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Mark Your Calendars: Children’s Advocacy Week January 18th-21st

For 15 years advocates for kids gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol 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.   And then? COVID-19 forced the cancellation of in-person events across the globe, including the 2021 Children’s Advocacy Day. Kentucky kids needed advocates more than ever before, [...]

By |2021-12-07T16:36:37-05:00October 19th, 2021|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Bolstering the Early Childhood Workforce: Good for Kentucky Families, Child Care Centers, and Economy

In this week’s Advocate Virtual Forum, we covered one of this year’s hottest topics: compensation for early childhood educators. Panelists Laura Hogan with National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Brenda Hagan with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, Jennifer Washburn with iKids Childhood Enrichment Center, and Kevin Fields with Louisville Central Community Centers discussed the challenge’s child care providers are facing, issues facing the early childhood workforce, and potential solutions to common workforce [...]

By |2021-10-14T14:53:29-04:00October 14th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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The Impacts of the Child Tax Credit Now and in the Future

Check out our previous blog posts on the federal Child Tax Credit 2021 from May and June. Starting July 15th, over 1 million Kentucky families began receiving monthly payments through the expanded federal Child Tax Credit. This expanded Child Tax Credit is estimated to reduce childhood poverty by 49 percent in Kentucky and has already helped families across the Commonwealth fulfill their basic needs, such as putting food on the table.  Eligible families should see [...]

By |2021-10-07T15:18:02-04:00October 7th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Health|
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OP-ED: Is that the best we’ve got for our kids?

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on October 7, 2021. By Dr. Terry Brooks Knee jerk and wrong-headed proposals. Courageous young people giving voice to the issues at hand in the middle of a school board meeting. Bold leadership from our Superintendent. And a puzzling mix of regressive and promising policy proposals from Metro Council leadership. Thus is the landscape of Louisville as we grieve the tragic murder of Tyree Smith. And [...]

By |2021-10-07T14:28:19-04:00October 7th, 2021|Blog, Education, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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OP-ED: Kids don’t need ‘flaws’ and ‘scandals’ – they deserve a justice system that works for them

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader on September 24, 2021. By Dr. Terry Brooks First, on behalf of Kentucky’s kids, thanks to John Cheves and the Herald Leader for the deep, thoughtful series looking at youth detention centers in Kentucky. The stories told, the issues raised, and the challenges at hand demand action from both the Beshear Administration and the General Assembly. There is no doubt that we must address the crisis [...]

By |2021-09-24T13:19:33-04:00September 24th, 2021|Blog, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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September is Hunger Awareness Month and We Need Your Voice

As we continue to navigate the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity remains a challenge that many Americans are facing. September is Hunger Awareness Month, offering a chance to reflect on the hunger rates among children and their families, and explore the opportunities for policy changes that will support all Americans in accessing healthy food for their families.   Throughout the pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau has been collecting weekly data on food security through their Household [...]

By |2021-09-21T17:51:32-04:00September 21st, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Health|
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Guest Blog: NCFL’s Family Literacy Model Supports Families to Thrive Through Education

By Rebecca Barnwell, National Center for Families Learning Often taken for granted, the ability to read is a foundational and powerful skill that unlocks lifelong opportunity and learning. Basic literacy skills enable people to identify, interpret, and create information to better understand the world around them.   Unfortunately, illiteracy in Kentucky and across the United States persists, and both adults and children are impacted. More than 36 million U.S. adults cannot read or write above [...]

By |2021-09-20T09:52:40-04:00September 20th, 2021|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education|
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Recapping the 2021 Special Session & Impact on Kids

Last week’s special session entered our minds and news feeds as quickly as it has now disappeared. Alongside the Beshear Administration and members of the General Assembly, we will continue to assess the results with an eye for the 2022 legislative session and two-year state budget. As we shared in our statement on the special session, there is no group of Kentuckians that deserves decisive action more than our young people – and the good [...]

By |2021-09-21T11:55:20-04:00September 16th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Guest Blog: Helping Foster Children Keep Basic Medical and Mental Health Coverage

By Michelle Sanborn, Children's Alliance The landmark bipartisan Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 was, in my opinion, the most significant reform to federal child welfare policy in decades. Family First includes policy improvements to help keep children safely with their families and avoid the traumatic experience of entering foster care. It helps ensure children are placed in the least restrictive, most family-like setting appropriate to their needs, when foster care is needed. Family [...]

By |2021-09-15T18:21:36-04:00September 15th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|
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Updates on Bills Impacting Kids in the Special Session

This week, the Kentucky General Assembly has convened for a special session related to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping Kentuckians safe, and looking ahead to recovery for all Kentucky kids and their families. At this moment, House Joint Resolution 1 passed both chambers and was signed by the Governor, which extends or expires certain emergency orders through January 15, 2022.  Also, House and Senate companion bills have been filed and are moving through the legislative process [...]

By |2021-09-08T17:13:58-04:00September 8th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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