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Child Abuse Prevention Month: Strengthen Families & Protective Factors

By Leah Wade, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Child abuse is something that everyone can play a part in preventing. From business professionals to grandparents, to neighbors, to teachers, to grocery store clerks, everyone has a role in preventing child abuse and promoting safe environments for children. According to the recent national Child Maltreatment Report, Kentucky ranks 14th in the nation for child maltreatment. Kentucky is 60% higher than [...]

By |2024-04-01T13:28:55-04:00April 1st, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Celebrating and Supporting Kentucky Parents with KY SEAT

By Jeanna C., KY SEAT Member March is Parenting Awareness Month, and KY SEAT is taking this opportunity to celebrate all the amazing moms, dads, stepmoms and dads, grandparents, guardians, and caregivers who work tirelessly to raise happy and healthy children! Parenting is a challenging but incredibly rewarding journey. It takes patience, love, and a lot of strength. This month, we aim to appreciate and recognize the crucial impact parents have on shaping their children's [...]

By |2024-03-28T14:28:02-04:00March 28th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Celebrating and Empowering Social Workers

By Leah Wade, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  March is National Social Work Month, and this year the theme is Empowering Social Workers. The theme of this month highlights the need for higher compensation and support for the high-demand roles that social workers engage in. This month is used as a way to celebrate the contributions that social workers are making to individuals, families, and communities. It is a time to support the ongoing work [...]

By |2024-03-28T14:16:04-04:00March 28th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Understanding Chronic Absenteeism vs. Truancy and Best Practices to Address It

Understanding the nuances between chronic absenteeism and truancy is essential for educators, policymakers, and communities to enhance student engagement and success. Both of these terms often get conflated, yet they describe different patterns of absence with distinct implications for how schools may address absenteeism.  For this reason, it’s important to know these differences, understand and use accurate data when describing these terms, and recognize that addressing absenteeism is a multifaceted issue that can be addressed [...]

By |2024-03-21T12:36:00-04:00March 21st, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Youth Justice|
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Kentuckians: We Need Your Input on Tools Needed to Address Opioid Use in Your Community

By Andrew Alvey, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates As Bloom Kentucky has detailed, the opioid crisis has significantly impacted all of Kentucky’s communities. In 2020, Kentucky had the third-highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States. This statistic shows the urgency with which we must come together to create opportunities for healing and resilience. With support from the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, Kentucky Youth Advocates is leading a project to collect [...]

By |2024-03-21T12:37:39-04:00March 20th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity|
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Blooming in your Backyard: Harnessing Opioid Settlement Funds for Local Impact

Updated April 29, 2024 Grab your toolbox (reference from prior blog) because we are READY to add more tools! Bloom Kentucky hosted a webinar on Wednesday, April 24th – Blooming in your Backyard: Harnessing Opioid Settlement Funds for Local Impact! Co-hosted with the Kentucky Association of County Counties’ (KACo) Lauren Carr, Opioid Settlement Advisor, this webinar put a spotlight on the power of local action in the battle against the opioid crisis. Gain insight [...]

By |2024-04-29T15:51:29-04:00March 20th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice|
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Deep Dive on Senate Bill 2 & Its School Safety Measures

Senate Bill 2 of 2024, sponsored by Senator Max Wise, is what can be considered a continuation of the work he championed with the late Representative John “Bam” Carney in 2019 with the Kentucky School Safety and Resiliency Act. The work catalyzed by the tragedy at Marshall County High School in January 2018.  The challenges of ensuring the physical and emotional security for both our students and educational staff call for innovative and comprehensive solutions.  [...]

By |2024-03-13T11:59:18-04:00March 13th, 2024|Blog, Education, Health, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Slam Dunks for Child Nutrition

If you asked most Kentuckians what March is about, you would probably hear something along the lines of basketball or winning their March Madness bracket. However, there is a lesser-known reason to celebrate in March: National Nutrition Month.  Access to healthy foods is essential for a child to learn, grow, and thrive, yet almost one in six Kentucky kids are experiencing hunger. Many of these children rely on meals served through government programs, such as [...]

By |2024-03-11T11:33:29-04:00March 11th, 2024|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Vaping in Kentucky: Protecting Youth Health Through T-21 Enforcement

In part by Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  In recent years, the prevalence of youth vaping in Kentucky has surged, becoming a pressing issue for our youth that not only jeopardizes physical health but also poses significant risks to mental well-being. Nicotine use has been proven to amplify feelings of anxiety and depression. Students who use tobacco products (including e-cigarettes, cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco) are more likely to have lower grades. Young [...]

By |2024-03-05T13:13:29-05:00March 5th, 2024|Blog, Education, Health, Youth Justice|
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Guest Post: Support Kyan’s Law to Keep Kids Safe

By Kiera Dunk  Kiera Dunk received a Champion for Children award at the 2024 Rally for Kentucky Kids during Children's Advocacy Day at the Capitol Child abuse, it's not something a lot of people think about. It's not a fun flashy headline that makes the news, unless it's an atrocious case where the headline alone can incite tears or thoughts of violence. It is however my passion, my mission and inspired my advocacy [...]

By |2024-03-04T17:06:47-05:00March 4th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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