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The Impact of Guns on Kentucky Kids

By Kaitlin Lacefield, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates Since 2020, the number of child deaths by a gun has surpassed car accidents and motor vehicle-related deaths. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children under 18 in Kentucky and nationally. Now, there is a challenge to prevent accidental shootings involving children by building knowledge and increasing awareness. The number of gun deaths among Americans has been on the rise since 2019. Unfortunately, children are [...]

By |2023-07-27T15:59:32-04:00July 27th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Justice|
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KY SEAT Celebrates One Year of Parent Voice

I have a story to tell you.  When I gave birth to my twins, I fully anticipated being greeted outside the labor and delivery door by the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes Patrol to begin my weekly checks for life. I mean, don’t all parents get money to do the hard, often thankless job of raising the next generation?  Data from the U.S. Agriculture Department estimates it costs $17,000 a year to raise a child. To take [...]

By |2023-07-26T12:45:40-04:00July 26th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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A Look at the New Domestic Violence Data Report

In 2022, Senator Whitney Westerfield sponsored Senate Bill 271, a bill that would establish uniform domestic violence data collection, reporting, and utilization requirements. Prior to its passage, state agency groups relied on media stories about domestic violence fatalities as data sources, making it nearly impossible to determine the scope of the problem. On June 30th, the first statewide Domestic Violence Data Report was released, creating a baseline for which all subsequent data can be measured.  [...]

By |2023-07-20T14:20:16-04:00July 20th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Federal Farm Bill: What It Means for Kids and How to Take Action

Congress has until September 30th to pass one of the largest pieces of federal legislation - the 2023 Farm Bill. This massive piece of legislation has a major impact on the lives of virtually every Kentucky kid and family, covering everything from food assistance programs to farmers markets and crop insurance to hemp. While the Farm Bill covers everything related to food and agriculture, the largest portion of the Bill covers federal nutrition programs, such [...]

By |2023-07-20T12:55:26-04:00July 20th, 2023|Blog, Economic Security, Health|
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The Growing Movement of Thriving Families, Safer Children

“Hope means we all have a role to play in ensuring that all children in America grow up safely in thriving families and supportive communities.” Casey Family Programs aims to inspire hope, and according to their recent 2023 Signature Report overviewing the Thriving Families, Safer Children (TFSC) collaborative, there are reasons to have hope and to act on it. Since 2005, the number of children in care across the nation has decreased by 23%, and [...]

By |2023-07-12T12:53:30-04:00July 12th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity|
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2023 Pandemic EBT Updates for Families

Updated August 7, 2023 Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) has been one of the most vital supports for children and families throughout the last couple of years, providing grocery money to families who would have usually received free and reduced school meals. We are excited to share that Kentucky has started distributing P-EBT benefits for certain populations. We do not know how every type of Pandemic EBT will be distributed yet, but we will be updating [...]

By |2023-08-07T17:16:43-04:00July 12th, 2023|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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New School Year, New Opportunities to End Youth Vaping

With a new school year fast-approaching, families and educators are preparing for another first day of class but something outside of education continues to be on their mind – youth vaping. Kids and teens using tobacco products was once thought to be a thing of the past, but the rise of e-cigarettes or vapes has introduced a new generation of young tobacco users dependent on nicotine. Youth vaping – whether a young person uses these [...]

By |2023-07-12T11:00:42-04:00July 12th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|
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Health Youth Ambassadors are Heating Up: 2023-2024 Cohort Application Now Open!

The summer is heating up, and so is our excitement for the 2023-2024 Health Youth Ambassadors program! Are you a high school student looking to develop your advocacy and leadership skills? Are you interested in connecting with peers from around the Commonwealth to make positive changes in your community and throughout the state? Do you want to help Kentucky kids and families with their overall health and wellbeing? If so, apply TODAY to be a [...]

By |2023-07-05T16:31:25-04:00July 5th, 2023|Blog, Health, Kids Count|
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REFORM Louisville: Youth Perspective on Mental Health and the Courts

It can be easy for life to get you down when obstacles constantly stand between you and your future. When you make mistakes as a child, it can hinder your ability to maintain stable housing, employment, and educational opportunities. It can be discouraging and difficult finding your voice when you’ve been told for so long that you don't have one.  Helping youth and young adults find their voice is one thing a group called REFORM [...]

By |2023-07-05T16:09:07-04:00July 5th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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OP-ED: Believe in Parents, Give Families Hope

This post appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader on July 6, 2023. By Valerie Frost and Carla Stamper June is National Reunification Month. It is an annual reminder of the true intention of foster care–a temporary measure to keep children stable and safe with the ultimate purpose of reuniting them with their family. This isn't always what happens though, and not for the reasons you may think. Nationally, less than half of children [...]

By |2023-07-06T17:14:39-04:00June 29th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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