At the 14th annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol, hundreds of advocates and youth gathered in the Rotunda to celebrate wins for Kentucky kids in the 2017 legislative session and to rally in support of priorities on the 2018 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda. Kids win when leaders step up for them and the General Assembly took action in 2017 on a number of Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children legislative priorities. Because of those [...]
Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates released a new Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children issue brief, Minimizing the Impact of Parental Incarceration on Children, which shows three out of every five inmates in state custody have children, impacting approximately 32,700 Kentucky kids. The brief highlights the prevalence of parental incarceration in Kentucky, the impact it has on children, and the criminal justice policy changes that could hold parents accountable for their actions in ways that allow them to [...]
Just over two weeks have passed since Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol, and we continue to see the impact of that day on legislators grow and grow. Advocates, you made your presence known and made your voice heard when you asked legislators to make kids their priority! From the rally to individual legislator meetings, from committee hearings to follow-up phone calls, you—the nearly 700 advocates who came to Frankfort—kept kids at the top [...]
By Cortney Downs, Kentucky Youth Advocates intern February is National Children’s Dental Health Month! What started as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio in 1941 has evolved into a month-long celebration! This year’s slogan is “Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth for a healthy smile." Did you know that not flossing causes you to miss cleaning 40% of your tooth surfaces? Or that poor dental health can negatively impact children’s [...]
During the fall of 2017, much of the talk and focus in Frankfort was around the budget and pensions. Questions abounded among those watching for signs of what this budget would hold. What would pension reform look like? Would tax reform be taken up at the same time? If not, what cuts would state agencies face? The wait ended in mid-January with the release of the Governor’s proposed Executive Branch Budget for the Commonwealth of [...]
A healthy future for Kentucky requires action to promote healthy decisions among teens. Across the commonwealth, tobacco takes a toll on the health of children, teens, pregnant women and their babies. Seventeen percent of Kentucky high school students currently smoke—the 2nd highest rate in the nation—and it is estimated that 2,900 Kentucky youth will become new daily smokers each year. Unless our youth smoking rates declines, 119,000 of the kids currently living in Kentucky will [...]
Children’s Advocacy Day is an opportunity for youth across Kentucky to connect with legislators, share their stories, and advocate for policy changes that will give them a brighter future. One way that young people are seen and heard during Children’s Advocacy Day is in the tunnel that connects the Capitol Building to the Legislative Annex; each year advocates hang posters in the tunnel featuring art and quotes from Kentucky kids. This year, in partnership with [...]
At the 14th Annual Children's Advocacy Day rally on January 18th, Cynthia Schepers, a college student from Jefferson County and a member of the First Lady’s Youth Leadership Council, shared her story with hundreds of advocates in the Capitol Rotunda. Read her story below or watch her speech as part of the rally on our Facebook page. Welcome to the 2018 Rally for Children’s Advocacy Day! My name is Cynthia Schepers, I am 22 years [...]
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Tonight, many families across Kentucky can rest assured that their children’s health insurance is no longer in jeopardy. With the measure passed today by Congress, the bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Program received a funding extension of six years. The extension of CHIP funding means that 93,000 Kentucky kids can stay up-to-date on their immunizations and wellness visits and [...]
Hundreds of Kentuckians from across the Commonwealth, including over 150 children and youth, convened in Frankfort today for the 14th annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol. They urged elected leaders to support the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, a unified agenda for child advocates across the state. “Today, youth, faith leaders, teachers, social works, pediatricians, elected leaders, and many others unite to ask our leaders to make Kentucky children a priority during the 2018 legislative session and [...]
