An online workshop exploring the potential of a statewide food policy network is scheduled for this Friday, November 22 at 1:00pm EST. The workshop, sponsored by Community Farm Alliance is a great opportunity to participate in statewide collaboration to improve our food system. Register here.
Just imagine. With one commitment – with one behavioral change – with one decision – we could slash the number of newborn babies’ risk of developmental and intellectual disabilities; cerebral palsy; vision and hearing loss; death before that first birthday cake; and sudden infant death syndrome. Generally, when we talk about changing conditions for Kentucky’s kids, the solutions are multi-layered and complex. But not this time. All those risks are implicit when a baby is [...]
At a recent meeting of community advocates I had the opportunity to participate in an activity wherein all participants took a few moments to brainstorm slogans, logos, or catchphrases in support of enacting an Earned Income Credit (EIC) in Kentucky. Although we represented a diverse array of organizations, all attendees support enacting a state-level EIC and, as such, my first inclination was that all of our respective responses would be more or less similar to [...]
My wife – a gourmet chef herself – is a big fan of the Food Channel. I don’t pay much attention to the chef demonstrations that use seaweed and tofu but occasionally there is a Bobby Flay or Guy Fieri being innovative burger-meisters. Now that catches my attention. Well, I saw two top chefs in a different venue on Tuesday -- Dr. Leon Mooneyhan, CEO of the Ohio Valley Education Cooperative (OVEC) and Dr. Terri [...]
Last week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Kentucky Youth Advocates co-released a new KIDS COUNT policy report, The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success. Part I in this blog series on the report was posted last week and highlighted one important aspect of the report—the impact of poverty on young children. And now for Part 2 in this series, the impact of adverse childhood experiences on the first eight years. Adverse [...]
A survey sponsored by the Children’s Dental Health Project found that most Americans are unaware that children’s dental services are covered under the 10 essential health benefits in the Affordable Care Act. According to the survey, 33% of Americans say that either they or a family member are currently suffering from dental problems that need to be addressed. Some barriers that prevent individuals from getting the care they need are out-of-pocket expenses and lack of [...]
After months of thorough analysis and testimony about the youth justice system in Kentucky, the Juvenile Code Task Force started getting down to the business of identifying possible recommendations this week. The members discussed a number of options to make Kentucky's system work better for kids and for public safety. One of the major strategies was keeping youth from getting involved with the formal court system in the first place if possible. Task Force members [...]
November is National Adoption Month, so it seems fitting to take a moment to discuss how Kentucky’s foster care system is working for children waiting for a permanent home. The North American Council on Adoptable Children recently released adoption fact sheets for every state in the U.S. with data collected in 2011. The fact sheets provide analysis on data indicators like the amount of time a child waits to be adopted, or the number of [...]
The KIDS COUNT policy report, The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success, was co-released this week by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Kentucky Youth Advocates. We release a lot of reports, as does Casey – I know that. But this one made me think as deeply as any “report card” styled brief that I have read in a long time. The report builds a strong case for investing in quality early [...]
The Juvenile Code Task Force continued its thoughtful and thorough discussions last week on changes to make the youth justice system work better in Kentucky. Judge Steven Teske from Georgia answered one of the big questions the Task Force has been dealing with, saying that it’s not an argument any longer nationally – secure detention makes it worse. Knowing this – and also knowing the challenges judges and schools face in getting youth back on [...]
