Smoke-Free Kentucky is going on a road trip and we will be making stops across the state on our way to the annual Fancy Farm Picnic. A special Smoke-Free Kentucky van will be decked out and crossing the commonwealth Monday, July 28, through Saturday, August 2. 2015 is the year to pass a comprehensive, smoke-free workplace law! If you agree, please meet us at the van to tell your personal story about why Kentucky should be smoke-free. [...]
Child advocates in Kentucky are entering the annual policy prioritization process by working together to develop the 2015 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda. By now you have likely participated in the annual policy survey, debated with fellow advocates about what priorities should be included, served on a workgroup, helped to fund the efforts, passed information on to your colleagues, and/or shared your ideas about what we need to focus on to make Kentucky the best place to grow up. It is an [...]
Children’s health is the foundation of their overall development. Poor health in childhood impacts other critical aspects of a child’s life, such as school readiness and attendance, and can have lasting consequences on his or her future health and well-being. Throughout the years public health insurance programs such as Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) have increased access to coverage among numerous Kentucky children. This can all change as funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expires on September 30, 2015. Children without health insurance coverage [...]
Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Blueprint Steering Committee invite you to give your input on the potential priorities for the 2015 Blueprint for Kentucky's Children agenda. Click here to take the survey by July 15. The Blueprint for Kentucky's Children is a policy initiative created by children's advocates across the Commonwealth to address the most pressing challenges facing Kentucky children. The Blueprint seeks safe and healthy families, a fair deal for working parents and a fair opportunity [...]
Over the last few weeks, our Executive Director Terry Brooks wrote a series of blogs on lessons learned from a recent graduation he attended for youth in the foster care system. In one of his posts, he discussed that youth in foster care need to be connected to supports they are eligible for once they leave the foster care system. Due to a new policy, foster children who were in care at age 18 will [...]
There is a lot of talk about freedom in the political atmospherics of today. When most politicians are using that word “freedom” in 2014, they are talking about citizens NOT having to do something. And while our Founding Fathers used “freedom” that way occasionally – like not paying that tax on tea – a dive into real American history would reveal that the Washingtons and Jeffersons and Franklins and Adams seldom used “freedom” without connecting it to “responsibility.” Perhaps the contemporary American who most captures the Founding [...]
For the last couple of weeks, I have been reflecting on an early June graduation ceremony I attended to celebrate foster youth. Sponsored by True Up, Benchmark, Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth, Kentucky Safe, and the Department for Community Based Services, this event at the Home of the Innocents inspired and challenged me. As an example, it made me wonder what would happen if public schools were as attuned to developmentally appropriate processes as that unique graduation event was. It made wonder about the fundamental [...]
More than a week after attending the three day long Ready Kids Conference presented by the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, I am still reflecting on all of the things I learned. The conference kicked off with powerful messages from the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, Governor Beshear, and guest speaker and, former Congressman, author and Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Save the Children, Mark Shriver. The overall message from the opening plenary being that the earliest years are some of the most important, and we need to make sure kids get the [...]
Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Blueprint Steering Committee invite you to give your input on the potential priorities for the 2015 Blueprint for Kentucky's Children agenda. Click here to take the survey. The Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children is a policy initiative created by children’s advocates across the Commonwealth to address the most pressing challenges facing Kentucky children. The Blueprint seeks safe and healthy families, a fair deal for working parents and a fair opportunity for every child [...]
Children in Kentucky saw an amazing win this past April when Governor Beshear and state legislators restored funding for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) in the 2015-2016 state budget which begins on July 1. Since the legislative session ended, parents, providers and advocates have anxiously awaited the details of how the restored funding will roll out. Last Friday we got those details. Governor Beshear announced he will increase the eligibility for child care assistance for Fiscal Year 2015 to 140 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and open up the program on August [...]
