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National Adoption Month: The Smith Family’s Story

By Leah Wade, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  November is National Adoption Month, which acknowledges adoption's importance in many families’ lives. The goal of foster care is to reunite children with their parents; when that is not an option, alternatives for permanency are pursued, like adoption. The Children’s Bureau reported that in Kentucky in 2021, 2,453 children are awaiting adoption following the termination of parental rights. In Kentucky, adoption can be pursued through private foster [...]

By |2023-11-20T16:09:15-05:00November 20th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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A Focus on Youth Mental Health and Improving Outcomes

By Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  Mental health is an integral part of kids’ everyday lives and a focus area nationally as mental health issues among youth have increased in recent years. Addressing these concerns is vital for youth since mental health struggles are leading causes for poor health outcomes and difficulties in school and relationships. Since the pandemic, mental health among youth has declined drastically in Kentucky, which can be attributed to [...]

By |2023-11-22T11:13:23-05:00November 20th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health, Kids Count|
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WIC Participants: We Want to Hear from You!

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women’s, Infant, and Children (WIC) provides vital support for the food and nutrition security of pregnant women, new moms, babies, and young children by providing food assistance via an EBT card, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support. However, we know the program only reaches every three out of five families that are eligible.   To better understand how this program operates in the Commonwealth, Kentucky Youth Advocates and our WIC CIAO [...]

By |2024-07-17T11:44:24-04:00November 16th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
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2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Investing in the “Kid Workforce”

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Investing in the “Kid Workforce” Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child well-being Louisville, KY – The 2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on 16 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, or stayed the [...]

By |2023-11-14T14:38:15-05:00November 15th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Future Teachers of America Day – Nov. 20th

Kandice Williams and students You may have once heard the quote, “Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.” As we look toward celebrating the Future Teachers of America Day, which is celebrated annually on November 20th– it’s important that we pause and reflect on how we are empowering Kentucky’s future teacher workforce. During a recent Education Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee, the Office of Education Accountability (OEA) presented on Kentucky [...]

By |2023-11-09T15:39:30-05:00November 9th, 2023|Blog, Education|
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Youth Voice: “Help enforce the existing ‘Tobacco 21′ law to keep these products out of kids’ hands”

As young Kentuckians continue to advocate for meaningful enforcement of Tobacco-21 law and find ways to keep vaping products out of the hands of kids, students are using their voices to speak out on the issue. Sydney Shaffer testifying at the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations. Sydney Shaffer, a student from Scott County, shared her experience in a recent Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations  committee meeting. She shared with [...]

By |2023-11-07T17:04:28-05:00November 7th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|
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A Look at the Impact of Evictions on Young Children

Kentucky kids and families need a safe, stable home in order to thrive. However, the rising cost and declining supply of housing has made it difficult for 43% of Kentucky renters to find safe, stable housing. For many of these families, a job loss or medical emergency could put them at risk for eviction, seriously impacting their long term economic, food, and housing security. Evictions have long been viewed as an adult problem, but new [...]

By |2023-11-02T14:38:39-04:00November 2nd, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Race Equity|
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Save the Date: Children’s Advocacy Week 2024

For 20 years, advocates for kids have gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day to fill the halls of the Capitol and ask their elected officials to step up for Kentucky kids. The critical mass of advocates in the Capitol building led to many policy wins and raising awareness of issues facing kids and their families.   As we’ve transitioned to Children’s Advocacy WEEK, we've been able to have a series of virtual events with [...]

By |2023-11-01T16:35:45-04:00November 1st, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Showing up to School Pays Off (Literally)

October is dedicated to National Dropout Prevention Month and in this blog, we will dive into attendance and the role this indicator plays in academic achievement, drop out rates, as well as, funding in Kentucky schools.  Research shows that school absences take a toll on grades and performance on standardized tests. Beyond test scores, irregular attendance can be a predictor of high school drop-out, which has been linked to poor labor market prospects, diminished health, [...]

By |2023-10-31T17:38:50-04:00October 31st, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Kids Count|
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Federal Update to Support Relative Foster Care Providers, LGBTQI+ Foster Children, and Family Legal Representation

Recently, the Biden-Harris Administration proposed three new federal rules related to the child welfare system in an effort to expand supports for children and families who come into contact with the system as a result of child abuse and neglect. Those three new rules are explained below based on how we anticipate Kentucky’s system will be impacted.  Supporting Relative Foster Care Providers As of September 5, 2023, there were over 1,000 children placed in relative [...]

By |2023-10-26T11:35:17-04:00October 26th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity|
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