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Mark Your Calendar! 2019 Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol on February 13th

Hundreds of youth and adults attended Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol in 2018, and we need you to help pack the rotunda and ask elected officials to prioritize kids in 2019. Join us on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 for the 15th annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol! Register here. Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol began in 2004 as an effort to unite advocates from across the state to raise their voices on behalf of children’s [...]

By |2018-09-13T12:38:12-04:00September 11th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Youth Justice|
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Celebrating Kentucky Grandmas and Grandpas

Every year, the first Sunday after Labor Day, the United States recognizes and celebrates grandparents. Grandparents are important members of our families as they are the keepers of our family history, provide insight and advice on life’s milestones, and help keep family connected. In Kentucky, there are tens of thousands of grandparents who have also stepped up to raise their grandchildren. There are several reasons for grandparents to raise their grandchildren, including parental death, parental substance abuse, military [...]

By |2018-09-05T10:49:36-04:00September 5th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Step #1 Toward an Accurate Census: Creating Complete Count Committees

Photo provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation Last month, we blogged on the various ways the data from the decennial census are used and why it is therefore critically important to make sure everyone in Kentucky is counted in the #2020Census. Spring of 2020 may feel far away, but it takes a lot of planning to achieve an accurate count – planning that can’t start soon enough! The single best action [...]

By |2018-09-17T13:48:41-04:00August 23rd, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Medicaid|
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Lessening the Effects of Trauma on Children

Traumatic experiences can happen to any of us, whether it’s growing up in an abusive or dysfunctional home or surviving a natural disaster. And, while everyone who has experienced trauma wants to move beyond it, the part of our brain tasked with ensuring our survival can complicate the process, even when we don’t remember the event. In highly stressful or potentially life-threatening situations, our brains activate a fight or flight response. Without even realizing it, [...]

By |2018-08-21T08:35:58-04:00August 20th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|
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Back to School with Kentucky Kids

There has been some serious excitement in my house this week, as our daughters prepare for their first days of school. We’ve gone to school to deliver their bags of school supplies – crayons, markers, scissors, notebooks, and glue sticks. We’ve visited their classrooms and met their new teachers. We’ve picked out their first-day-of-school outfits and prepared their new backpacks. In our house, back to school is a pretty big deal. My first- and third-grader [...]

By |2018-08-15T10:33:01-04:00August 15th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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What Does the Kentucky HEALTH Ruling Mean for Kentucky Kids?

Recently, a federal judge halted implementation of Kentucky’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver, also known as Kentucky HEALTH. Since then, there’s been a fair amount of confusion and questions among Medicaid-eligible recipients, health providers, and advocates. When it comes to any issue – and that includes Kentucky HEALTH – Kentucky Youth Advocates asks the same essential question, “Is it good for kids?” Read more in our recent statement here. Conversations continue between the Bevin Administration and the [...]

By |2018-08-13T11:33:42-04:00August 10th, 2018|Blog, Health, Medicaid|
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Ensuring Stability for Youth in Foster Care as They Go Back-to-School

Back to school time is a mixed bag full of emotions. Parents are rejoicing at the prospect of having a routine again, while also mulling with the fact they must send their kids away for longer periods of time, or maybe for the first time. Kids on the other hand, are excited to be back at school and around their friends all day, but the return of school also means the return of homework and [...]

By |2018-08-08T10:57:54-04:00August 8th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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Why Does the Census Count Matter?

Photo provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation As a part of the U.S. Constitution, America has one chance every decade to count each resident through the decennial census. The census count helps determine everything from how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives, the number of state legislative districts needed, how much federal funding is allocated to states and localities, and which communities need a new elementary school, [...]

By |2018-09-17T13:49:34-04:00July 31st, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Medicaid|
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Submit Public Comments on Kentucky HEALTH

As child advocates, we are counting on you to raise your voice and submit public comments to CMS on the Bevin Administration’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver by August 18th. Recently, a federal judge halted implementation of the Bevin Administration’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver, also known as Kentucky HEALTH. The Bevin Administration is seeking re-approval of Kentucky HEALTH by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) before it can be implemented. CMS has opened an additional 30-day public [...]

By |2018-08-13T12:37:11-04:00July 31st, 2018|Blog, Health, Medicaid|
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A Win for Pregnant Inmates and Their Babies

The opioid crisis that has been impacting our nation has hit Kentucky especially hard. What we’ve seen is that it’s not just people struggling with the disease of addiction that are affected, but children are also impacted in a significant way. We have seen it with the spike in children being cared for by relatives and in the overall increase in the number of children in foster care. Kentucky has been taking steps to respond, and [...]

By |2018-08-01T12:17:13-04:00July 25th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice|
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