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COVID-19 Vaccinations & Kentucky Kids

Updated June 20, 2022 We've made a big step towards ending the pandemic with vaccines now available to protect adults and youth against COVID-19, now including young children. Kentucky's approximately one million kids look forward to the day when they can more safely spend time with friends, travel with their families, attend school in person, and enjoy their communities. To protect children from COVID-19 and potential variants, the American Academy of Pediatrics provided a checklist for parents and caregivers [...]

By |2022-06-20T09:37:37-04:00June 23rd, 2021|Blog, Health, Medicaid, Race Equity|
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The Child Tax Credit and Payments to Parents and Caregivers

This post was originally featured on the blog of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Image courtesy of AECF If you are a parent or caregiver who has filed taxes before, you may already be familiar with the child tax credit, which most parents claim on their annual income tax return. For years, it has provided an after-the-fact credit for families with children. What’s new is that beginning in July 2021, for most parents, [...]

By |2021-06-23T13:34:55-04:00June 23rd, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Kids Count, Race Equity|
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Kentucky Progress on Child and Family Well-Being Jeopardized by Pandemic

Kentucky was showing measurable, though slow, progress on family economic well-being and child health coverage immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic but was falling short on curbing youth obesity and having 3- and 4-year-olds in early childhood programs, according to the 2021 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, a 50-state report published today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “Though the Commonwealth made progress on a number of indicators of child well-being between 2010 and 2019, rankings show [...]

By |2021-06-21T17:53:38-04:00June 21st, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Race Equity|
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Child Care Centers: Safe Spaces for Children to Grow, Learn, Play, and Thrive

We know that for many children summer brings changes to daily routines formed during the school year, including how children spend their free time and their food and drink choices throughout the day. But licensed child care centers continue to provide a safe, structured environment for children when they are out of school and new regulations took effect this month that codified Senate Bill 45, passed during the 2020 legislative session. SB 45 ensures all [...]

By |2021-06-30T14:22:44-04:00June 21st, 2021|Blog, Education, Health|
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Actions to Mitigate Food Insecurity in the United States

By Nikky Patel, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates In the past year, many Americans have experienced a lack of access to healthy food and, although food insecurity is not a new issue, we have vividly felt its effect throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the federal government and Congressional leaders have been responsive to this issue and continue to apply lessons learned throughout the pandemic to take action that will address hunger and food insecurity in [...]

By |2021-06-30T14:28:55-04:00June 16th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity|
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Trauma-Informed Plans: An Opportunity for More Positive Learning Environments

When the gavel sounded on the 2019 legislative session, advocates across the state celebrated the passage of Senate Bill 1, the School Safety and Resiliency Act. This bipartisan effort brought together lawmakers, behavioral health experts, and school administrators to ensure all students can learn in a safe and supportive school environment. While the bill encompassed multiple areas of school safety, including requiring procedures and oversight to strengthen school security if a threat occurs, it also [...]

By |2021-06-30T14:28:23-04:00June 10th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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Health Coverage Update for Families

Among the provisions in the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) to provide COVID-19 relief is reduced-cost health care coverage for uninsured and current enrollees of the federal health insurance marketplace. Research explicitly tells us that there is a link between parent’s coverage and their children’s coverage, which means as more parents receive coverage and care, so will their kids. An estimated 7,100 Kentuckians with income below 150% of the federal poverty level are newly [...]

By |2021-06-09T09:22:14-04:00June 9th, 2021|Blog, Health, Medicaid|
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Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth Health and Mental Health

The Kentucky legislature has proven that a bipartisan blend of head and heart can be effective when addressing young people’s well-being. From school safety and resilience to reforming the child welfare system, they have shown that finding common ground to achieve common sense solutions results in critical systemic changes. And issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity, though strongly polarizing, do not have to be any different. There should be an unanimity of voice [...]

By |2021-06-30T14:30:29-04:00May 20th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|
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Closing the Gaps in Behavioral Health Care for Kids in Louisville

In partnership with the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence, Kentucky Youth Advocates hosted a virtual behavioral health summit on May 11th. The Closing the Gaps in Behavioral Health Care for Kids summit brought together over one hundred youth, parents, and professionals from various sectors including educators, mental health professionals, legislators, juvenile justice system staff, child advocates, child welfare system representatives, Kentucky’s philanthropic community, and more. The event featured a data presentation on the recent research conducted by KYA and supplemental data from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) providing context to [...]

By |2021-05-18T16:24:54-04:00May 18th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Youth Speaking Up for Youth in Foster Care

By Dana Cole My name is Dana Cole, and I am a new member with the Voices of Commonwealth. I chose this job because it is my passion to help advocate for other foster youths — former and current. I was in foster care for about 10 years, so I have been through and have seen some things throughout my journey. I think being able to advocate and help others that may not have a [...]

By |2021-11-18T13:49:35-05:00May 18th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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