Sowing Resilience with Bloom Kentucky

What does Bloom Kentucky and Mickey Mouse have in common this summer? They are both ALL EARS. As soon as the gavel fell for the 2023 state legislative session, Bloom Kentucky already had a plan to get advocates excited about 2024. Kentucky Youth Advocates and Bloom Kentucky want to hear from you!   During May and June 2023, we’re hosting regionally-based listening sessions across the Commonwealth to bring local advocates and leaders together to identify strategies [...]

Showing Appreciation for Kentucky’s Child Care Providers

Friday, May 12th is National Provider Appreciation Day. This is a day dedicated to thanking our child care providers for all of their hard work to support young children and their families.  On any given day, child care providers are singing songs, reading books, playing dress-up, changing diapers, and kissing boo-boos. Along with providing children with a safe place to be while their parents are at work or school, providers are interacting with young children [...]

By |2023-05-10T12:19:44-04:00May 10th, 2023|Blog, Economic Security, Education|

Too Many Kentucky Young People Exit Foster Care Without Permanent Families and Unprepared to Thrive on Their Own

Too Many Kentucky Young People Exit Foster Care Without Permanent Families and Unprepared to Thrive on Their Own Fostering Youth Transitions 2023 Urges Improvements to Extended Foster Care Transition LOUISVILLE, KY – Permanent families and supportive adult connections, stable housing, and postsecondary education remain beyond the reach of too many young people with foster care experience, according to Fostering Youth Transitions 2023: State and National Data to Drive Foster Care Advocacy, a data brief released [...]

Action Needed to Eliminate Student Hunger

The USDA school nutrition programs, like the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, are crucial to ensuring that kids have access to consistent, nutritious meals throughout the school year. With over 1 in 6 Kentucky kids not having enough to eat and research finding that school meals are some of the healthiest meals students consume, these programs are vital for the health and nutrition of Kentucky kids.  Despite how vital these programs are, we [...]

By |2023-05-02T12:55:39-04:00May 2nd, 2023|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Health Youth Ambassadors Participate in the Kentucky Youth Tobacco Control Workshop

On April 12th, two of Kentucky Youth Advocates’ Health Youth Ambassadors took part in the Kentucky Youth Tobacco Control Workshop hosted by the Networking for Kentucky Youth (N4KY) and #iCANendthetrend Youth Advisory Board. This youth-developed and youth-led tobacco control workshop was a full-day immersive experience which offered a chance for students from across the state to connect, network, and learn both with and from one another. Throughout the day, students took part in team [...]

By |2023-04-27T13:03:37-04:00April 27th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health, Kids Count|

The Opioid Settlement and Impact for Kentucky Kids

“Hope blooms when the time is ready.” – Debasish Mridha After seeing waves of the opioid epidemic pass through Kentucky since the late 1990s, Kentucky is ready and well-equipped  to turn the tide. Due to actions taken by all three branches of Kentucky’s government, and major efforts by the Attorney General’s office specifically, we are set to see hundreds of millions of dollars come directly to Kentucky from the opioid settlement. With investments and persistence, [...]

Statement on Failed Passage of HB 288

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – As the Kentucky General Assembly wraps up the final hours of the 2023 legislative session, an arena that would have had a true impact on the protection of children was left on the table. House Bill 288, sponsored by Representative James Tipton, disappointingly did not receive a final vote by the Senate today. The reality is that [...]

By |2023-03-30T16:56:32-04:00March 30th, 2023|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|

Social Workers Breaking Barriers for Kids

March is National Social Work Month! The theme for 2023 is Social Work Breaks Barriers. Did you know there are over 750,000 social workers in the nation?  Social workers have a responsibility to serve others through lenses of compassion, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Social workers implement their core values of service, social justice, the importance of human relationships, dignity and worth of the person, integrity, and competence into their job duties every day.  With so [...]

Slam Dunks for School Nutrition

For most Kentuckians, March brings up thoughts of basketball and brackets.  For our school nutrition professionals and students, however, March is the home of National Nutrition Month.  The USDA school nutrition programs, like the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, are a slam dunk for Kentucky kids, ensuring they have access to at least two meals a day during the school year. With over 1 in 6 Kentucky kids not having enough to [...]

By |2023-03-23T13:15:01-04:00March 23rd, 2023|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Protecting the Mental Heath and Well-being of LGBTQ+ Youth

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Everyone has had struggles over the past few years, but kids have been hit especially hard.  During the pandemic, life was upended for them, and it has furthered the increase in mental health concerns among children and youth. For instance, in 2020, 15.9% of children and teens struggled with anxiety or depression, and in 2022, as many [...]

By |2023-03-02T17:26:18-05:00March 2nd, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
Go to Top