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Launching the 2023 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children Policy Agenda

Each year, Kentucky Youth Advocates releases the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy agenda featuring the lead priorities for kids and families. For 2023, the Blueprint priorities focus on strengthening systems and policies to advance equity and uplift every Kentucky family. 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 kids launch a prosperous [...]

By |2023-02-01T16:19:19-05:00January 3rd, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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OP-ED: There is common ground in the juvenile justice continuum of interventions

This post originally appeared as an op-ed by The Herald Leader on December 29, 2022. By Dr. Terry Brooks The country music sensation and Lexington’s own, Chris Stapleton, suggests, “Everybody’s got a story on their beards. I guess it’s just a way of finding common ground.” Maybe Governor Beshear, President Stivers, and Speaker Osborne – and maybe even the Chief Justice – should grow beards so the Commonwealth can find a common ground when it [...]

By |2024-04-25T12:28:56-04:00December 29th, 2022|Blog, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Addressing the Leading Cause of Child Death in the Commonwealth: Firearms

At the final 2022 hearing for the Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity, Rep. Keturah Herron presented on legislation that would develop an Office of Gun Violence Prevention in Kentucky’s Department of Public Health. The office would take the lead in creating gun violence policy recommendations, community-based intervention and prevention ideas, and collecting and disseminating data that shows the geographic region, frequency, and the nature of the violence (e.g., self-inflicted, intimate partner, community, etc.). [...]

By |2022-12-06T13:20:44-05:00December 6th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Race Equity|
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New Report: Analysis of Kentucky’s Residential Foster Care

New Report: Analysis of Kentucky’s Residential Foster Care   Featuring Interviews of Youth with Lived Experience and Recommendations  LOUISVILLE, KY – Residential and institutional facilities are meant for youth experiencing crises, yet these settings are often over-utilized due to lack of family-based foster care rather than a clinical need for the placement. The Residential Foster Care Analysis Report, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, examines issues often seen in residential and institutional placements and offers [...]

By |2022-12-07T13:19:01-05:00November 30th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room, Race Equity|
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OP-ED: Kentucky youth say ‘Listen to us!’ — and hear us about decisions made about our futures

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the NKY Tribune on November 23, 2022. By Jordan Joslin, Kori Wheeler, and Kirsten Yancy As the November midterm elections have come to a close, Kentuckians are now looking ahead to the 2023 Kentucky General Assembly and Governor's race. Voters will make their way to the polls next November, and we – Kentucky's youth – are relying on those same voters to keep us top of mind when casting [...]

By |2023-01-24T15:07:53-05:00November 28th, 2022|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Introducing KY SEAT: Ensuring Parent Voice has a SEAT at the Table

Beginning in June, as one of the Kentucky Thriving Families, Safer Children goals, the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) partnered with Kentucky Youth Advocates to launch a Birth Parent Advisory Council. This council includes a diverse group of parents from across the Commonwealth who gather around Kentucky’s child welfare system.  Unlike typical decision makers for policies and services that affect families, this group has something extra to contribute — personal lived expertise as a [...]

By |2023-06-13T10:12:23-04:00November 21st, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity|
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A Look at the New Prison-to-Work Pipeline Initiative

Kentucky’s workforce has seen a decrease in workforce participation and many have collaborated on efforts seeking solutions to eliminate barriers that often prohibit people from finding a sustainable job. At a recent press conference, Governor Beshear announced efforts to boost workforce participation. Ashli Watts with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce spoke to how our workforce is currently at 58%, still below pre-pandemic levels. Currently, there are more than 160,000 open jobs throughout the commonwealth and [...]

By |2022-11-17T17:30:51-05:00November 17th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice, Race Equity|
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Youth Voices in the 2022 KIDS COUNT County Data Book Release

Each year, the Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book allows readers and leaders to investigate areas in which Kentucky and its counties are making progress and areas needing focused attention for improvement. The publication highlights data in four domains of child well-being in Kentucky: economic security, education, health, and family and community. As we look ahead to the 2023 Kentucky General Assembly and Governor’s race, Kentucky Youth Advocates invited young people from across the Commonwealth to [...]

By |2023-01-24T15:07:15-05:00November 17th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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2022 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Data Trends and Kentucky Kids’ Ideas for a Brighter Future in the Commonwealth

2022 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Data Trends and Kentucky Kids’ Ideas for a Brighter Future in the Commonwealth Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child well-being Louisville, KY – For optimal well-being, children need thriving communities that support strong families, good health, protection from harm, economic security, and a high-quality education. The 2022 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book features the latest data on 16 measures of [...]

By |2022-11-15T20:29:52-05:00November 16th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Mark Your Calendar, Advocates!

The 2023 Kentucky General Assembly is right around the corner, and we have a lot in store over the next few months as we get ready to advocate for Kentucky kids! Check out these upcoming opportunities to get involved: November 16th 2022 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book Check out the latest county-level data at kyyouth.org/kentucky-kids-count/ View the launch event, featuring remarks from Lt. Governor Coleman and youth from across Kentucky December 7th A lookahead [...]

By |2022-12-06T11:23:01-05:00November 7th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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