Kinship Caregiver Support Groups: A Shoulder to Lean On

There are nearly 100,000 Kentucky kids living in kinship care. While beneficial for children, kinship care can pose considerable financial, legal, and emotional challenges for caregivers. Research has shown that kinship caregivers go to great lengths to meet the needs of the relative children, however, their efforts often come at the expense of their own personal care. Social support contributes to caregivers’ ability to provide a nurturing environment for the children in their care [...]

By |2019-09-11T16:22:44-04:00September 11th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

UPDATE: 86 percent of Kentucky school districts are now tobacco-free!

Schools, policymakers, students, parents, and health advocates celebrated a big win for student health in the 2019 Kentucky legislative session with passage of House Bill 11, which established a statewide tobacco-free school campus policy. All are celebrating again at the start of the school year as school districts are acting early to comply with HB 11. When the bill became law, only 72 of the state's 173 school districts, or 42 percent, were tobacco-free [...]

By |2019-08-29T11:19:04-04:00August 29th, 2019|Blog, Education, Health|

The Need for Complete Streets Through the Eyes of a 6th Grader

By Noa Weiss Noa testifying before the Louisville Metro Planning Commission. My name is Noa, I am 10 years old and live in the city of Hurstbourne, District 18. I attended Lowe elementary and I’m now a 6th grader at Meyzeek middle school in the MST Program which stands for Math Science Technology. I am also doing Meyzeek Field hockey, orchestra and Cross Country , and in the future, I plan to do Lacrosse, [...]

By |2019-08-26T12:48:57-04:00August 26th, 2019|Blog, Health|

4 Things Schools Need to Know About the 2020 Census

Happy New [School] Year to all of Kentucky’s educators! Here’s your first pop quiz of the year: Do you wish Head Start could serve all eligible children? Would you like smaller class sizes? Have you ever yearned for more school funding? If you answered YES to any of the above questions, you’re going to want to read these 4 things your school needs to know about the 2020 census this school year: 1. Children are [...]

By |2019-08-22T15:11:45-04:00August 22nd, 2019|Blog, Education|

Free Care: What Is It and How Will It Address Student Health Needs?

Updated December 19, 2019 This school year local school districts will have the opportunity to expand health and behavioral health services already offered to students in schools by leveraging federal Medicaid dollars. In November of 2019, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) and federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced final approval to move forward with this opportunity. By expanding health services to all students and billing services for Medicaid-eligible students, [...]

By |2020-01-30T12:24:27-05:00August 22nd, 2019|Blog, Education, Health|

Complex Issues of Child Welfare System Deserve Creative Solutions from All

This was originally posted as an op-ed by the Courier Journal on August 19, 2019.  By Keith Inman and Terry Brooks Kentucky’s kids owe a debt of gratitude to the Courier Journal’s editor, Rick Green, for making a considerable commitment of resources to focus on abuse and neglect in Kentucky. That gratitude extends to Debby Yetter, whose reporting prowess highlighted the multitude of factors that are contributing to the tragic state of this commonwealth when it comes to the [...]

By |2019-09-05T12:51:21-04:00August 19th, 2019|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

A Snapshot of Child Care in Kentucky

Last spring, Congress delivered an historic increase in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) at a critical time for children and families in Kentucky. The Bevin Administration is utilizing the additional $42 million to cover identified gaps in access to high-quality child care, including increase provider payment rates, increase eligibility at re-certification so that parents do not suddenly lose child care assistance when they get a promotion or better paying job, remove [...]

By |2019-08-15T12:24:22-04:00August 15th, 2019|Blog, Economic Security, Education|

Complete Streets Make Roads Safe and Comfortable for Everyone

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on August 14, 2019. By Emilee McCubbins When I made the decision to go out of state for college, I knew that my heart would always pull me back to this place — Beechmont. Louisville is my hometown, but the steps of Iroquois Library is where I think of when I think of home. Traversing Woodlawn Avenue, popping into the corner store by the gazebo, and [...]

By |2019-08-14T16:51:02-04:00August 14th, 2019|Blog, Health|

Going Back to School Healthy and Ready to Learn

As summer break winds down for many Kentucky students, parents and caregivers are preparing to get school supplies together, health forms filled out, after-school care figured out, and more for the new school year. Whether your little one is off to kindergarten or senior year, below are helpful tips your family can utilize to ensure your child’s health will be in good shape as they head back to school and settle into their school routine. [...]

By |2019-08-08T15:24:56-04:00August 8th, 2019|Blog, Education, Health|

Statistics in Schools Sweepstakes: Your School Can Win $500

Kentucky Youth Advocates is excited to announce the Statistics in Schools Sweepstakes, a free and easy way for Kentucky teachers to help their school win $500 by using the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistics in Schools materials during Constitution Week (September 16-20, 2019). Four $500 checks will be given to winning schools – one for a Preschool/Kindergarten program, one for grades 1-5, one for grades 6-8, and one for grades 9-12. PLUS, an additional $500 [...]

By |2019-09-24T09:25:03-04:00July 30th, 2019|Blog, Education, Kids Count|
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