Bloom Kentucky

OP-ED: What’s In Their Backpack?

OP-ED: What’s In Their Backpack?

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the NKY Tribune on August 13, 2022. By Joseph Bargione and Jo Cruz Most children returned to school this week. For many, they return with new backpacks and school supplies. However for some, their backpacks also contain things we can’t readily see – Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Traumatic experiences such as abuse, exposure to violence, parental mental health challenges, and negative community events, like the recent flooding and displacement [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2022-08-16T11:39:24-04:00August 16th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health, Kids Count|

A Look at the New Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission

A Look at the New Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the cost of prescription opioid misuse in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including health care, lost productivity, addiction treatment and criminal justice. In 2017, approximately 2.2 million children were directly affected by parental opioid use or their own use, and we know that Kentucky children have been particularly hard hit. There is a clear connection of adult and adolescent opioid use to childhood [...]

By Mahak Kalra|2022-09-09T12:08:56-04:00July 27th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health, Justice|

A Look at the New Benefits Cliff Task Force

A Look at the New Benefits Cliff Task Force

For many people, receiving a raise, promotion, or new job opportunity is something to celebrate. However, for families utilizing public benefits, a raise in wages can often be met with anxiety around what that raise will mean for their benefits and overall ability to provide for their families. The benefits cliff refers to the sudden decrease in public benefits that often occurs when recipients get a small increase in earnings. This cliff has consistently been [...]

By Karena Cash|2022-07-21T12:48:43-04:00July 21st, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Economic Security, Medicaid|

OP-ED: Let’s create more caring communities when it comes to mental health

OP-ED: Let’s create more caring communities when it comes to mental health

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Messenger-Inquirer on May 25, 2022. By Barry Allen and the Bloom Kentucky Advisory Council “What’s wrong with you?” If you have struggled emotionally in public or amongst family or friends, you may have been asked this question. Maybe you’ve snapped at your child after losing your patience in the cereal aisle of the grocery store and a stranger gives you that questioning look. Or perhaps you’ve asked this [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2022-05-26T09:43:52-04:00May 26th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity|

New Resource for Supporting Children Who Have a Parent Incarcerated

New Resource for Supporting Children Who Have a Parent Incarcerated

For immediate release: May 19, 2022 Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org New Resource for Supporting Children Who Have a Parent Incarcerated Guide offers tips, resources, and conversation starters for parents, caregivers, and community members Louisville, KY — Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Kentucky Social Welfare Foundation released a new guide that offers tips, resources, and conversation starters for parents, caregivers, and caring community members to consider for supporting children who have a parent incarcerated. Through [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2022-05-19T18:21:50-04:00May 19th, 2022|Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice, News Room|

Guide to Supporting Children Who Have a Parent Incarcerated

Guide to Supporting Children Who Have a Parent Incarcerated

At Kentucky Youth Advocates, our vision is to make Kentucky the best place to be young. However, the traumatic experiences of young people who have a parent incarcerated are all too often overlooked or misunderstood. Whether they live with their other parent at home or with a kinship or fictive kin caregiver, the adults in a young person’s life can play a role in supporting their ability to weather the hardships that come with [...]

By Cortney Downs|2022-05-19T15:12:38-04:00May 18th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Justice|

Bloom Kentucky Called Upon Legislators to Address ACEs – Did They Answer?

Bloom Kentucky Called Upon Legislators to Address ACEs – Did They Answer?

As we reflect on the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly, this year’s legislative session was certainly a mixed bag. From debates on local control vs. big government to the infiltration of national lobbying groups, it seems as though we might have been left with more questions than answers. The good news, however, is that Kentucky’s policymakers found common ground when it came to Kentucky kids and families and the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). We [...]

By Melissa Collins|2022-05-12T12:32:23-04:00May 12th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice|

Next Steps in Justice Legislation in Kentucky

Next Steps in Justice Legislation in Kentucky

During the 2022 General Assembly, several bills that were on the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy priority agenda made it to the Governor’s desk, as well as a number of innovative bills that prioritize support for children and families. For example, Senator Whitney Westerfield’s SB 90 establishes a pilot program to create behavioral health treatment alternatives to incarceration and will allow criminal charges to be dismissed upon successful completion of the program. As we celebrate [...]

By Cortney Downs|2022-04-28T09:58:33-04:00April 28th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|

Wins & Missed Opportunities for Kids in the 2022 General Assembly

Wins & Missed Opportunities for Kids in the 2022 General Assembly

The final gavel has fallen for the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly! This year, the Governor and the Kentucky General Assembly were tasked with crafting a two-year state budget, tackle redistricting, advance policies to address the COVID-19 pandemic, tax reform, and other policy priorities that would be good for the communities they represent and the Commonwealth. If we take a second to reflect, that’s a heavy lift in a long 60-day session. There was good news [...]

By Mahak Kalra|2022-04-20T16:29:28-04:00April 20th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|

Update on Priorities for Kids in the Final Days of KYGA22

Update on Priorities for Kids in the Final Days of KYGA22

The 2022 Kentucky General Assembly has wrapped up Day 58 of the 60-day legislative session and there are many key Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children wins to already celebrate. These priority bills have passed the Kentucky House and Senate and have been delivered to the Governor: Senate Bill 8 to strengthen points of the child welfare system, from child maltreatment prevention to investigation to healing and out-of-home care – signed by the Governor! Senate Bill 97 [...]

By Mara Powell|2022-04-06T09:42:03-04:00March 31st, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity, Youth Justice|