OP-ED: Latinx Families Hit Especially Hard by COVID, But There is a Silver Lining

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal November 19, 2020. By Karina Barillas Karina Barillas, La Casita Center COVID-19 has brought the health of Kentuckians into focus and reminded us that we face a collective challenge to staying healthy and accessing the health care we need. The pandemic affects us all, but affects us differently, depending on resources, meaningful access to services and information, and privilege or knowledge about navigating health [...]

By |2020-11-23T14:06:52-05:00November 23rd, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Health, Race Equity|

OP-ED: There’s No Time to Lose – We Must Invest in Child Care Now

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal November 19, 2020.  By Chuck Denny, Cori Gadansky, and Rose Smith Child care is essential. Never in modern times have we experienced greater understanding of the vital role that child care providers play in our community. Parents rely on safe, affordable child care – whether at a licensed center or a home-based setting – to be able to work. Employers depend on reliable child care [...]

By |2020-11-23T13:49:46-05:00November 23rd, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Kids Count, Race Equity|

OP-ED: Let’s Flip the Destiny for Kentucky Kids

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal November 19, 2020.  Jyoti Arora in You Came Like Hope asserts, “it takes only a moment for the destiny to flip over.” The haunting message emanating from the 2020 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book is that far too many boys and girls in the Commonwealth had their destiny flip the moment they were born. Because of the zip code in which they live. Because of [...]

2020 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at the Impacts of the “Dual Pandemics” on Kentucky Children and Families

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org   2020 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at the Impacts of the “Dual Pandemics” on Kentucky Children and Families Featuring the latest county-level data for key measure of child well-being Louisville, KY – The 2020 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book examines the impacts of the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racial injustice on children and families with data disaggregated by race/ethnicity. The 30th edition of this [...]

We See You, We Support You: The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Kentucky Youth

By Danielle Hempel, MSSW Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates In 2015, See Us, Support Us was created as a month-long opportunity in October to build national awareness, visibility, and support for children whose parents have been incarcerated. Kentucky has the third highest rate in the nation of children who have experienced parental incarceration. In 2017-2018, 12 percent of all children in the Commonwealth had experienced the incarceration of a parent, exceeding the national average of 7 [...]

Congress, “Pay Attention to the Road” and Invest in Kids NOW!

The actress Andie MacDowell observes what we all know. She suggests, “We've become such a multitasking society that just paying attention to the road doesn't seem to be that important anymore. I have to remind my kids all the time that that's what you're supposed to be doing in the car.” MacDowell’s assertion is surely true when it comes to parents and paying attention to the road of home life. In this pandemic, working remotely, [...]

By |2020-10-01T14:15:25-04:00September 30th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Kentucky’s Child Poverty Rate Remained Steady from 2018 to 2019

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Kentucky’s Child Poverty Rate Remained Steady from 2018 to 2019 Household Pulse Survey Data Show Impact of the Pandemic on Family Housing Stability and Food Access Louisville, KY – New data released this week by the U.S Census Bureau reveals that 21.7 percent of Kentucky children lived in poverty in 2019, which is not statistically different than the 2018 rate of 23.0 percent. With over one in five children living in [...]

By |2020-09-18T16:39:27-04:00September 18th, 2020|Economic Security, News Room, Race Equity|

Statement on Bill Filing to Enact Paid Family Leave for State Employees

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates The word “unicorn” is more than those one-horned flying horses my granddaughter loves, more than the term applied to start-up tech companies that boomed in 1990s, and more than unicorn quarterback Lamar Jackson – it is anything that is rare and valuable. Today we joined diverse community partners in an announcement about a unicorn of a public policy proposal – [...]

Save the Dates: Children’s Advocacy Week at the Capitol February 1st-5th

For 16 years advocates for kids have gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol. On Children’s Advocacy Day, advocates fill the halls of the Capitol and ask their elected officials to step up for Kentucky kids—leading to many policy wins and building awareness of issues facing kids and their families. Children’s Advocacy Day is critical to building a brighter future for Kentucky kids. Amidst COVID-19, the strains on families, communities, and the [...]

Child Care: State Offers Some Limited Relief and Now It is Time for Congress to Act

On August 31st, Governor Beshear announced a number of measures intended to provide some relief to Kentucky’s child care providers and the kids and families who rely on them. Let’s be clear – there are no magic wands when it comes to the challenges presented by COVID-19 for the child care sector. The announcement represents a commendable and unenviable job of listening to providers, listening to families, and taking steps to prop up the fundamental, [...]

By |2020-09-10T15:17:30-04:00September 9th, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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