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What’s Coming Next with the State Budget and How to Take Action

Updated March 20, 2026 With just ten working days to go in the 2026 legislative session, the state budget process is nearing its conclusion. As we detailed in early January, the General Assembly spent a bulk of the legislative time in 2026 crafting a two-year state budget that will be complete before the final gavel on April 15th.  What’s Already Happened? So far, the Governor released his proposed budget during the State of the Commonwealth [...]

By |2026-03-20T15:35:31-04:00February 3rd, 2026|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Making the Case for a Refundable State Child Tax Credit

Raising children is expensive and the rising cost of diapers, food, housing, and childcare, are making it increasingly difficult for many Kentucky families to make ends meet.  Access to basic necessities is critical for healthy child development, yet financial stress can strain families’ ability to provide the safe, stable, and supportive environment young children need to grow and thrive.  One proven tool to help working families stay afloat is the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC).  [...]

By |2026-02-03T09:05:45-05:00February 2nd, 2026|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|
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Hoosiers & Touchdowns for Kids – The Bloom Agenda in the “First Quarter”

We’re officially about a quarter of the way through the 60-day session and Bloom Kentucky is proud to share that 4 of our 5 policy priorities from the 2026 agenda have been filed. Like the Indiana Hoosier’s recent historic win, Kentucky legislators have an opportunity to make history for kids this session if they can come together and work as a team for kids and families.  Bloom’s agenda is gaining momentum, and like the game [...]

By |2026-02-05T13:50:06-05:00January 27th, 2026|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Health|
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New year, new goals: Setting a path to achieve community goals to address the opioid epidemic

Each new year, people across Kentucky join in the time-honored tradition of reflecting on the year past and thinking ahead to goals for the upcoming year. With many years of goals to think back on, one takeaway is clear – I’m more likely to achieve that goal if I have a plan in place for how to do it.  In the past, when I set a goal to run the Kentucky Derby half marathon at [...]

By |2026-01-15T09:38:25-05:00January 15th, 2026|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
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Bloom Kentucky Sprout-Out: Ohio County United for Youth

As part of Bloom Kentucky, “sprout outs” are our way of giving a meaningful shout out to programs fostering hope and resilience in our communities. We’re proud to spotlight the incredible work of Ohio County United for Youth. Ohio County United for Youth is an organization led by young people in partnership with adult volunteers in Ohio County, Kentucky. Their work is guided by the Developmental Assets Framework, which “identifies 40 research-based positive experiences that [...]

By |2026-01-13T12:30:14-05:00January 13th, 2026|Blog, Bloom Advocacy Corner, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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Time-Balls & Bloom Kentucky: 2025 in Review

Every New Year’s Eve, millions watch as the iconic Times Square ball drops. What many don’t know is that the “ball-drop” has historic roots dating back to the 1830s where the first “time-ball” was installed atop England’s Royal Observatory at Greenwich to help captains of nearby ships set their chronometers for navigation. As the ball drops for 2025 and signals our entry in 2026, I cannot help but reflect on Bloom Kentucky’s major milestones from [...]

By |2025-12-19T12:47:51-05:00December 19th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Advocacy Corner, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|
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Introducing the Bloom Kentucky 2026 State Policy Priorities

The end of the year brings holiday gatherings, time with family and friends, and just as reliably: the countdown to the Kentucky legislative session. When the Kentucky General Assembly convenes on the first Tuesday in January to launch the 2026 regular session, lawmakers will once again have the chance to advance policies and budget decisions that support Kentucky’s children and families.  Bloom Kentucky is a collaborative initiative of grantmaking organizations from across the Commonwealth, united [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:38:59-05:00December 9th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|
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Cultivating Hope: KYOAAC’s Latest Funding Opportunities

What does it mean to cultivate? Merriam-Webster dictionary describes this term as “to prepare for raising of crops”, “to foster the growth of”, “ to improve by labor, care, or study”, “further, encourage”. Like a farmer may prepare for raising crops to produce a strong yield, we believe that the state’s opioid settlement funds should be invested to produce strong yields for kids and families across the Commonwealth to mitigate the impacts of the [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:37:43-05:00November 25th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Advocacy Corner, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
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Guest Post: Reshaping the Trajectories of Kentucky’s Grieving Children

By Leila Salisbury  November has been designated as Grieving Children and Families Month, a time to highlight the data points showing that grief and loss are at the heart of the most under recognized and under addressed population health crisis for our children in Kentucky. 1 in 9 children in Kentucky will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the age of 18.  These bereaved children are more likely to experience Substance Use [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:36:58-05:00November 12th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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Building a Children’s Cabinet: What, Why, Who, and How?

In order to meet the needs of kids and families, many states offer a variety of programs from medical services, nutrition programs, child care, and emergency supports. Although all the programs apply to families and children, the services can be hard to access since they are housed across different departments, cabinets, and websites.  In order to increase efficiency, and make access easier for families of young children, states are looking outside the box and finding [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:36:05-05:00November 12th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Advocacy Corner, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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