Blog Archives - Page 2 of 98 - Kentucky Youth Advocates

A Celebration for Kids and Lighting the Way to 2020

A Celebration for Kids and Lighting the Way to 2020

Last week we, along with advocates from across Kentucky, celebrated both progress for kids during the 2019 legislative session and the courageous action of local heroes who are transforming how their communities care for kids. And what a celebration it was! The Cheers for Children 2019 Celebration lifted up four key Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priority bills that were passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor: Senate Bill 1 [...]

By Jessie Whitish|2019-04-18T16:49:57-04:00April 17th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Kids Count|

30 Days, Infinite Ripples

30 Days, Infinite Ripples

Sometimes 30 days can feel like way more than 30 days. And the 2019 Kentucky General Assembly felt like WAY more than 30 days! (OK, technically the session started in January and went through the end of March, and legislators were just in chambers for 30 days, but you get the idea. A lot happened during this legislative session, and Kentucky leaders didn’t even have a state budget to work on.) Better behavioral health services [...]

By Jessie Whitish|2019-04-03T14:42:27-04:00April 3rd, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|

Keeping Kentucky Kids in Families: Steps Ahead, Miles to Go

Keeping Kentucky Kids in Families: Steps Ahead, Miles to Go

Though the data show stagnant progress from 2007 to 2017, Kentucky has recently demonstrated its commitment to prioritizing family-based placements for children in foster care, according to “Keeping Kids in Families: Trends in U.S. Foster Care Placement,” a new data snapshot released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT® project. In 2017, Kentucky had 81 percent of children in foster care placed in a family setting, such as relative foster care, non-relative foster [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2019-04-03T14:19:06-04:00April 2nd, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

What We Know About Recent Changes to Kentucky’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver Implementation

What We Know About Recent Changes to Kentucky’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver Implementation

This week, a federal judge halted the April 1st implementation of the Bevin Administration’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver, also known as Kentucky HEALTH. We expect the Bevin Administration to announce next step decisions in the coming days, but as of right now, no plans have been unveiled yet. Though several vulnerable populations are exempt from the 1115 waiver, as it protects children, pregnant women, and transition-aged youth in foster care from the potential negative impacts of [...]

By Mahak Kalra|2019-03-28T17:48:29-04:00March 28th, 2019|Blog, Health, Medicaid|

Gavel Comes Down, Party Decorations Go Up: Cheers for Children Celebration on April 11th

Gavel Comes Down, Party Decorations Go Up: Cheers for Children Celebration on April 11th

As the gavel falls on the 2019 Kentucky General Assembly, party decorations are going up! Kentucky kids—and the committed advocates, caregivers, and volunteers who support those kids every day—have a lot to celebrate. On April 11th you can join the celebration at Cheers for Children, Kentucky Youth Advocates’ annual fundraiser where we ask for your support as the independent voice for Kentucky kids in Frankfort. (Check out a recap of last year’s event, including photos, [...]

By Jessie Whitish|2019-03-28T16:29:40-04:00March 28th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Youth Justice|

Guest Post: It’s Time to Make Kentucky Schools Tobacco Free

Guest Post: It’s Time to Make Kentucky Schools Tobacco Free

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Northern Kentucky Tribune on March 25, 2019. By Ben Chandler, Terry Brooks, Kerri Shelling, Jack Hillard, David Adkisson Kentucky students need a statewide tobacco-free schools law to protect them from secondhand smoke, e-cigarette aerosol and tobacco product messaging at school. Nearly 60 percent of Kentucky kids attend schools that do not have such policies, so they smell, breathe and otherwise absorb tobacco emissions and messaging during the school [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2019-03-26T09:25:18-04:00March 25th, 2019|Blog, Education, Health|

Kick Butts (and E-cigs) Day

Kick Butts (and E-cigs) Day

Today is National Kick Butts Day, a nationally recognized day led by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids dating back to 1996, that empowers teachers, youth, and health advocates to stand up and speak out about the issues created by tobacco use in their community, to encourage youth to be tobacco-free, and to urge elected officials to protect youth from tobacco. There are many ways you can participate in Kick Butts Day. Check out the list of [...]

By Mahak Kalra|2019-03-20T09:22:48-04:00March 19th, 2019|Blog, Education, Health|

Upset Wins for Kentucky Kids

Upset Wins for Kentucky Kids

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader on March 15, 2019. A high and holy season in the Bluegrass is upon us – March Madness. I will deeply dive into the metrics of winning basketball before completing my bracket. And my grandkids will consider elements like favorite mascots and team colors before completing theirs – and they will beat me. So, while I may be unable to accurately project winners, this I know: [...]

By Terry Brooks|2019-03-18T10:57:04-04:00March 18th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice|

Practicing Self-Care, Especially When You Love Your Job

Practicing Self-Care, Especially When You Love Your Job

Image from the New Social Worker® Social workers (and other helping professionals) often work in demanding contexts and help people process difficult situations. We’re expected to be keenly aware of the negative impact this work can have on our well-being and capacity for burnout. However, during my first years in the field, my understanding of self-care was synonymous with (and limited to) taking a bubble bath or getting a massage after a bad [...]

By Cortney Downs|2019-03-12T13:30:01-04:00March 12th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Youth Justice|

2020 Census: The Clock Is Ticking

2020 Census: The Clock Is Ticking

Though Census Day is officially April 1, 2020, most people will receive their first invitation to complete the decennial census next March. This means we have only 12 months left to make sure our state is fully prepared to ensure each Kentucky resident is counted once, only once, and in the right place. If you’ve been reading our blogs on the census you know that mission is easier said than done. While the proverbial clock [...]

By Amy Swann|2019-03-07T16:12:48-04:00March 7th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Medicaid|

ACTION ALERTS!

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ALERTS!