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The 2021 Kentucky General Assembly is Underway!

The 2021 General Assembly is underway! With Part 1 of the legislative session under our belt, many child advocates, partners, and citizens across the Commonwealth experienced a glimpse of a revised schedule, new safety measures in place, flow of committee and chamber meetings, continued budget proposal, and, of course, new legislators. With so many new and moving pieces it can be daunting to keep track, which is why we’ve drafted a quick reference for advocates! [...]

By |2021-01-14T18:34:45-05:00January 13th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Youth Justice|
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What’s in the Latest Federal COVID Relief Package for Kids and Families?

After eight months of action alerts, advocate virtual forums, and urging our federal leaders to remember children and their families, the U.S. Congress passed and the President signed into law a $908 billion Coronavirus aid package in the closing days of 2020; the largest aid package in American history second only to the CARES Act passed in March 2020.   We’ve seen the news stories or heard the personal experiences of Kentuckians struggling to feed their [...]

By |2021-01-07T15:08:52-05:00January 7th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Call for Children’s Advocacy Week Art Submissions

Kentucky kids, show us your art and talents! Children’s Advocacy Week is less than a month away, and while we have plans to replace the in-person advocacy events with virtual ones, there are a couple of things we are still missing: art and musical performances from Kentucky kids! In the past, Kentucky kids have performed during the Children’s Advocacy Day rally and created art to hang in the tunnel between the Capitol and Annex buildings. [...]

By |2021-01-07T14:04:29-05:00January 7th, 2021|Blog|
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Expanding Local Control to Curb Youth Tobacco Use and Improve Health

As Kentucky’s 2021 General Assembly kicks off this week, many policy items from the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children will be filed as bills for consideration. Among these priorities is expanding local control to allow city and county governments the option to regulate the use, display, sale, and distribution of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. This policy will allow city and county governments to respond to their local needs and tailor their ordinances to these needs. City and county governments could take [...]

By |2021-10-11T14:58:32-04:00January 7th, 2021|Blog, Health|
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Youth Voice: No Time to Waste in Protecting Youth From Harms of Tobacco

By Abigail Birman I am a high school junior at McCracken County High School in Paducah. I am the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America President at our school which is also known as FCCLA. We began our advocacy in the fight against big tobacco last year. I am so proud to be part of an organization that gives me the opportunity to advocate for issues impacting the youth of our state and country. [...]

By |2021-10-11T14:59:27-04:00January 6th, 2021|Blog, Health|
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2020 Recap & Update on P-EBT Benefit

February 26, 2021 update: find the latest P-EBT information in this post. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many schools in Kentucky being closed for in-person learning since March. To help provide food supports for families, Kentucky has leveraged a federal program through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) called Pandemic EBT (P-EBT). These benefits provide money that can be used on grocery items in place of free meals that children would receive [...]

By |2021-02-26T15:58:36-05:00December 17th, 2020|Blog, Education, Health|
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Addressing the Impact of Maternal Incarceration on Kentucky Children

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Addressing the Impact of Maternal Incarceration on Kentucky Children New Issue Brief Features Data Trends and Policy Recommendations LOUISVILLE, KY – A new Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children issue brief released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, Data Trends and Policy Recommendations to Address the Impact of Maternal Incarceration on Kentucky’s Children, shows that the number of women incarcerated has grown at an alarming pace in Kentucky in recent decades and that women [...]

By |2020-12-15T19:23:11-05:00December 16th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice, News Room, Race Equity|
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Children’s Advocacy Week: What You Need to Know (For Now)

Advocates, get ready! Children’s Advocacy Week is only six weeks away. While we are still sorting out final details based on legislators’ availability and whether or not we will allowed into the Capitol to film portions of the virtual events, here is what we do know: All Children’s Advocacy Week events will be virtual Each day will include a featured event (such as the Rally for Kentucky Kids), a Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children information session [...]

By |2020-12-15T12:21:58-05:00December 15th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Youth Justice|
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Kentucky Families with Children Continue to Struggle During the Pandemic: New Data Show Challenges with Hunger, Housing, Health Insurance, and Mental Health

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org   Kentucky Families with Children Continue to Struggle During the Pandemic New Data Show Challenges with Hunger, Housing, Health Insurance, and Mental Health LOUISVILLE, KY — Too many Kentucky families continue to struggle with food security, ability to pay next month’s rent or mortgage, and mental health, according to Kids, Families and COVID-19: Pandemic Pain Points and the Urgent Need to Respond, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. [...]

By |2020-12-13T21:07:54-05:00December 14th, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, News Room, Race Equity|
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Advancing Racial Equity in the 2021 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children

Earlier this week, Kentucky Youth Advocates and our partners across the state announced the release of the 2021 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children state policy and budget priorities.  As our commonwealth works to overcome the “dual pandemics” of COVID-19 and systemic racism, the Blueprint’s common voice and common vision—that of a brighter future for Kentucky kids and their families—are more important than ever.   All priorities on the 2021 policy agenda all meet three criteria: grounded in data, have some expectation of feasibility in the 2021 [...]

By |2020-12-10T17:43:49-05:00December 10th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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