2025 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard Launches with a Snapshot on Childhood Obesity and Food Access

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2025 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard Launches with a Snapshot on Childhood Obesity and Food Access Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child health, education, economic security, and family and community Louisville, KY – The 2025 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, or [...]

Announcing the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2026 State Policy and Budget Priority Agenda

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Louisville, KY – Kentucky Youth Advocates recently released the Blueprint for Kentucky's Children 2026 priority agenda, featuring state policy changes and budget investments that will impact kids and families across the Commonwealth. The Blueprint for Kentucky's Children speaks with a common voice to create brighter futures for all Kentucky kids and their families. The coalition is comprised of non-profit, public, and private organizations that stands on three pillars: thriving communities launch strong families, strong families [...]

By |2025-12-16T11:46:20-05:00December 2nd, 2025|Blog, News Room|

New Issue Brief: Improving the Safety of Kentucky’s Youngest Children

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org New Issue Brief: Improving the Safety of Kentucky’s Youngest Children Understanding the Scope of Child Abuse in Child Centers and Proposed Recommendations LOUISVILLE, KY – Parents across Kentucky rely on child care options in order to go to work and provide for their family. While the vast majority of child care programs are safe and high-quality, recent data shows that incidents of child abuse emanating from child care centers have increased [...]

By |2025-11-20T10:23:11-05:00November 20th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|

Statement on Recent Beshear Administration Update on KTAP

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The Governor recently proclaimed September as Kinship Care Awareness Month. Typically, that would mean a time to honor those grandparents, relatives, and close family friends stepping up to care for children. Instead, Kinship Month is wrapping up on a distressing note. We can only hope that it's a case of unintended consequences and this harmful course can be reversed. Just days ago the Governor emphasized [...]

By |2025-09-26T15:23:25-04:00September 26th, 2025|Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, News Room|

New Report – Bloom Kentucky Examines the Economic Impact of ACEs and Offers Recommendations

New Report - Bloom Kentucky Examines the Economic Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Kentucky and Offers Key Strategies for Prevention Contact: Kelsey Dimar kdimar@kyyouth.org LOUISVILLE, KY – Adversity experienced in childhood has an annual estimated cost of $295 million on Kentucky’s economy, according to The Economic Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Kentucky report released today by Bloom Kentucky, an initiative powered by grantmaking partners from across the Commonwealth and backboned by Kentucky Youth [...]

Kentucky Ranks 36th in 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book Urging Focus on Supporting Thriving Kids and Families

Contact: Patricia Tennen | ptennen@kyyouth.org | 502-895-8167 x 122 Kentucky Ranks 36th in 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book as Kentucky Youth Advocates Urges Focus on Supporting Thriving Kids and Families Data shows that too many Kentucky kids are falling behind on key indicators of child well-being, the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds LOUISVILLE, KY —Kentucky has made progress in half of 16 indicators of child well-being, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of [...]

Experts, Policymakers, and Advocates Join Bloom Kentucky’s Together We Bloom Summit on ACEs Prevention

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org SHELBYVILLE, KY – Today, the Together We Bloom Summit, hosted by Bloom Kentucky, is bringing together hundreds of advocates, policymakers, and community leaders from across the Commonwealth focused on mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and cultivating Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) through policy and systems change. The sold out, one-day conference offers attendees the opportunity to hear from experts on ACEs and resilience, attend workshops on messaging and advocating for policy [...]

OP-ED: Child abuse prevention builds on small moments of support and connection

This originally appeared as an op-ed in the Kentucky Lantern on April 28, 2025. By Barry Dunn and Shannon Moody Photo Credit: Kentucky Lantern, Getty Images In a moment, so much can change in a family’s life. A last-minute work schedule change that leads to relying on an unsafe babysitter. An unsupportive reaction from a bystander that could have been a connection point for support and kindness rather than further shame and frustration. A [...]

By |2025-04-29T10:05:39-04:00April 29th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|

Statement on Final Passage of Legislation to Pave the Way for Freestanding Birth Centers

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – With final passage of the legislation to remove barriers to the establishment of freestanding birth centers in Kentucky, the General Assembly has paved the way for communities to expand access to safe, equitable perinatal and delivery care for families. House Bill 90 has passed both the Kentucky House and Senate and has been delivered to the Governor [...]

By |2025-03-14T13:46:46-04:00March 14th, 2025|Health, News Room|

Statement on Passage of Legislation to Address Educator Sexual Misconduct by the Kentucky Senate

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Once concurred in the Kentucky House, legislation to address educator misconduct in the Commonwealth will finally be headed to the Governor’s desk for signature. By way of House Bill 298, the included provisions of House Bill 36 will reduce the risk of sexual abuse and exploitation in schools – outlining commonsense steps to increase the safety of [...]

By |2025-03-13T16:25:32-04:00March 13th, 2025|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|
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