Statement on Approval of Updated KTAP Regulations by the Kentucky General Assembly

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kinship families across the Commonwealth are giving three cheers for the approval of the updated KTAP regulations, which boost supports for the first time in decades. The Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (KTAP) is a vital support that helps Kentucky families in deep poverty and kinship caregivers overcome barriers to employment, such as a lack of training or [...]

Bloom Kentucky Grantmakers Rally Together for Kentucky Kids and Families

On Wednesday, February 8th, Bloom Kentucky Grantmakers from across the Commonwealth rallied together in Frankfort on behalf of Kentucky's kids and families. The 2023 Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol was a packed schedule–and certainly a packed house! Bloom grantmakers joined youth, fellow advocates, and elected officials in the Capitol Rotunda for the Rally for Kentucky Kids which featured youth performances and remarks from both young people and state leaders. Following the Rally, grantmakers [...]

By |2023-02-16T14:57:36-05:00February 16th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

Celebrating the 2023 Champions for Children

Elected leaders and advocates step up for Kentucky kids in countless ways every day, especially in Frankfort throughout the legislative session. During Children’s Advocacy Week, Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners in the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children present Champion for Children awards to honor those state leaders, advocates, and young people for their efforts. At this year’s Rally for Kentucky Kids, we honored the following community leaders and young people with Champion for Children awards for their advocacy [...]

Statement on the Latest National Child Maltreatment Report

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky’s future depends heavily on the success and safety of our kids today. Our communities, child-serving systems, and policies all play a role in that future. The just released Child Maltreatment 2021 report is a powerful affirmation of the Commonwealth's progress around child maltreatment and an equally powerful challenge to accelerate that momentum. Kentucky now ranks 6th [...]

By |2023-02-10T15:37:11-05:00February 10th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|

“Your voices are the ones that matter. Your stories are the ones that need to be heard.”

Tamara Vest shared the following speech at the 2023 Children's Advocacy Week Rally for Kentucky Kids at the Capitol. It's not everyday that our citizens, representatives from the General Assembly, and our Governor are able to gather in the Capitol building to celebrate each other and call upon each other, and rely on one another to do the work that it takes to make the commonwealth a place where kids and families can be just [...]

By |2023-02-09T12:57:02-05:00February 9th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Governor Beshear and Senator Raque Adams Join Hundreds of Youth and Advocates for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol

Louisville, KY – Hundreds of youth advocates from across Kentucky are convening this week for Children’s Advocacy Week. They are urging elected leaders to support the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, a unified agenda for child advocates across the Commonwealth. Today, youth, state leaders, and advocates gathered in the Capitol Rotunda for the Rally for Kentucky Kids – the first in-person rally with child advocates since January 2020. “Each year, Children’s Advocacy Week is a time for youth, parents, social workers, [...]

Efforts to Improve Kentuckians’ Ability to Find Safe, Stable Housing

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 or homelessness, seriously impacting their long term economic, food, and housing security. This is especially true for families of color, who [...]

OP-ED: Grandparents need Kentucky legislature to increase KTAP support

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Kentucky Lantern and Herald Leader on January 31, 2023. By Norma Hatfield Photo courtesy of the Kentucky Lantern Robert F. Kennedy said, “The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” For the children of Kentucky, we certainly have our work cut out for us. For several years, Kentucky was #1 in child abuse and neglect. Right now, we’re [...]

By |2023-02-01T17:22:26-05:00February 1st, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|

OP-ED: Former foster kids like us need resources to successfully transition into adulthood

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on January 27, 2023. By Tamara Vest, Eltuan Dawson, Cynthia Schepers, and Felicity Therese Krueger Current and former foster youth need both tangible and intangible resources to successfully transition into adulthood. Tangible supports are programs and services that provide a resource or assistance for young people such as financial support, housing assistance and educational opportunities. Intangible resources include those trusting adults, mentors, peers and even [...]

By |2023-02-03T10:59:51-05:00January 30th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Over Incarceration of Youth is Not the Answer

Photo courtesy of The Sentencing Project While historically an area of common ground focused on community safety, accountability, and right-sizing responses for youth who get in trouble, the juvenile justice system has been experiencing an array of issues in the state of Kentucky recently. Despite overwhelming data to show youth offenses - including violent offenses - remain much lower than in years past and, in response to current safety issues in juvenile detention [...]

By |2023-01-25T15:03:14-05:00January 25th, 2023|Blog, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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