FacebookInstagramXYouTubeEmail

Statement on Governor Beshear’s 2024 State Budget Address

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – It’s become almost a cliché and yet it is very true. A budget is really not about dollars and cents but rather a profound statement of values and priorities. So, what can we learn about Governor Beshear’s vision for Kentucky’s kids in his second term from tonight’s state budget address? First, tonight’s budget proposal underscores what we [...]

By |2023-12-19T08:36:48-05:00December 18th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Medicaid, News Room, Youth Justice|
Read More

Announcing the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2024 State Policy and Budget Priorities Agenda

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Louisville, KY – Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners from across the Commonwealth released the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2024 priority agenda. The Blueprint speaks with a common voice to create brighter futures for all Kentucky kids and their families. The Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children is a coalition of non-profit, public, and private organizations that stands on three pillars: thriving communities launch strong families, strong families launch successful kids, and successful [...]

By |2023-12-06T10:13:43-05:00December 6th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

OP-ED: Five things we can do for kinship families

This originally appeared as an op-ed in Kentucky Today and the Herald Leader on November 30, 2023. By Norma Hatfield As we approach a new year, let’s not forget kids in kinship care.  Kinship care is when a child is living with relatives or close family friends other than their parents.  These children may be victims of abuse and neglect and/or formally in the child welfare system, while many for a myriad of reasons are informally [...]

By |2023-11-30T17:40:54-05:00November 30th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
Read More

Journey to Success KY: Community Conversations

When the Fostering Youth Transitions report was released earlier this year, True Up Kentucky and Journey to Success Kentucky lifted up the data trends that could be celebrated as progress, as well as those that highlighted the need for continued advocacy for policies and practices that improve the experiences for Kentucky’s transition-age youth.  In Kentucky, emerging trends made clear that advocates must rally to: Address the overrepresentation of youth of color in the child welfare system. [...]

By |2023-11-30T11:17:52-05:00November 30th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity|
Read More

“Lick Your Pups” this National Family Week

As we find ourselves in the midst of National Family Week, it’s a time to celebrate and reflect upon the importance of family (whether blood-related or chosen) and the role that family plays in our lives. Families come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing they all share is the potential to shape our futures.  In Chapter 6 of The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity – "Lick Your [...]

By |2023-11-21T13:52:47-05:00November 21st, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Race Equity|
Read More

A Focus on Youth Mental Health and Improving Outcomes

By Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  Mental health is an integral part of kids’ everyday lives and a focus area nationally as mental health issues among youth have increased in recent years. Addressing these concerns is vital for youth since mental health struggles are leading causes for poor health outcomes and difficulties in school and relationships. Since the pandemic, mental health among youth has declined drastically in Kentucky, which can be attributed to [...]

By |2023-11-22T11:13:23-05:00November 20th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health, Kids Count|
Read More

WIC Participants: We Want to Hear from You!

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women’s, Infant, and Children (WIC) provides vital support for the food and nutrition security of pregnant women, new moms, babies, and young children by providing food assistance via an EBT card, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support. However, we know the program only reaches every three out of five families that are eligible.   To better understand how this program operates in the Commonwealth, Kentucky Youth Advocates and our WIC CIAO [...]

By |2023-12-11T16:46:51-05:00November 16th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
Read More

2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Investing in the “Kid Workforce”

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Investing in the “Kid Workforce” Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child well-being Louisville, KY – The 2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on 16 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, or stayed the [...]

By |2023-11-14T14:38:15-05:00November 15th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

Youth Voice: “Help enforce the existing ‘Tobacco 21′ law to keep these products out of kids’ hands”

As young Kentuckians continue to advocate for meaningful enforcement of Tobacco-21 law and find ways to keep vaping products out of the hands of kids, students are using their voices to speak out on the issue. Sydney Shaffer testifying at the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations. Sydney Shaffer, a student from Scott County, shared her experience in a recent Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations  committee meeting. She shared with [...]

By |2023-11-07T17:04:28-05:00November 7th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|
Read More

Save the Date: Children’s Advocacy Week 2024

For 20 years, advocates for kids have gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day 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.   As we’ve transitioned to Children’s Advocacy WEEK, we've been able to have a series of virtual events with [...]

By |2023-11-01T16:35:45-04:00November 1st, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More
Go to Top