FacebookInstagramXYouTubeEmail

“How are 12-year-olds getting vapes?”

Senate Bill 56 aims to protect Kentucky youth from e-cigarettes and other harmful tobacco products and would ensure Kentucky complies with the federal minimum legal sale age for all tobacco products and eliminate purchase, use, and possession penalties for youth up to age 21 so children and teens can grow into healthier adults. This week bill passed The House Judiciary Committee and is now awaiting a vote by the full Kentucky House.   By Abbi Stratton Abbi Stratton, a student at Graves County High School and a member of the [...]

By |2020-03-05T17:28:28-05:00March 5th, 2020|Blog, Health|
Read More

Investment in Child Care is an Investment in Kentucky Kids, Families, and Local Communities

We asked, and YOU delivered! In our previous blog post, Kentucky Youth Advocates asked our community partners to “remain an active voice for Kentucky’s kids” by calling on our congressmen in Washington, D.C. to support the federal Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG).  Your efforts were not in vain.  In fact, our collective voice secured an additional $550 million dollars in federal CCDBG allocations! Kentucky will receive over $10 million of that investment. We march [...]

By |2020-02-27T11:29:09-05:00February 27th, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
Read More

Fast Facts to Fight the General Assembly Fatigue

Advocates, are you feeling tired as we enter the second half of this year’s General Assembly? Do you wonder if your voice really makes a difference? Are you lacking inspiration to continue calling your representative for another 20+ days? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, this is the blog for you! We are just over a month past Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol, and while we knew that day had some [...]

By |2020-02-25T12:29:23-05:00February 25th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Youth Justice|
Read More

Addressing the E-Cigarette Epidemic from a Youth’s Perspective

By Serenity Moore Serenity Moore is a youth advocate from Boys and Girls Club, Glasgow/Barren County. She is a junior at Glasgow Independent High School and a member of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky’s Tobacco-Free Policy Youth Ambassadors. Being a teen today is a lot different than it was when many of you were my age. The majority of teens today are filled with worry and not just about their grades or graduation. I [...]

By |2020-02-18T17:11:38-05:00February 18th, 2020|Blog, Health|
Read More

Updates on the Family First Prevention Services Act and the Impact on Kentucky Kids

By Emily Anderson, Kentucky Youth Advocates inten On October 1, 2019, Kentucky began implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 (FFPSA) to provide better services for families at risk of entering the child welfare system and to improve the well-being of those children that are already in foster care. In order to make the transition to this act easier, Congress has passed the Family First Transition and Support Act. The provisions of [...]

By |2020-02-11T13:10:48-05:00February 11th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
Read More

Promoting Healthy Eating and Drinking and Active Play in Child Care Centers

All children, no matter where they live or receive child care, deserve healthy food and time for active play. Teaching kids healthy habits at a young age nurtures optimal growth and development and sets them up for a lifetime of healthy choices. A Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children bill that is moving this 2020 legislative session aims to reinforce these ideas and provide nurturing environments for children in child care centers across the state. Senate Bill [...]

By |2020-02-11T11:16:19-05:00February 11th, 2020|Blog, Education, Health|
Read More

Eliminating Corporal Punishment in Schools to Create Safe and Nurturing Learning Environments

Alex Young, Representative Steve Riley, and Nellie Ellis at the House Education Committee meeting on February 4, 2020 Kentucky students need learning environments that are safe and nurturing. Across Kentucky, school districts are shifting their focus to how to best serve children who’ve experienced trauma, but several districts still allow the use of corporal punishment, or physical force, as a form of discipline. House Bill 22, sponsored by Representative Steve Riley, seeks to [...]

By |2020-02-05T08:50:55-05:00February 4th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
Read More

Guest Post: Three Reasons Why Health Advocates Just Won’t Leave ‘Vape’ Retailers Alone

This post originally appeared as an op- ed in the Northern Kentucky Tribune on February 2, 2020.  By Ben Chandler, Terry Brooks, Ed.D., Ashli Watts and Brent Wright, M.D. Manufacturers and retailers who sell Juul and other brands of e-cigarettes, or “vapes,” wonder why health advocates won’t just leave them alone. We have at least three reasons: Kids, kids and kids. 1. Kentucky teens are using e-cigarettes at three times the rate of adults and many [...]

By |2020-02-04T15:34:19-05:00February 4th, 2020|Blog, Health|
Read More

5 Best Moments from the 2020 Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol

Last week’s Children’s Advocacy Day has already made an impact in Frankfort. State leaders, from legislators to the Governor, are abuzz with what they heard from advocates.  If you joined us on January 23rd, be sure to fill out this short survey so we can make next year's Children's Advocacy Day at the Capitol even better!  The day was too big to summarize in this blog post, so here are the 5 moments we thought were [...]

By |2020-01-28T11:03:36-05:00January 28th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Youth Justice|
Read More

Bent Not Broken

By Ana Pohlgeers, high school senior from Campbell County Four homes. Count them. FOUR! From the age of two, when my birth mother dropped me off at Child Protective Services begging for someone to take me off of her hands to give me a better life, until the age of six, when I was finally adopted by my forever family, I lived in FOUR. Different. Homes. Young, terrified and determined not to ever love again, [...]

By |2020-01-27T14:51:41-05:00January 27th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
Read More
Go to Top