By Melissa Collins, Child Welfare Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates On Sunday, March 15th, my life as a college student was flipped upside down like so many of my fellow college students across the nation. At 12:48 PM, the President of my college informed the student body of the course of action being taken in the wake of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19). All students were asked to pack up their belongings and depart from campus [...]
In June, Kentucky Youth Advocates co-released the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2020 KIDS COUNT Data Book, which tracks child well-being across states. The Data Book is perhaps best known for its state rankings that generate newspaper headlines, but another hallmark is its unflinching portrayal of how child well-being differs by race and ethnicity. The Casey Foundation and Kentucky Youth Advocates know that data for the child population as a whole frequently (in fact, almost always) [...]
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Today's announcement to extend the application period of Kentucky’s Pandemic-EBT benefit through the end of August carries significance in and of itself to be sure, especially for the thousands of eligible families. But it is also symbolic of a tone of real responsiveness that Governor Beshear and Secretary Friedlander exemplify. That tonality is a key to leadership during these trying [...]
Child Well-Being Data Highlights Continued Areas of Need as the Commonwealth Prepares to Recover from the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic KIDS COUNT® Data Book provides comprehensive annual report on child well-being in the U.S. LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Kentucky ranks 37th in the nation in overall child well-being, according to the latest edition of the KIDS COUNT® Data Book, released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Kentucky’s measurable, but still inadequate, improvements were due [...]
Abraham Lincoln once said that the key to success rested in moving very slowly, but never moving backward. One hundred and fifty years later, Lincoln’s words have never been truer for his old Kentucky home’s march toward creating and sustaining safe, high quality child care for all persons across our Commonwealth. And in true Lincolnian fashion, a “team of rivals” have assembled to strike a chord for the needs of Kentucky’s child care sector. Child [...]
Kentucky Youth Advocates is serious when we assert a vision to “make Kentucky the best place in America to be young.” And yet, we know that vision is elusive as long as a child’s skin color still shapes their opportunity to thrive. And we know that is still true in Kentucky. The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery deserve condemnation by anyone with a heart and a brain. And yet as [...]
February 26, 2021 update: find the latest P-EBT information in this post. Access to food has increasingly become a topic of concern for Kentucky families and advocates, especially for those with children who typically receive meals at school. Last week, the Commonwealth received good news on an important benefit for families during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) benefit, which was approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is available to [...]
By Nellie Ellis Over the past few years, youth across the commonwealth have had leadership roles in many of Kentucky Youth Advocates’ biggest initiatives. The youth have been some of the most influential voices for Kentucky’s kids and families and have been extraordinary advocates for themselves and others. I am proudly one of these voices. However, as we started to face the unprecedented circumstances of a pandemic, many of these young leaders like myself [...]
During this time of change, we want to give a shoutout to all the Kentucky teenagers and young people who will be “graduating” into their next phases of life – especially those who will be receiving their diplomas from high school, college, or career/technical programs. While we realize that there are many who are bemoaning the fact that they are missing out on the pomp and circumstance celebrations, we want to publicly celebrate this major [...]
While Kentucky was trying to address the immediate needs of families across the commonwealth in the wake of COVID-19, the final gavel sounded on the 2020 General Assembly. There was some good news for kids in this year’s legislative session—including its unprecedented one-year budget—while progress stalled for many policies and budget priorities that would help kids and families. Two types of leaders make these wins for kids possible: legislative champions and, just as importantly, the [...]
