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Kindergarten? I’m not crying. You’re crying.

As I write this, there are 112 days until my son starts kindergarten.  *wipes away tears*  Just over 100 days until my baby is…definitely no longer a baby. Am I ready? Absolutely not. Is my son ready? Honestly, I’m not sure.  My son, Nash, has been in child care since he was an infant. The early childhood educators at Nash’s child care center are incredible, caring teachers, and he stayed at the center for preschool because I knew that his teachers would make sure [...]

By |2021-04-21T10:35:58-04:00April 21st, 2021|Blog, Education|
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The “Do-Over” Bill and Other Education Wins for Kids in 2021

On March 31, 2021 the final gavel fell on an historic 2021 Kentucky General Assembly. Despite the many obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of our state legislature continued and delivered some bright spots for Kentucky’s kids enrolled in early childhood learning facilities and K-12 schools.   Perhaps the most responsive item to the needs of Kentucky’s K-12 students is Senate Education Committee Chairman Max Wise’s Senate Bill 128, otherwise known as the “Do-Over" [...]

By |2021-04-08T12:47:31-04:00April 7th, 2021|Blog, Education|
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Thank You: Wins for Kids in the 2021 General Assembly

The final gavel sounded on the 2021 General Assembly this week! This year, the Governor and the Kentucky General Assembly were tasked with crafting a continuation budget, addressing the systemic injustices that impact our children and families of color, advancing policies to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and other policy priorities that would be good for the communities they represent and the Commonwealth. If we take a second to reflect, that’s a heavy lift in a [...]

By |2021-04-15T16:57:00-04:00March 31st, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Medicaid, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Supporting Child Hunger Efforts Beyond Nutrition Month

During Nutrition Month in March, national and state advocacy groups are asking for increased supports and efforts around feeding programs. As Kentucky continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we know child feeding programs are essential for kids and families as more than 20% of Kentucky households with children reported sometimes or often not having enough food to eat at the end of 2020, a rate that has been increasing since October. Temporary changes to [...]

By |2021-04-06T12:40:58-04:00March 31st, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Health|
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Assessment of the Louisville Youth Behavioral Health Landscape and Recommendations

Kentucky Youth Advocates, in partnership with the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence, conducted a community assessment to better understand the behavioral health landscape for adolescents in Louisville. The assessment included ten focus groups and an online survey during the Fall of 2020 with behavioral health providers, pediatricians, educators, residential treatment staff, juvenile justice staff, community support organizations, case managers, parents, and youth.   Respondents pointed to cultural barriers as one of the most significant obstacles for [...]

By |2021-05-18T16:10:47-04:00March 30th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health, Race Equity|
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5 Ways YOU Can Take Action During Child Abuse Prevention Month

Every adult has a role to play in preventing and ending the unacceptable high rate of incidents of child abuse and neglect in Kentucky. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, concerned neighbor, or someone in the helping professional, we each can take steps to ensure every child can grow up happy, healthy, and hopeful. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Kosair Charities Face It Movement wants to empower YOU to be a face that ends child abuse [...]

By |2021-03-25T16:15:58-04:00March 25th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Social Workers are Essential

By Kayce Dallas, MSSW Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates Before I started graduate school for my Master of Social Work, I had no clue that social workers can work in a variety of areas. I think most people believe social workers are just the ones who remove kids from homes, but that is not always the case. If you want to know the many roles a social worker can play check out this resource from [...]

By |2021-03-31T16:20:08-04:00March 23rd, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Healthy Habits in Childhood Lead to Healthy Choices in Adulthood

March is National Nutrition Month, an important time to recognize and celebrate alongside advocates and the community. Research shows that food and beverage choices are important factors for healthy growth and development, and maintaining good health and oral health. In partnership with the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition, we promote optimal health and oral health throughout the lifetime, but we know that health habits learned early on can lead to healthy choices in adulthood.   One of the Blueprint for Kentucky's Children 2020 legislative priorities related to nutrition – health [...]

By |2021-03-18T16:56:39-04:00March 18th, 2021|Blog, Education, Health|
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The American Rescue Plan: What’s in it and how will it impact families?

This week, the U.S. Congress passed, and President Biden signed into law, the American Rescue Plan, which aims to deliver continued aid to the American people as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to subside. The legislation provides a total of approximately $1.9 trillion divided among numerous priorities and is considered to be among the most progressive pieces of legislation in a generation.   Here are some of the ways the American Rescue Plan will impact children and [...]

By |2021-03-11T20:44:36-05:00March 11th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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World Hearing Day 2021: A Reminder for Parents and Guardians

By Danielle Hempel, MSSW Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates For many people, the five basic senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) are not something they give much thought to. However, for those with hearing loss, it is something most of us think about everyday, including myself.   After suffering from tinnitus, or ringing in your ears, since childhood, I was finally diagnosed with asymmetrical hearing loss when I was 22, joining nearly 700,000 Kentucky residents who are deaf or hard of hearing (HOH). For me, it was almost hard to [...]

By |2021-03-02T12:36:57-05:00March 2nd, 2021|Blog, Health|
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