagement Coordinator The foster care system is designed to protect children in vulnerable situations, offering them a haven when their biological families cannot safely provide care. However, data compiled by Kentucky Youth Advocates persistently shows that Black children are being removed from their homes more than their white peers once involved with the child welfare system.  In 2021, more than 390,000 youth across the country [...]

By |2025-05-15T15:30:55-04:00May 15th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity|
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The Impact of Proposed Medicaid Changes on Kentucky Families

This is part of Kentucky Youth Advocates’ series on the federal landscape and the impacts on Kentucky children and families.  As we near warmer summer days and the end of another school year in the Commonwealth, our federal delegates are busy in Washington DC narrowing in on a budget reconciliation package. In other words - Congress is nearing the end of its process to develop a federal budget for the next year and outline spending [...]

By |2025-05-15T13:37:57-04:00May 15th, 2025|Blog, Economic Security, Health, Medicaid|
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What Gets Measured Gets Changed: Leveraging Opioid Data Dashboard Updates

The saying, “what gets measured gets changed,” has long been a cornerstone of the Kentucky KIDS COUNT project, which has reported county-level data on critical measures of child well-being for more than 35 years. As Kentucky faces an unprecedented opportunity to address the opioid epidemic through Opioid Settlement funds, we can prevent future generations from suffering the impacts.  Kentucky Youth Advocates released new data this month on the Opioid Data Dashboard on Children and Families [...]

By |2025-05-14T14:47:54-04:00May 14th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity|
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Regional Prevention Collaboratives Taking Action on Educational Neglect

By Andrew Alvey and Shontelle Davis Many states, including Kentucky, have turned their attention to preventative efforts to ensure that children are safe and families are thriving. The goal of these prevention efforts is to intervene before a crisis occurs and keep families from engaging with the child welfare system or if CPS involvement is necessary to keep families together, when safe. The concept of meeting families where they are starts with acknowledging that [...]

By |2025-05-08T16:46:08-04:00May 8th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Showing Support for Early Childhood Workforce on Provider Appreciation Day

Each year, the first full week of May is reserved for Teacher Appreciation Week, a week for students and families to say thank you to the teachers that have worked so hard all year to help their students be successful. This week has typically focused on the K-12 school system; however, there is a large group of teachers who deserve just as much recognition – the early childhood educators working in child care programs for [...]

By |2025-05-08T09:02:03-04:00May 8th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Economic Security, Education|
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Experts, Policymakers, and Advocates Join Bloom Kentucky’s Together We Bloom Summit on ACEs Prevention

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org SHELBYVILLE, KY – Today, the Together We Bloom Summit, hosted by Bloom Kentucky, is bringing together hundreds of advocates, policymakers, and community leaders from across the Commonwealth focused on mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and cultivating Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) through policy and systems change. The sold out, one-day conference offers attendees the opportunity to hear from experts on ACEs and resilience, attend workshops on messaging and advocating for policy [...]

By |2025-05-08T08:19:11-04:00May 7th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Economic Security, Education, Health, News Room|
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A Look at Autism from the Perspective of a Mom and Advocate

There has been a great deal of information about Autism in the media lately.  These discussions about Autism have brought to life accurate information about this condition, as well as misconceptions.  As many organizations look at how to support individuals with Autism, it is essential to make sure that these supports are built on facts regarding the diagnosis. What is Autism? Autism is a developmental disability that predominantly affects the social and emotional domains of [...]

By |2025-05-01T14:26:59-04:00May 1st, 2025|Blog, Education, Health|
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Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky: A Focus on Prevention

In recent years, Kentucky has begun using a new lens in order to address issues related to child maltreatment and abuse. This new lens focuses on child and family well-being, in order to provide families with the support and resources they need before a crisis occurs. In 2022, Kentucky was selected as one of 22 sites to be a part of the Thriving Families, Safer Children national effort (TFSC). TFSC highlights the importance of community [...]

By |2025-04-30T18:53:24-04:00April 30th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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