Supporting Children Who’ve Experienced Trauma

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we discuss caring for, and working with, kids and youth who have experienced trauma of any kind, including the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic and racialized trauma. Thank you to our panelists: Samantha Behmke, Head Start Behavior Intervention Specialist with Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative; DeShara Doub, school mental health practitioner and Founder/CEO of Vision of Promise LLC; Jill Gay, Director of Programs and Services at Family Nurturing [...]

By |2021-05-19T15:44:09-04:00May 20th, 2021|Podcast|

Supporting Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we discuss supporting youth aging out of foster care in Kentucky. Thank you to our panelists, including Nikki Thornton, Executive Director of True Up; Paula Garner, President and CEO of Maryhurst; and Cynthia Schepers, a young adult who aged out of foster care. As of April 2021, True Up is officially an affiliated initiative of Kentucky Youth Advocates to expand on the organization's successful track record of [...]

By |2021-05-13T15:15:21-04:00May 13th, 2021|Podcast|

Update and Lookahead on the State of Child Care

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we discuss updates on the state of child care in Kentucky. Topics include how the American Rescue Plan funds will be spent, update on Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) enrollment and outreach efforts, the plan for staffed family child care networks, and a lookahead to the 2022 state legislative session. Thank you to our panelists: Dr. Sarah Vanover, Director of the Kentucky Division of Child Care; Senator [...]

By |2021-05-05T14:59:39-04:00May 6th, 2021|Podcast|

A Conversation on Child Abuse Prevention Efforts in Kentucky

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, Dr. Terry Brooks discusses child abuse prevention efforts and supporting Kentucky kids and their families with Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander. We also hear remarks from Governor Andy Beshear and Keith Inman, president of Kosair Charities, which founded and funds the Face It Movement. Learn more about the Face It Movement and view child maltreatment prevention resources and events at faceitmovement.org. [...]

By |2021-04-28T15:07:16-04:00April 29th, 2021|Podcast|

Closing the Gaps in Behavioral Health Care for Kids

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we discussed the behavioral health landscape for Kentucky kids and their families, including new Louisville-based qualitative research about barriers to kids receiving high quality care and potential solutions to those barriers. Thank you to our panelists from across the state who shared more about the effects of the past year and how they have navigated serving kids and their families during a pandemic, including state Senator Max [...]

By |2021-04-21T14:38:08-04:00April 22nd, 2021|Podcast|

Supporting Kids and Families Experiencing Homelessness

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we discuss kids and their families who experience–or are at risk of experiencing–homelessness in Kentucky, including solutions to prevent homelessness. Thank you to our panelists, including Adrienne Bush from the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky; George Eklund from the Coalition for the Homeless; and Darryl Young from the Coalition Supporting Young Adults. To take federal action, sign onto the HoUSed campaign to increase housing [...]

By |2021-04-14T14:33:22-04:00April 15th, 2021|Podcast|

The American Rescue Plan & Efforts to End Child Poverty

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we discuss federal and state solutions to end child poverty with Bruce Lesley from First Focus on Children, including the anti-poverty measures included in the recent federal American Rescue Plan. Read more about cutting child poverty in half at firstfocus.org. Thank you to Aetna Better Health of Kentucky for supporting the Making Kids Count podcast. Visit AetnaMedicaidKY.com/choose to learn more about their health care benefits and [...]

By |2021-04-07T14:26:09-04:00April 8th, 2021|Podcast|

Recap of the 2021 KY General Assembly

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we recap the 2021 Kentucky General Assembly with state Senator Reginald Thomas (D-Lexington) and Senator Whitney Westerfield (R-Crofton). View the Bill Tracker to see the final status of 2021 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities and other bills that are good for kids. Check out our blog for a recap of wins for kids in the 2021 legislative session. Thank you to Aetna Better Health of Kentucky for supporting the Making Kids Count podcast. Visit AetnaMedicaidKY.com/choose to [...]

By |2021-04-02T10:20:18-04:00April 2nd, 2021|Podcast|

Strengthening Families to Keep Kids Safe

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we discuss strengthening families to prevent child abuse and neglect, including building protective factors and a two-generation approach to mitigate parental trauma. Thank you to our panelists, including Melissa Goins, Director of the Kentucky Division of Family Resource and Youth Services Centers; Julia Goodman, Family Resource Center Coordinator with Kenton County Schools; Tonya Jernigan, LCSW with the UK Department of Pediatric Forensic Medicine; and, Emily Keely with [...]

By |2021-03-25T09:31:28-04:00March 25th, 2021|Podcast|

Pandemic-EBT Updates for Kentucky Families

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, we discuss updates to Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) for Kentucky families. The P-EBT benefit has been extended for October 2020-June 2021, but this round of benefits will be administered differently than previous rounds. Thank you to our panelists: Jason Dunn, Director of the DCBS Division of Family Support, Karena Cash, Advocacy Coordinator with Feeding Kentucky, and Karina Barillas, Executive Director of La Casita Center. Check out this FAQ document from DCBS (and in Spanish here) for more [...]

By |2021-03-17T16:07:37-04:00March 18th, 2021|Podcast|
Go to Top