The real takeaway from tonight’s address from Governor Matt Bevin is a question: What kind of commonwealth do we want to be? Is it one in which needed protections for kids are absent and a rising tide of poverty is pervasive? A place where families struggle to stay together and early investments for kids fall to the wayside? Or will we as a commonwealth move towards an environment in which current challenges do not cloud a brighter [...]
The 2018 Kentucky legislative session is well underway, which means the annual Children’s Advocacy Day (CAD) at the Capitol is just around the corner. Review these tips and reminders for before, during, and after Children’s Advocacy Day on January 18th: Before January 18th: If you haven’t already done so, register you and your group for CAD HERE. Watch the advocacy 101 and CAD prep webinar to be confident in attending CAD and advocating on behalf [...]
This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on December 22, 2017. In Tom Loftus’ recent piece, “… Matt Bevin Reaches His Defining Moment as Governor,” we saw a Christmas miracle. Governor Bevin and Representative Jim Wayne, certainly no political doppelgangers, agreed about the imperative of revenue enhancements. The governor wisely — and bravely — proclaimed, “You can’t cut your way into everything. You can’t.” It’s not as if Kentucky has not tried the [...]
By Tamara Sandberg As a parent of teenagers, I’ve learned that when my kids hear me saying a slang phrase it undoubtedly means they will never repeat that phrase again. “Hanger” is one example—you know, that feeling of anger you get when you’re hungry? But I hope the phrase goes away for other reasons, too. It isn’t a joke that children at risk of hunger suffer real consequences. They are more likely to experience hospitalization, [...]
During this time of year, the parents of the over 1 million kids across Kentucky are typically worrying about getting Christmas shopping finished and making sure they have just the right gifts under the tree for each child. Kentucky parents shouldn’t have to worry during this holiday season about whether or not their child will lose health insurance next year. Yet, families of nearly 93,000 Kentucky kids continue to worry and wait for Congress to [...]
COMING SOON: THE 2018 KENTUCKY GENERAL ASSEMBLY In less than a month, on January 2nd, the 2018 Kentucky General Assembly will begin. In just over a month, more than 1,000 advocates—teachers, social workers, youth, judges, and more—will pack the Capitol rotunda in Frankfort and ask our leaders to prioritize kids in their decisions. Join those advocates at the 14th annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol on Thursday, January 18th! Learn more and register to [...]
The Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children stands on three cornerstones: Thriving communities launch strong families. Strong families launch successful kids. Successful kids launch a prosperous future for Kentucky. We’re launching the 2018 Blueprint policy priorities with partners from across the state with those three cornerstones in mind. We invite you to learn more about the Blueprint priorities and how to get involved. Check out the 2018 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy priorities. Read the fact sheets for [...]
The dashboard in a car tells us how far we’ve gone (the odometer), what our current situation is (the speedometer) and, in eco-conscious vehicles, how to achieve greater energy efficiency. Similarly, a focus on where we’ve been, where we are now, and how to achieve future improvement guided the creation of the new KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard, which was unveiled with the release of the 2017 County Data Book earlier this month. By providing the [...]
November is National Adoption Month. The best way to understand the impact of adoption is to hear the stories of the people who have lived it. The stories below are from the perspectives of an adoptive parent and her daughter. Pat's Story Hi, my name is Ms. Pat. I have been asked to write a little something on foster care and adoption I am not a writer, but here it goes. I have been a foster [...]
Early this month, the Kentucky Department of Education announced a request for feedback on the recently developed and revised Health and Physical Education Standards. These standards as drafted, follow the requirements set forth in Senate Bill 1 (2017) and involved educators and other stakeholders from across the Commonwealth. The Department is making one final outreach to Kentuckians as a whole for additional feedback through December 6th. All Kentuckians are able to provide their feedback on [...]
