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Statement on Recent Beshear Administration Update on KTAP

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The Governor recently proclaimed September as Kinship Care Awareness Month. Typically, that would mean a time to honor those grandparents, relatives, and close family friends stepping up to care for children. Instead, Kinship Month is wrapping up on a distressing note. We can only hope that it's a case of unintended consequences and this harmful course can be reversed. Just days ago the Governor emphasized [...]

By |2025-09-26T15:23:25-04:00September 26th, 2025|Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, News Room|
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National Diaper Need Awareness Week: Why Diaper Access Matters for Kentucky Families

Today marks the first day of National Diaper Need Awareness Week, an annual campaign led by the National Diaper Bank Network to raise awareness about a critical but often overlooked public health issue in the United States: diaper need. Diapers are essential for infant and toddler health and hygiene, yet nearly half of U.S households with young children struggle to afford enough diapers to keep their children clean and healthy. Diapers put a considerable strain [...]

By |2025-10-07T16:03:55-04:00September 16th, 2025|Blog, Economic Security, Health|
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From Interim Hearings to the 2026 State Budget: What’s Ahead for Kentucky Kids & Families

As summer winds down in Kentucky, state leaders in Frankfort are already preparing for the 2026 biennial budget session. Shortly after the 2025 legislative session concluded, lawmakers were back in action convening interim joint committees with members of both the House and Senate. The interim legislative session spanning June to December serves as an opportunity for legislators to hear presentations from various state offices on current data and program outcomes, budget requests for the next [...]

By |2025-10-07T16:04:38-04:00September 3rd, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Medicaid|
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What are Child Impact Statements and How Does it Impact Policy Change?

What are Impact Statements? Impact statements are used by local, state, and federal agencies and branches of government to assess implications of proposed legislation, administrative procedures, cases, amongst other decisions. Impact statements can cover topics such as  criminal justice, environment, higher education, poverty, open government, amongst other areas of focus.  Most widely known are fiscal impact statements which examine budget implications and may include information related to estimated costs and potential savings of a proposed [...]

By |2025-08-19T12:51:51-04:00August 19th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice|
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Support on Decision Making to Invest in the Future of Our “Forever Kentucky Home”

by Tara Grieshop-Goodwin The air conditioning unit at our house recently went out - at the peak of some of our hottest days of the summer. We had an older unit that our HVAC service person had been able to keep running with fixes and repairs for many years (even decades) past when most units last. But eventually the damage was too great for repair and we had a big expense to cover. We debated [...]

By |2025-07-24T12:51:49-04:00July 24th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity|
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Rising Temperatures, Rising Costs: Protecting Kentucky Families from Utility Disconnections

Updated September 18, 2025 Photo courtesy of Pkruger via Dreamstime It’s been a long, hot summer in Kentucky. This should come as no surprise since meteorologists predicted a hotter-than-average season for much of the U.S, but in recent years weather in Kentucky has been anything but predictable.  As weather fluctuates and temperatures rise, so does the cost of utilities for families.  Monthly utility costs in Kentucky have increased by 33% since 2017 and [...]

By |2025-10-07T15:43:34-04:00July 23rd, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Economic Security|
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The Power of Data: How We Know What Kentucky’s Kids Need

While many people are familiar with the Kentucky KIDS COUNT project, there is much more county, school district, and race level data that is collected and analyzed. The Annie E. Casey Foundation, who leads the national KIDS COUNT project, hosts a Data Center for all 50 states where additional information can be found. In addition to the data they display for the entire state and each congressional district, KYA tracks more information at the county [...]

By |2025-07-11T12:02:41-04:00July 11th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid|
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New Report – Bloom Kentucky Examines the Economic Impact of ACEs and Offers Recommendations

New Report - Bloom Kentucky Examines the Economic Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Kentucky and Offers Key Strategies for Prevention Contact: Kelsey Dimar kdimar@kyyouth.org LOUISVILLE, KY – Adversity experienced in childhood has an annual estimated cost of $295 million on Kentucky’s economy, according to The Economic Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Kentucky report released today by Bloom Kentucky, an initiative powered by grantmaking partners from across the Commonwealth and backboned by Kentucky Youth [...]

By |2025-09-09T12:59:35-04:00June 16th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health, Justice, News Room, Race Equity|
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Opioid Data Dashboard Webinar Recap: Using Data to Leverage the Opioid Settlement Funds

Last week, Kentucky Youth Advocates hosted a webinar about the Opioid Data Dashboard on Children and Families and how it can be used as a tool for informing the use of opioid settlement funds. KYA staff members were joined by Lauren Carr, Opioid Settlement Advisor with the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo), a partner in making information available to communities as they invest the funds from the opioid settlement. The opioid settlement funds, which [...]

By |2025-06-11T13:05:40-04:00June 10th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity|
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Kentucky Ranks 36th in 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book Urging Focus on Supporting Thriving Kids and Families

Contact: Patricia Tennen | ptennen@kyyouth.org | 502-895-8167 x 122 Kentucky Ranks 36th in 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book as Kentucky Youth Advocates Urges Focus on Supporting Thriving Kids and Families Data shows that too many Kentucky kids are falling behind on key indicators of child well-being, the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds LOUISVILLE, KY —Kentucky has made progress in half of 16 indicators of child well-being, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of [...]

By |2025-06-06T11:27:28-04:00June 9th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, News Room|
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