Family. The presence of family causes a warm glow in some of you and the absence or brokenness of family brings deep sadness to others. Family. Sly and the Family Stone became famous in 1979 as it belted out “We are family!” It dots that popular medium of television from the early days of “Father Knows Best,” “Leave It to Beaver,” and “The Waltons” to today’s hit of “Modern Family” or the coming redux of [...]
Two weeks ago, we started asking you – citizens, educators, policymakers, social service workers, Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children partners, and others – to express your big ideas for kids. We want to build on the success we’ve had in recent years of enacting policies that are good for kids and to continue to make progress as we forge ahead in the next few years. We are looking for Big Ideas that lead to Strategic Actions [...]
As we continue to celebrate National Foster Care Month, supporting improved health outcomes and access to care for these young adults is critical to their overall health. Compared to youth in permanent families, youth who age out of foster care have disproportionately high rates of serious physical, mental, and behavioral health issues. They are more likely to have health issues that affect their day-to-day functioning and more likely to need psychological and substance abuse counseling. [...]
July 1, 2015 is a monumental date for Kentucky’s juvenile justice reform. It is when SB200, the juvenile justice reform bill which passed in 2014, goes into full effect. An unprecedented amount of communication and collaboration has occurred within the past year between the many agencies involved in making this reform a reality. At the May 12th Juvenile Justice Oversight Council meeting, Ryan Thornell, a consultant working with Kentucky from the Crime and Justice Institute, [...]
If you have been reading our Weekly Wrap-Up, then you know that May is National Foster Care Month. It’s a time to celebrate young people who find themselves in the foster care system and to honor the many Kentuckians who work to make a positive difference in the lives of these youth who have faced too many challenges in too few years. This is also a perfect time to ask questions about how we can [...]
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Center is the premier source of data on child and family well-being in the United States. With thousands of indicators, it's a powerful resource for child advocates, educators, parents, grant writers, journalists, policymakers, and more. The KIDS COUNT Data Center puts the power of data at its users' fingertips, equipping individuals and communities to make a difference in the lives of children. Are you new to the [...]
Spring in Kentucky brings us revived energy. Kids are outdoors, playing in the yards, sidewalks and on playgrounds again. The days are brighter, longer, and more colorful. Growth abounds. And the promise of the long, lazy, hazy days of summer are on the minds of every student who walks into the doors of their school. Oh, they cannot WAIT until summer. If teachers don’t HEAR those words ump-teen times a day, they certainly FEEL and [...]
Kentucky Youth Advocates is looking for photos of Kentucky kids to include in the 2015 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book and other Kentucky Youth Advocates publications. We know you all proudly share pictures of your kids and grandkids by carrying them in your wallet, on Instagram and on Facebook. Here’s a great chance to promote those great kids through Kentucky Youth Advocates’ materials. We need your photos by May 31st so please start sending them in. In order to use the photos, [...]
May is National Foster Care Month, established to raise awareness around the challenges faced by foster care youth and acknowledge foster parents, mentors, volunteers, and child welfare professionals who help foster youth make permanent connections. Over the next few weeks, we will release a series of blogs about challenges and opportunities related to foster care so stay tuned. Parents and caregivers make decisions for children in order to keep them safe but also to ensure [...]
The Citizen Foster Care Review Board (CFCRB) of Kentucky was established in 1982 in an effort to decrease the amount of time children spend in foster care, and they are seeking new volunteers. There are currently 149 review boards throughout Kentucky. CFCRB volunteers are appointed by their chief Family Court or District Court judge to review the cases of children placed in the custody of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services due to dependency, [...]
