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A Look at SB 34 and Potential Impact on Kentucky Families

Pregnancy and early childhood is considered a special time in life. However, any new parent will tell you it is also an expensive time. The cost of giving birth, caring for a new child, and child care can often be more than new parents make.  To address the financial challenges that new parents face, Senator Whitney Westerfield introduced Senate Bill 34. This legislation contains a multitude of provisions that provide for the basic health and [...]

By |2024-01-18T12:30:32-05:00January 18th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health, Race Equity|
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REFORM Louisville: Using My Voice at the Kentucky Capitol

By Leondrea Johnson Last year, I attended Children's Advocacy Day for the first time. I am part of the REFORM Louisville team, and we were making plans for going. All the preparation work made me feel a little nervous about talking with legislators.  Walking into the Capitol building on the morning of Children’s Advocacy Day, it was a little overwhelming. There were so many people in line to go through security. But I was excited [...]

By |2024-01-18T08:43:43-05:00January 18th, 2024|Blog, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Statement on the Kentucky House 2024 State Budget Proposal

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – As is the case in every proposed budget, there is much to celebrate and also issues of deep concern when it comes to the Kentucky House 2024 State Budget proposal. This budget certainly places a priority on infrastructure issues like bridges, roads, and water supply, and who can argue with any of those commitments? However, this budget [...]

By |2024-01-17T17:01:46-05:00January 17th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, News Room, Youth Justice|
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While Improving, Kentucky Children of Color Still Face Disparate Outcomes that Jeopardize Their Well-Being into Adulthood

Contact: Mara Powell | mpowell@kyyouth.org | 502-895-8167 *122 While Improving, Kentucky Children of Color Still Face Disparate Outcomes that Jeopardize Their Well-Being into Adulthood 2024 Race for Results Report Identifies Gaps in Child Well-Being That Persist Across Race and Ethnicity, Caused by Policy Choices That Shortchange Young People LOUISVILLE, KY — Despite improved outcomes for many key measures, Kentucky children, especially kids of color, still face too many barriers to reaching essential milestones of well-being, [...]

By |2024-01-10T09:56:38-05:00January 10th, 2024|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health, News Room, Race Equity|
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The Landscape of School Choice

School Choice – what once was a term that simply described a variety of different school options – is now a term that brings about a variety of different emotions. What once was a nonpartisan issue is now deeply polarizing in today’s times.  Here at Kentucky Youth Advocates, we believe in equipping families with the tools to make the best choices for their unique circumstances. We believe that whatever “choice” of education, it should [...]

By |2024-01-10T11:27:45-05:00January 9th, 2024|Blog, Education, Race Equity|
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Children’s Advocacy Week 2024 Updates

By Leah Wade, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  With the new year officially here, it is time for an update on Children’s Advocacy Week 2024. Children’s Advocacy Week will take place January 22-26th and we wanted to provide the schedule and reminders for the week to assist you in lifting your voice for Kentucky’s children. Again, this year, we will host both in-person and virtual events. You can find a schedule of the events with [...]

By |2024-01-17T13:02:34-05:00January 5th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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National Grandfamilies Report Emphasizes Focus on Resilience Building

By Tamara Vest and Shannon Moody When children cannot stay safely with their parents, research tells us the best option for their success lies in being cared for by grandparents, relatives, or close family friends. Kentuckians value family and we see these caregiving arrangements in many homes across the Commonwealth.  It is estimated that 55,000 children live with and receive care and support from a relative that is not their biological parent in the state [...]

By |2024-01-04T13:18:07-05:00January 4th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|
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Bloom Kentucky Announces 2024 State Policy Priorities

The General Assembly gaveled in for the 2024 Regular Session this week. Given Kentucky’s unprecedented budget reserve trust fund surplus and the state’s current landscape, there is a real opportunity to invest and empower kids and families across the Commonwealth.  Bloom Kentucky is a collaborative initiative of grantmaking organizations from across the Commonwealth focused on statewide policy changes and budget investments that aim to prevent and mitigate the multi-generational impacts of childhood adversity so that [...]

By |2024-01-04T12:44:20-05:00January 4th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity|
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Building the Voices of Lived Experience: Lessons Learned from Navigating the System

Updated March 1, 2024 Life as anyone knows it can change with one knock or phone call.  “I’m from Child Protective Services. There’s an allegation of child abuse or neglect in your household I need to discuss with you. May I enter?” “This is the local child services agency. We have your niece at our office. Can you be here in the next hour; otherwise, we will need to put her in foster care.” [...]

By |2024-08-15T10:32:13-04:00December 27th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Journey to Success KY: Week of Action on Chafee

By Keisha Lyon, member of Journey to Success Kentucky Earlier this month, the Journey to Success Kentucky team traveled to Washington DC hoping to elevate youth voices to our federal legislators. Among them were two lived experience experts who joined nationwide JTS advocates at Capitol Hill. Our main  goals were asking Congress to: Increase Chafee program funding by at least $100 million per year. Improve communications to ensure that all eligible youth are aware of [...]

By |2023-12-27T11:53:31-05:00December 27th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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