There is a swirl of speculation about the topic. Is the Governor going to call a special session, and – if so – what will be on “the call?” Or what are the priorities emerging at this very moment in Cabinet-level planning for the 2014-16 budget? Any talk about budgets offers us both hope and worry. Will it spotlight the very real need for fundamental and systemic changes in the state’s tax and budget structures [...]
This week, volunteers across the country have been recognized for their support and honored for their impact. Kentucky Youth Advocates would like to thank everyone who has supported us and helped us continue to be the independent voice for Kentucky's children and families. Whether you stand in the crowd on Children's Advocacy Day, call your legislators on important children's issues, contribute to our work through monetary donations, or advocate on behalf of Kentucky's children through [...]
Seemingly every week or month, there is new research about how poorly children are faring in the United States. In a New York Times op-ed last week “The Kids Are (Not) All Right,” Charles Blow highlighted a report from Unicef – “Child Well-Being in Rich Countries.” The United States ranks the worst among wealthy nations for child well-being and ranks particularly poorly on child poverty, being overweight, and “life satisfaction.” Meanwhile, President Obama released his [...]
Last Thursday, April 11, Terry Brooks spoke at the Rotary Club of Louisville on child abuse. April is Child Abuse Prevention month as we've previously mentioned on the blog. We hope this video of Terry's speech inspires us to all play a role in ending child abuse. A first step is to become an ambassador of the Face It Movement, which is a recently launched campaign by Kosair Charities to end child abuse in our [...]
We hope that you have been using the KIDS COUNT Data Center to see how the children in your county and state are faring on hundreds of indicators of child well-being. If you have used the Data Center, then you know that it not only gives you the opportunity to view data for a wide range of indicators of economic security, education, health, safety and risky behaviors, but it also gives you the ability to [...]
For the last few months, I've been volunteering as a tax preparer with the Louisville Asset Building Coalition, helping individuals and families who earn less than $50,000 prepare their taxes. I’ve seen young students filing and single, working moms who are simultaneously raising children and going to school file taxes. I’ve heard stories about individuals falling on hard times in the last few years, and met one person who was working his way out of homelessness. As families across the state and [...]
Last Friday, Governor Beshear vetoed HB 5, a bill that was intended to address issues of prompt payment to health care providers by Kentucky’s managed care companies, but he released an alternative plan to address both individual and systematic problems with managed care. In November 2011, Kentucky moved to a statewide managed care system for Medicaid, the program that provides health insurance to low-income children and parents, pregnant women and people with disabilities. You can read [...]
Learn how parents, schools and communities across Kentucky are coming together to help children discover the benefits of fresh, whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Join us for a free public screening of Well Fed: Nourishing Our Children for a Lifetime, A KET Special Report, at the Kentucky Science Center on April 18. Register now! In a society filled with super-sized fast food meals and a wealth of fatty, sugary, and salty prepackaged foods, it can [...]
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month – commonly marked by citizens rallying across the Commonwealth and the nation to raise awareness of the prevalence of child abuse in our communities. Yesterday, Kentucky Youth Advocates joined Kosair Charities and several other partners at Slugger Field in Louisville for a rally to end child abuse. The rally also served as the official launch of the Face It campaign, a ten-year initiative led by Kosair Charities to end [...]
