The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Kentucky Kids & What You Can Do About It

By Judi Jennings, Ph.D. The National Survey of Children’s Health shows Kentucky ranks 3rd highest in the nation (at 12%) of children experiencing parental incarceration. Only Oklahoma and New Mexico rank higher, reflecting the underlying connections between incarceration and systemic poverty. Louisville Family Justice Advocates (LFJA) recently co-led an Urban/Rural Learning Exchange, including a focus on parental incarceration, with two amazing allies: Dreama Gentry, Partners for Education at Berea College and Hasan Davis. Davis is [...]

By |2020-08-26T09:44:56-04:00August 18th, 2020|Blog, Health, Justice, Race Equity|

Looking for Child Care? Make Sure It’s Good for Your Kids.

This week, Governor Beshear announced a request to school districts to delay opening for in-person classes until the end of September. While many of us are accustomed to uncertainty these days, it put a new urgency on many parents to figure out viable child care options. Many families were anticipating schools reopening as an opportunity for kids to get the social interaction and educational support they have been missing for months on end, but let’s [...]

By |2020-08-26T16:51:52-04:00August 13th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Returning to A College Campus: What Comes Next?

By Melissa Collins, Child Welfare Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates With the start of the fall semester right around the corner, college students are dusting off their backpacks and beginning to plan for their return to classes.  Just because we are gearing up for the new academic year does not mean that the world around us has come to a screeching halt. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and uprisings against racial injustice, two issues that have [...]

By |2020-08-14T13:56:15-04:00August 12th, 2020|Blog, Education, Health|

A Culture of Caring Amidst Racial Injustice: A College Student Perspective

By Melissa Collins, Child Welfare Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates College is a place where all identities and backgrounds may come together to be celebrated. It is a place where the mind and soul grow alongside one another as differences challenge us to think outside of ourselves and our own experiences in new and positive ways. However, what does it mean when some students do not truly feel celebrated, accepted, or even welcomed within their [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:26:04-04:00August 5th, 2020|Blog, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity|

Federal Leaders: Kentucky Kids Need YOU

Navigating COVID-19 has been an unparalleled challenge for our families, our commonwealth, and our country. As Kentucky looks ahead to its future, there are many solutions and recovery efforts we can undertake within the commonwealth. But many other efforts require federal policy changes and federal budget investments. As federal leaders debate the next pandemic recovery package, Kentucky kids and families are looking to Washington, D.C. for the following solutions: Healthcare priorities for Kentucky kids and [...]

#TakeCareKY: Self-Care Promotion Week August 3-9

By Melissa Collins, Child Welfare Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates With all of the uncertainty and stress as a result of these unprecedented times, it is so important to take time to care for ourselves. To help make this happen, Kentucky Youth Advocates and our partners at the Bounce Coalition are teaming up to launch the #TakeCareKY campaign to promote self-care throughout Kentucky.  Next week, August 3rd - August 9th, both KYA and Bounce [...]

By |2020-08-18T16:00:35-04:00July 28th, 2020|Blog, Health|

Kentucky Parent Survey Shows Families’ Concern on Child Care Amid Pandemic

This news release was originally posted by the Prichard Committee on July 23, 2020. According to a recent survey of Kentucky parents and families, nearly 30% of respondents are struggling to find child care following the end of mandated closures in June due to the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, more than half of the 1,570 survey respondents reported being moderately to extremely stressed about sending their child back to child care. The Prichard Committee, along with [...]

By |2020-07-23T14:45:57-04:00July 23rd, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Utilizing Expanded Access Services in the New School Year

As we move through the summer months and families begin preparing for back-to-school, many questions and answers still remain. What we do know is that this upcoming school year will bring new challenges, experiences, and opportunities for Kentucky students. One opportunity Kentucky schools can leverage is utilizing the Expanded Access Services program to recognize and address the social and emotional supports students need as they begin the new school year. During the 2019-2020 school year, [...]

By |2020-07-21T15:44:10-04:00July 21st, 2020|Blog, Education, Health|

Deep, Systemic, and Stubbornly Persistent

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) [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:23:59-04:00July 9th, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Race Equity|

Statement on Beshear Administration Extension of P-EBT Application

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 [...]

By |2020-06-30T16:53:24-04:00June 30th, 2020|Economic Security, Education, Health, News Room|
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