Contact: Andrea Bennett abennett@kyyouth.org 502-381-1176 Jeffersontown, KY - A new KIDS COUNT® data snapshot, co-released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Kentucky Youth Advocates, highlights a more holistic way to assess child poverty across the country than the federal government's outdated official poverty measure created in the 1960s. Measuring Access to Opportunity in the United States points to a different index for measuring poverty - the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) - which captures the [...]

Today’s passage of HB 301 by the House Education Committee is an important step forward in protecting children from abuse and neglect. HB 301 builds on previous legislative successes to ensure professionals who interact with children know how to recognize signs of child abuse and neglect. HB 301 will provide school personnel with education on early warning signs of child abuse and neglect and how to intervene. HB 301 will ensure teachers, who already do [...]

Jeffersontown, KY - Today's passage of SB 119 by the Kentucky Senate is an encouraging step forward in the effort to protect children from abuse and neglect. SB 119 will support the great job educators do in protecting children by ensuring they receive education on recognizing signs of child abuse and neglect. This is an important step forward, as school personnel are one of the only groups of professionals who, despite being mandated reporters, are not required [...]

Jeffersontown, KY - Today’s passage of HB 145 by the Kentucky House represents an important step forward in the effort to improve the health of Kentuckians and protect children and pregnant women from secondhand smoke. HB 145 will help clear the air in indoor establishments with a statewide law. We thank the Kentucky House for taking up this important bill this session and for all members who supported the measure. We also thank Representative Susan Westrom [...]

Jeffersontown, KY - Today's passage of Senate Bill 119 by the Senate Judiciary Committee is an important step forward in the effort to combat child abuse and neglect in Kentucky. The bill ensures school personnel receive education on how to recognize and prevent child abuse. Right now, educators, despite being mandated reporters, are one of the only groups of professionals who interact with children who are not required to receive education on child abuse recognition. We know [...]

Jeffersontown, KY - The passage of HB 8 today in the House Judiciary Committee that will extend protective orders to additional groups of victims represents an important step toward giving Kentucky children and their families a safe environment free from violence. We applaud the work of the bill's sponsor, Representative John Tilley for his work with Senator Whitney Westerfield,  to craft bipartisan legislation that will improve the lives of Kentucky children and families. Currently, Kentucky statute only [...]

Contact: Andrea Bennett abennett@kyyouth.org 502-381-1176 Jeffersontown, KY - For seven years, kids and families have been a focus of Governor Beshear and his 8th State of the Commonwealth holds good news for Kentucky's youngest citizens once again.  There has been real progress for Kentucky's children and youth and, as the Governor noted, that progress is a result of bi-partisan and collaborative leadership in areas from education to health to family economics. It was encouraging to hear [...]

Contact: Andrea Bennett abennett@kyyouth.org 502-381-1176 Jeffersontown, KY - The Annie E. Casey Foundation, in collaboration with Kentucky Youth Advocates, released the report Creating Opportunity for Families:  A Two-Generation Approach today. This latest KIDS COUNT® policy report focuses on America’s 10 million low-income families with young children living below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The report makes the case that a child’s success is tied to the family’s stability and well-being. The impact of [...]

Today’s Interim Joint Judiciary Committee hearing on offering protective orders to additional victims represents an important step forward in ensuring Kentucky children are in a safe environment as they grow and develop. Currently, Kentucky statute only allows protective orders for those who have been married, lived with, or had a child with the offender. This leaves many people, including many teens, without one of the most effective forms of protection from being exposed to or [...]