Education

Kentucky 35th in KIDS COUNT Ranking of Child Well-being

Kentucky stands as one of the bottom fifteen states in the nation for overall child well-being with a rank of 35, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book, released today. Kentucky children have experienced setbacks due to financial instability, but have made gains in the education and health areas. The 2012 Data Book features an updated child well-being index that provides an even more robust and comprehensive portrait of how [...]

By Amy Swann|2012-07-25T13:02:06-04:00July 25th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Call Congress Today to Help Put a Stop to Hunger!

Tomorrow, the House Agriculture Committee will vote on a Farm Bill proposal that cuts SNAP food assistance for struggling families by over $16 billion. What does this mean for low-income Americans? 500,000 households would see their benefits cut by $90 per month 2 to 3 million individuals would lose their food assistance entirely Nearly 300,000 kids would lose free school meals Please help us tell Congress that we need their support to end hunger in [...]

By admin|2012-07-10T13:09:02-04:00July 10th, 2012|Blog, Economic Security, Education|

News from the KY Department of Education: Kindergarten Readiness Screener to be Implemented

Starting in the 2013-14 school year, kindergarten classrooms in Kentucky’s public schools will use a readiness screener to ensure that all children receive the support they need to be successful in school. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has contracted with Curriculum Associates, LLC and will be using the BRIGANCE® Kindergarten Screen as the common kindergarten readiness screener. The screener will not be used to determine eligibility for kindergarten. State law provides that all children [...]

By admin|2012-05-30T13:47:15-04:00May 30th, 2012|Blog, Education|

New County-Level Housing Affordability Data Available on the KIDS COUNT Data Center

New housing data has been posted to the KIDS COUNT Data Center, including the percent of renters unable to afford Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit and the hourly wage a renter would need to earn so that no more than 30 percent of their income goes toward housing costs for a 2-bedroom unit. These new data reflect the growing need for safe and affordable rental housing for families, which has been exacerbated by [...]

By Paul Colwell|2012-05-16T13:50:31-04:00May 16th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|

The Plight Facing Young Americans Requires a National Call for Action

By: Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus Rarely do the pages of Esquire magazine set off a conversation among child and senior advocates, but Stephen Marche’s article The War Against Youth has done exactly that. In Marche’s column, he highlights enormous challenges facing youth and young adults in this country and concludes by making a call to make youth a national priority. As he writes, “Youth should be the only issue of the 2012 election, [...]

By admin|2012-05-15T13:53:29-04:00May 15th, 2012|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Youth Justice|

Opportunities for Physical Activity Abound with Shared-Use

Two years ago I had the opportunity to visit William Wells Elementary in Lexington, Kentucky to tour their school-based health center. While there, it became very clear that William Wells not only had a school-based health center, but it was a full-scale community school too – it was used during non-school hours for community activities such as adult aerobics classes, financial literacy classes, youth sports activities and more. I was amazed at the various activities [...]

By admin|2012-05-10T11:10:17-04:00May 10th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|

A 2011 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book Highlight: Teen Births

All newborns need a strong start in life, and fare best when their mothers are healthy and have a strong social support network, sufficient financial resources, and access to education. Yet, many teen mothers lack these critical fundamentals. Babies of teen mothers are more likely to be born prematurely, have a low-weight birth, experience health problems and developmental delays, and die before their first birthday. These children are also more likely to struggle academically, drop [...]

By Paul Colwell|2012-05-08T09:29:43-04:00May 8th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|

Kentucky Youth Advocates celebrates the following as wins for Kentucky kids in the 2012 General Assembly.

$21 million to reduce social worker caseloads – In response to the high rates of child deaths due to abuse and neglect in Kentucky, Governor Beshear proposed a $21 million increase over the next two years to hire 300 additional state social workers. The final budget passed by the Kentucky General Assembly retained this funding, so new social workers will soon be hired to reduce caseloads and more effectively work to reduce child deaths and [...]

By admin|2012-05-02T09:24:09-04:00May 2nd, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|

Community Meeting: Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Students who are disciplined through suspensions or expulsion don’t just miss valuable instructional time during their time away from the classroom. It also perpetuates their academic failures and can even lead to withdrawal from school altogether. Research indicates there is a correlation between high suspension rates, increased achievement gaps, drop-out rates and even entrance to the juvenile justice system. So, instead of disciplining our children in school by pulling them from the classroom, let’s turn [...]

By admin|2012-04-11T10:13:23-04:00April 11th, 2012|Blog, Education, Youth Justice|

Where we Live Matters to our Health

Where we Live Matters to our Health Statement by Terry Brooks, Executive Director of Kentucky Youth Advocates on Release of Third Annual County Health Rankings. “Communities across Kentucky now know where their counties stand on health and how they compare to others in the Commonwealth. The rankings serve as a call to action from Oldham County to Owsley, and Martin to McCracken. Even the healthiest counties have areas for improvement. The good news is that [...]

By admin|2012-04-03T13:38:28-04:00April 3rd, 2012|Economic Security, Education, News Room|