This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal September 3, 2020. By Terry Brooks, executive director Kentucky Youth Advocates To say that autumn 2020 may bring surprises is the classic understatement. Can you imagine a year ago – or even a few months ago – seeing a September when kids are in front of a screen at home instead of in a classroom at school? Or an October when talk about college football playoffs [...]
By Tyler Hunter I am Kentucky born and raise – yea, I am proud of it, too. I am also proud of the life I was chosen to live. Because of my biological mother’s substance abuse in the 1990’s, I was placed in kinship care after 3 days entering this world. Throughout my childhood, I was placed with many other relatives. Eventually, at the age of 13, I was placed into the foster care system. [...]
In Kentucky, rates of youth cigarette smoking have been decreasing, but the usage of e-cigarettes has surged. The percentage of twelfth grade Kentucky students using e-cigarettes jumped from 12.2% to 26.7% from 2016 to 2018. This upward trend for youth e-cigarette use is being seen by high schools nationwide with 25% of all high school students reporting use of electronic nicotine products in 2019. While teen vaping has increased, new research from JAMA Pediatrics indicates [...]
Updated September 16, 2020 Tumbleweeds seem to be blowing around the halls of Congress these days as families continue to struggle to feed their children, pay their rent, care for their children, and work to overcome the challenges of life during COVID-19. For a brief moment it seemed like politics would be put aside in favor of doing what is best for kids and families. But the spectacular leadership of our representatives in Washington seen [...]
There are no shortage of concerns on the minds of Kentuckians as we prepare to vote this November. This will be a consequential election. The local, state, and federal leaders we select will determine policy that will impact our daily lives for what may be generations to come. But how often do we pause to consider--specifically--how our choices at the ballot box will impact us, and particularly young children who depend on us to make [...]
As we stated back in June, Kentucky Youth Advocates is committed to addressing systemic racism across Kentucky and within our organization. To that end, we wanted to provide a brief update on actions we have taken. To ensure that every Kentucky kid can grow up healthy, safe, and hopeful, Kentucky Youth Advocates is working to address racial disparities by: Establishing an internal race equity team to create an environment in which we are intentional, accountable, [...]
By Judi Jennings, Ph.D. The National Survey of Children’s Health shows Kentucky ranks 3rd highest in the nation (at 12%) of children experiencing parental incarceration. Only Oklahoma and New Mexico rank higher, reflecting the underlying connections between incarceration and systemic poverty. Louisville Family Justice Advocates (LFJA) recently co-led an Urban/Rural Learning Exchange, including a focus on parental incarceration, with two amazing allies: Dreama Gentry, Partners for Education at Berea College and Hasan Davis. Davis is [...]
This week, Governor Beshear announced a request to school districts to delay opening for in-person classes until the end of September. While many of us are accustomed to uncertainty these days, it put a new urgency on many parents to figure out viable child care options. Many families were anticipating schools reopening as an opportunity for kids to get the social interaction and educational support they have been missing for months on end, but let’s [...]
By Melissa Collins, Child Welfare Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates With the start of the fall semester right around the corner, college students are dusting off their backpacks and beginning to plan for their return to classes. Just because we are gearing up for the new academic year does not mean that the world around us has come to a screeching halt. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and uprisings against racial injustice, two issues that have [...]
By Melissa Collins, Child Welfare Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates College is a place where all identities and backgrounds may come together to be celebrated. It is a place where the mind and soul grow alongside one another as differences challenge us to think outside of ourselves and our own experiences in new and positive ways. However, what does it mean when some students do not truly feel celebrated, accepted, or even welcomed within their [...]
