On Tuesday, we co-released with the Annie E. Casey Foundation the national 2015 KIDS COUNT Data Book – considered by many to be the gold standard for measuring child well-being across the nation. Our press release highlights some of the Kentucky data found in the book, and you can view all of the Kentucky data, as well as information showing how each metric has changed since the start of the recession, in Kentucky’s state profile. [...]
Back in 2012, we co-released a report with the Annie E. Casey Foundation – Youth and Work: Restoring Teen and Young Adults Connections to Opportunity – which looked at the state of disconnected youth (those not enrolled in school or working, even part-time). We found that the number of disconnected youth ages 16-24 in Kentucky had jumped 49 percent from 2000 to 2011. This startling statistic had grave implications for our state’s future success – [...]
Good news! More families are eligible for child care assistance as of July 1, 2015. As part of the restoration of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) cuts, income eligibility for Child Care Assistance has increased to include more working families. Now, once again, families making up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level (up from 140 percent last fiscal year) are eligible, and families can make up to 165 percent of the federal poverty [...]
Though it may feel like any other hot week of summer in Kentucky, this week will be the first that new laws enacted during the 2015 legislative session take effect. All legislation was effective on Wednesday, June 24th, unless the bill had a specific delayed implementation date. For Kentucky children, this means that new laws will now better protect them from abuse and neglect, promote strong child care options, and require safer travel by car. [...]
The findings of a new study that was conducted in Kentucky fly in the face of how some administrators, educators, and parents view the suspension of students. It is commonly thought that a disruptive student’s suspension will result in better learning for the “well behaved” students because it removes the student who is the source of distracting behaviors. Two researchers looked at the academic performance of these “well behaved” students who had never been suspended [...]
This year’s Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol was one of the largest yet, with over 700 children, youth, and adults attending to ask their leaders to put kids first in the legislative session. We know that Children’s Advocacy Day played an essential role in three key Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children wins for kids this year—and in numerous other wins in the previous 10 years. With your support and commitment, that momentum will continue in [...]
Social mobility is at the heart of the American dream – the belief and hope that through hard work one can move up the economic ladder of success. We know that social mobility has remained relatively stable over the entire second half of the twentieth century, but that’s not necessarily a good thing, because it has been persistently low. For example, 70 percent of people born into the bottom fifth of the income distribution (the [...]
If you have been reading our Weekly Wrap-Up, then you know that May is National Foster Care Month. It’s a time to celebrate young people who find themselves in the foster care system and to honor the many Kentuckians who work to make a positive difference in the lives of these youth who have faced too many challenges in too few years. This is also a perfect time to ask questions about how we can [...]
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Center is the premier source of data on child and family well-being in the United States. With thousands of indicators, it's a powerful resource for child advocates, educators, parents, grant writers, journalists, policymakers, and more. The KIDS COUNT Data Center puts the power of data at its users' fingertips, equipping individuals and communities to make a difference in the lives of children. Are you new to the [...]
Spring in Kentucky brings us revived energy. Kids are outdoors, playing in the yards, sidewalks and on playgrounds again. The days are brighter, longer, and more colorful. Growth abounds. And the promise of the long, lazy, hazy days of summer are on the minds of every student who walks into the doors of their school. Oh, they cannot WAIT until summer. If teachers don’t HEAR those words ump-teen times a day, they certainly FEEL and [...]
