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Bringing Communities Together at The Kids Table

Across the state Kentucky kids are enjoying fall break, trips to the pumpkin patch, and Halloween excitement. At Kentucky Youth Advocates, we’re reflecting on The Kids Table – a series of four Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children regional convenings focused on how kids are faring in each region, state policy solutions, and opportunities for advocates to get involved.  The Kids Table provided an opportunity for community members to convene, learn from each other, and share [...]

By |2026-10-23T13:33:15-04:00October 23rd, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Bloom Kentucky Sprout-Out: Cultivating Shared Stewardship Around Opioid Abatement Funds in Clark County

By Sarah Caton Walters, Director of Communications at Greater Clark Foundation  Communities can spend years preparing for opportunities they never know will come. When opioid settlement funds began making their way to local governments across Kentucky, Clark County had a rare opportunity: not to only distribute new resources, but to decide together how those resources could create lasting change. Public dollars belong to the community, and they offer the most possibility when the [...]

By |2026-11-04T15:26:23-05:00October 1st, 2026|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Economic Security, Health|
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Take Action to Protect Data for Decisionmaking

Have you ever used Kentucky KIDS COUNT data? Do you care about funding for programs like the Child Care Assistance Program, school meals, and SNAP? Is it helpful to understand the demographics of people in your community? Have you driven on a highway in Kentucky this week?  If you answered yes to any of these questions (and we suspect you all did!), then we need your help! The U.S. Decennial Census has been [...]

By |2026-10-15T18:05:01-04:00September 30th, 2026|Blog, Economic Security|
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Get Your Community Ready for 2030

Every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a community with the resources needed to thrive. The 2030 Census will determine how federal funding is distributed for critical programs that support children, families, and communities – including the National School Lunch Program, Child Care Assistance Program, and road and community development funding.  Next year, local governments have an important opportunity to make sure communities are ready for the 2030 Census: the Local [...]

By |2026-09-15T16:10:45-04:00September 15th, 2026|Blog, Economic Security|
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SNAP Changes and the Impact on Kentucky Kids

Across Kentucky, rising food prices, the loss of expanded free school meals, and back-to-school expenses are placing increasing pressure on family budgets. For households already living paycheck to paycheck, even modest increases in costs can force difficult choices between groceries and necessities like rent, utilities, transportation, and medicine. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is more than a food assistance program.  It helps children grow and learn, improves [...]

By |2026-07-22T15:50:18-04:00July 22nd, 2026|Blog, Economic Security|
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Utilizing the ALICE Lens to Better Understand Economic Well-Being

In terms of data, what does economic well-being in Kentucky look like to you? Employment vs unemployment, public benefits access, housing costs, and child poverty are typically points that come to mind. Specifically for children and families, I would like to shout out the valuable information found on the KIDS COUNT Data Center, breaking down child and family economic well-being at the state and county level in several key arenas.  However, expanding frames [...]

By |2026-07-14T14:03:25-04:00July 14th, 2026|Blog, Economic Security|
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Turn Down the Heat on Youth Substance Use

Kentucky’s opioid settlement funds came at great cost. Too many families lost loved ones when pharmaceutical companies immorally pushed opioids that were known to cause addiction. We as adults have an obligation to Kentucky children, especially those who have been harmed by opioid use in their families. We must support youth so they grow up healthy and strong and create experiences and environments that bolster their development. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) – like [...]

By |2026-06-30T12:19:32-04:00June 30th, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
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Kids Count on Good Data

Last week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released its 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, offering a snapshot of how children and families across the country are doing. For Kentucky, the message of this year's data is familiar but urgent: progress is happening, but it’s not happening fast enough. Kentucky ranks 36th in the nation for overall child well-being in the 2026 report. The ranking reflects a mix of improvements and setbacks across the [...]

By |2026-06-17T13:22:38-04:00June 17th, 2026|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count|
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Want to Influence Child Well-being and Community Funding until 2040? Start now!

In 2027, local governments will have the opportunity to influence how much federal funding they get through 2040 for crucial programs that support child well-being, economic development, and infrastructure. This opportunity? The Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA).  The Local Update of Census Addresses, also known as LUCA, is the main tool the U.S. Census Bureau uses to create the address list for the decennial Census. Although the 2030 Census may seem far [...]

By |2026-07-31T10:35:06-04:00June 16th, 2026|Blog, Economic Security|
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Kentucky Ranks 36th in 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book as Kentucky Youth Advocates Urges Deepened Focus on How Kids and Families Fare

Contact: Mara Powell | mpowell@kyyouth.org | 502-895-8167 X122 Kentucky Ranks 36th in 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book as Kentucky Youth Advocates Urges Deepened Focus on How Kids and Families Fare Annual National Report on Child Well-Being Shows Progress and Gaps for Kentucky LOUISVILLE, KY — Kentucky ranks 36th in child well-being, according to the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids [...]

By |2026-06-10T09:52:38-04:00June 8th, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, News Room|
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