Mark Your Calendar, Advocates!

The 2023 Kentucky General Assembly is right around the corner, and we have a lot in store over the next few months as we get ready to advocate for Kentucky kids! Check out these upcoming opportunities to get involved: November 16th 2022 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book Check out the latest county-level data at kyyouth.org/kentucky-kids-count/ View the launch event, featuring remarks from Lt. Governor Coleman and youth from across Kentucky December 7th A lookahead [...]

A Look at Disparities in Maternal Mortality Rates

On October 27th, the Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity convened to discuss data and disparities among Kentuckians, including a conversation on maternal health. Dr. Edward Miller, the Chief Diversity Officer at U of L Health and a maternal fetal medicine doctor, presented on the state of maternal mortality and pregnancy-related deaths in Kentucky. Dr. Miller highlighted data showing the rates of maternal mortality and pregnancy-related death in Kentucky, which are disproportionately higher among [...]

By |2022-11-07T15:13:54-05:00November 7th, 2022|Blog, Health, Race Equity|

Making Kids Count in the Louisville Mayoral Race

Kentucky Youth Advocates is committed to making the needs of children front and center each and every election season. While kids cannot vote, each of us can ensure that their voices are heard by engaging with candidates in local, state, and federal elections. Across the Commonwealth this November, Kentuckians will cast their ballot in the races for the full Kentucky House of Representatives and half of the Kentucky Senate, mayoral and other local government [...]

An Update from Journey to Success Kentucky

In 2020, 688 youth transitioned out of the Kentucky foster care system. We know that youth who have spent time in foster care face a particularly steep climb on the road to adulthood due to adverse experiences during their early years. Despite important federal reforms in child welfare, many young people continue to face significant barriers to opportunities to succeed in school, work, and community life.  Journey to Success is a federal policy advocacy campaign [...]

Bloom Community Spotlight: GreenHouse17

To help prevent and mitigate childhood adversity, many on-the-ground community partners are hard at work providing needed resources and support to Kentucky kids and families. The Bloom Community Spotlight blog series highlights the important work being done by Bloom Kentucky community partners throughout the Commonwealth. It’s about time to talk more about the effects of domestic violence on children By GreenHouse17 staff For too many years, domestic violence has remained a hidden private matter. National [...]

By |2022-11-10T14:02:59-05:00October 24th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety|

Engaging Those With Lived Experience in Kentucky

By Tamara Vest, MSSW Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates For many years, Kentucky has attempted to provide a space where individuals with lived experience in the child welfare system have an opportunity to authentically engage in systems change and practices. Specifically, there has been a large focus on youth engagement among foster youth and alumni. Only recently has the Department for Community Based Services expanded that arena to include birth parents and other caregivers and [...]

By |2022-10-20T09:33:32-04:00October 19th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

New Report: Community and Jail Practices to Support Children with Incarcerated Parents

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 502-895-8167 X122 New Report: Community and Jail Practices to Support Children with Incarcerated Parents Recommendations and Bright Spots for Kentucky LOUISVILLE, KY – Parental incarceration is often referred to as a ‘shared sentence’ because of the impact it has on the community, caregivers, and most importantly, the children. Kentucky currently has the 11th highest rate of children who have had a parent incarcerated. A new report, Community and Jail Practices Supporting [...]

Updates from the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission

Updated December 6, 2022 During their November meeting, the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission released their new meeting schedule for the first six months of the upcoming 2023 calendar year. The new dates are as follows: Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 ​Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 Tuesday, March 14, 2023 Tuesday, April 11, 2023 Tuesday, May 9, 2023 ​Tuesday, June 13, 2023 Commission meetings will continue to be held at 1 P.M. ET at Capital Complex East, 1024 [...]

By |2022-12-09T08:46:42-05:00October 17th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Justice|

Understanding the Impacts of Free School Meals

This week is National School Lunch Week, which recognizes the importance of the National School Lunch Program. In Fiscal Year 2019, the National School Lunch Program served almost 82 million meals to approximately 515,000 Kentucky students.  With over 1 in 6 Kentucky kids being food insecure, many Kentucky students rely on the meals served through this program to ensure they have consistent access to food. Research further shows that Kentucky students rely on school meals [...]

By |2022-10-12T16:20:15-04:00October 12th, 2022|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Health Youth Ambassadors: 2022 Onboarding Retreat

In September, 13 high school students from around the Commonwealth came together in Bowling Green, KY for the first time as the new 2022-2023 Health Youth Ambassadors cohort!  The Health Youth Ambassadors (HYA) program is a statewide cohort that engages youth to learn about advocacy and policy, address social determinants of health through policy change, and advocate for themselves and their peers on health-related issues. The new HYAs met for a two-day immersive policy [...]

By |2023-01-25T15:29:08-05:00October 12th, 2022|Blog, Health, Kids Count|
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