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More Than a Visit: Reimagining Parenting Time to Strengthen Families

By Jane Herms, President/CEO, Family Nurturing Center By shifting the focus from supervision to active parenting, child welfare systems are helping children stay connected, families heal, and reunification become possible. For children separated from their parents because of abuse, neglect, or other safety concerns, time spent together during that separation is more than a moment on a calendar — it’s a lifeline. Those visits are opportunities to preserve bonds, nurture relationships, and lay the groundwork [...]

By |2025-10-16T14:53:43-04:00October 16th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Intern Insights: Kids COUNT in Nelson County

by Kelsey Raymer, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates Situated between Bullitt and Marion Counties, Nelson County is full of deep history, new educational opportunities, and diverse populations. As someone who grew up in the county, the most intriguing phenomenon to experience is the economic division, lack of resource accessibility, and educational growth within the county.  In the Anne E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT analysis of Nelson County, two major indicators stand out. From 2013 to [...]

By |2025-10-09T16:27:46-04:00October 9th, 2025|Blog, Kids Count|
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Social Media Lawsuits, Mental Health, and the Role of Policymakers

Youth mental health issues are at an all time high— youth advocates, school districts, parents, and even the Surgeon General alike are elevating youth mental health as a vital issue due to the long-term impacts on physical health, success in school, and future of the community. Many are lifting up the role of social media companies and their platforms in adversely impacting youth.  Social Media Lawsuits  A major multi-district litigation (MDL 3047) is currently moving [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:35:27-05:00October 6th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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Calling all doting grandparents, aunties and uncles: Be part of a complete count

Nothing quite matches the pride of a new grandparent or auntie showing pictures of a new baby. At a meeting, at the grocery store, or after church, they are quick to pull out their phones and share a few pictures of the new bundle of joy. This year, I’ve been that auntie, showing off my sweet niece who was born this past Winter, when I’m catching up with friends.   As much as we care for [...]

By |2025-09-30T13:03:25-04:00September 30th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid|
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Harlan County Poke Sallet Festival – Serving up Positive Childhood Experiences

For over 70 years, Harlan County has been hosting the annual Poke Sallet Festival. What started as an idea after a dinner featuring poke sallet is now a robust community tradition that brings families and friends together year after year every summer. Not sure what poke sallet is? It’s a southern delicacy – also called a “forager’s delight”.  This festival offers a wide range of events: singing competitions, a “Run for the Hills 5K”, pet [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:34:35-05:00September 30th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|
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Kinship Care Month and Showing Up for Caregivers in the Regional Collaboratives

Across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, grandparents, relatives and close friends of families step up to raise children when their parents are unable. We call them ‘kinship families’ and they are important members of communities who add to the strengths of our Commonwealth. September is Kinship Care Awareness Month – a time to recognize and celebrate kinship caregivers and all that they do to support and care for the children in their care.  Kentucky utilizes kinship [...]

By |2025-09-30T10:13:43-04:00September 30th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Latest Data on Child Health and Poverty

Every fall, data nerds rejoice, because it means the release of the newest American Community Survey one year estimates from the Census Bureau. While the one year estimates are not as thorough as the five year estimates that are released in December, they still provide a wealth of knowledge for many topics, including demographics, income, poverty, housing, and education. These estimates can help guide legislators, community leaders, and community members toward policies that work to [...]

By |2025-09-25T14:26:15-04:00September 25th, 2025|Blog, Health, Kids Count, Medicaid|
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Why Kinship Education Matters: Strengthening Families Through Support and Connection

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to ensure that when children cannot remain safely in their parents’ care, they are placed with relatives (kin) or trusted family friends (fictive kin). These types of placements are preferred over entering the traditional foster care system since research shows that children in kinship care often experience more stability, maintain stronger connections to their family and culture, and have better long-term outcomes. To support this shift, [...]

By |2025-09-25T13:46:36-04:00September 25th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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National Diaper Need Awareness Week: Why Diaper Access Matters for Kentucky Families

Today marks the first day of National Diaper Need Awareness Week, an annual campaign led by the National Diaper Bank Network to raise awareness about a critical but often overlooked public health issue in the United States: diaper need. Diapers are essential for infant and toddler health and hygiene, yet nearly half of U.S households with young children struggle to afford enough diapers to keep their children clean and healthy. Diapers put a considerable strain [...]

By |2025-10-07T16:03:55-04:00September 16th, 2025|Blog, Economic Security, Health|
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KIDS COUNT Data Center – How Kids are Faring in My County

Every year, Kentucky Youth Advocates releases county-level data on child well-being as part of the Kentucky KIDS COUNT project. This data helps communities understand who they are, where bright spots and opportunities are, and how to best direct resources.  While many people are familiar with the 16 indicators included on the KIDS COUNT County Data Dashboard, KYA also analyzes and publishes approximately 75 county-level data points related to child well-being on the Annie E. Casey [...]

By |2025-09-11T14:59:19-04:00September 11th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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