2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Data Trends and Solutions to Advance Racial Equity in the Commonwealth

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Data Trends and Solutions to Advance Racial Equity in the Commonwealth Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child well-being Louisville, KY – Kentucky will be strongest when all children have their best chance to thrive. The 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book examines data disaggregated by race/ethnicity, the impacts of systemic racial injustice on children and families, [...]

Mark Your Calendars: Children’s Advocacy Week January 18th-21st

For 15 years advocates for kids gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol to fill the halls of the Capitol and ask their elected officials to step up for Kentucky kids. The critical mass of advocates in the Capitol building led to many policy wins and raising awareness of issues facing kids and their families.   And then? COVID-19 forced the cancellation of in-person events across the globe, including the 2021 Children’s Advocacy Day. Kentucky kids needed advocates more than ever before, [...]

Bolstering the Early Childhood Workforce: Good for Kentucky Families, Child Care Centers, and Economy

In this week’s Advocate Virtual Forum, we covered one of this year’s hottest topics: compensation for early childhood educators. Panelists Laura Hogan with National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Brenda Hagan with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, Jennifer Washburn with iKids Childhood Enrichment Center, and Kevin Fields with Louisville Central Community Centers discussed the challenge’s child care providers are facing, issues facing the early childhood workforce, and potential solutions to common workforce [...]

By |2021-10-14T14:53:29-04:00October 14th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education|

OP-ED: Is that the best we’ve got for our kids?

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on October 7, 2021. By Dr. Terry Brooks Knee jerk and wrong-headed proposals. Courageous young people giving voice to the issues at hand in the middle of a school board meeting. Bold leadership from our Superintendent. And a puzzling mix of regressive and promising policy proposals from Metro Council leadership. Thus is the landscape of Louisville as we grieve the tragic murder of Tyree Smith. And [...]

By |2021-10-07T14:28:19-04:00October 7th, 2021|Blog, Education, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|

Guest Blog: NCFL’s Family Literacy Model Supports Families to Thrive Through Education

By Rebecca Barnwell, National Center for Families Learning Often taken for granted, the ability to read is a foundational and powerful skill that unlocks lifelong opportunity and learning. Basic literacy skills enable people to identify, interpret, and create information to better understand the world around them.   Unfortunately, illiteracy in Kentucky and across the United States persists, and both adults and children are impacted. More than 36 million U.S. adults cannot read or write above [...]

By |2021-09-20T09:52:40-04:00September 20th, 2021|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education|

Statement on the Impact of the 2021 Kentucky General Assembly Special Session on Kids

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Last week’s special session entered our minds and news feeds as quickly as it has now disappeared. Alongside the Beshear Administration and members of the General Assembly, we will continue to assess the results with an eye towards the 2022 legislative session and two-year state budget. As we shared in our initial statement on the special session, [...]

Recapping the 2021 Special Session & Impact on Kids

Last week’s special session entered our minds and news feeds as quickly as it has now disappeared. Alongside the Beshear Administration and members of the General Assembly, we will continue to assess the results with an eye for the 2022 legislative session and two-year state budget. As we shared in our statement on the special session, there is no group of Kentuckians that deserves decisive action more than our young people – and the good [...]

By |2021-09-21T11:55:20-04:00September 16th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Updates on Bills Impacting Kids in the Special Session

This week, the Kentucky General Assembly has convened for a special session related to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping Kentuckians safe, and looking ahead to recovery for all Kentucky kids and their families. At this moment, House Joint Resolution 1 passed both chambers and was signed by the Governor, which extends or expires certain emergency orders through January 15, 2022.  Also, House and Senate companion bills have been filed and are moving through the legislative process [...]

Statement on Priorities for Kids During the Kentucky General Assembly Special Session

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The easy path as we approach this special session is to devolve to conventional thinking – that the pandemic and Kentucky’s recovery efforts are too polarizing and too complex for thoughtful and direct solutions. Yet, we attest a hope that the special session can be a landmark moment when the General Assembly and the Governor come together for [...]

Increasing Compensation is Key to Ensuring Child Care is Available for Kentucky Families

As we’ve shared throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the current public health crisis has shown that without child care, our families, our communities, and the economy cannot successfully function. And as many early childhood advocates and providers have continually shared, the pandemic has only exacerbated the challenges facing Kentucky’s child care workforce as a result of limited public investment. According to a survey conducted in late 2020, following mandated shutdown of child care centers to protect [...]

By |2021-09-02T14:29:52-04:00September 1st, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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