Collaboration of Grantmakers Commit to Addressing Kentucky’s High Rate of Childhood Adversity

CONTACT: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Collaboration of Grantmakers Commit to Addressing Kentucky’s High Rate of Childhood Adversity Launches Statewide Initiative Named Bloom Kentucky LOUISVILLE, KY - A collaboration of dedicated grantmaking organizations from across Kentucky gathered today in celebration of the launch of Bloom Kentucky, an initiative focused on statewide policy change that aims to prevent and mitigate the impact of childhood adversity. "Bloom Kentucky is a first-of-its-kind collaborative effort supported by several grantmaking organizations from [...]

Thinking Critically About Race and Its Impact on Kentucky’s Children

“Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in.” — President Abraham Lincoln As parents, we want to protect our children. We want to wrap them in love and ensure that they are treated with respect. We want them to have access to the best opportunities and [...]

By |2021-08-11T14:32:30-04:00July 30th, 2021|Blog, Education, Race Equity|

Friendly Reminder: Yes, It’s Time to See Your Dentist!

This post from the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader, Kentucky Health News, and Northern Kentucky Tribune in July 2021. By Dr. Stephanie Poynter and Linda Poynter, PHRDH, BHS  Like many Kentuckians, we are eager for a summer of “back-to-normal” activities – backyard BBQs with neighbors, family trips to our favorite state parks, and evenings at the county fair.  One big “back-to-normal” activity for families across the Commonwealth this summer is reviewing that ever-growing back-to-school checklist. As a dentist and dental [...]

By |2021-07-15T10:32:31-04:00July 15th, 2021|Blog, Health, Race Equity|

5 Considerations for Your Child’s Education

If we are honest, there are a lot of things to be stressed about when we think about how our kids are doing after enduring a clear disruption to their schooling. But before you let the panic pile on, here are some things families should consider concerning their child's academic success post-pandemic: 1. Your child has been through a very difficult time and may be experiencing academic fatigue. Although there may be some anxiety concerning [...]

By |2021-07-15T13:42:30-04:00July 13th, 2021|Blog, Education, Health, Race Equity|

Address the Root Cause of Behavior, Don’t Criminalize It

Kids are kids, and we should not expect them to act like tiny adults. However, when our response to elementary school-age children who get in trouble involves the juvenile justice system, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Interacting with police, being in court, and experiencing incarceration can be traumatic. It can also negatively impact a child’s development, interrupt their schooling, and keep them in a system that’s easy to get into and difficult to get out [...]

By |2021-07-07T11:07:07-04:00July 7th, 2021|Blog, Race Equity, Youth Justice|

Kentucky Announces Plans to Bolster Child Care with Federal Relief Funds

The latest national KIDS COUNT Data Book co-released by Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Annie E. Casey Foundation data shows that Kentucky is moving in the wrong direction on 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school, with 60% of this age group not enrolled in school. Of those who are enrolled, we know that many children in Kentucky attend preschool through a licensed child care center, which serves a dual purpose of helping children get the [...]

By |2021-07-01T12:55:54-04:00July 1st, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Race Equity|

Implementation of 2021 Wins for Kids

Many of you joined us in advocating for the 2021 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy and budget priorities through virtual meetings, calling, or emailing your legislators, attended Children’s Advocacy Week, and so much more throughout the 2021 legislative session. Your critical efforts paid off with legislative wins for children and positive investments in the state budget. These new laws went into effect June 29th and the new state budget will take effect July 1st. Blueprint [...]

OP-ED: Congress needs to invest in Kentucky’s kids now to allow us to recover from the pandemic

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in The Courier Journal on June 24, 2021. By Dr. Terry Brooks In his remarkable book, “Shrewd,” author Rick Lawrence recalls the amazing tale of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission. After landing on the moon, the spaceship was hurtling back to earth when a failed bearing in a Guam tracking station threatened to create a re-entry disaster. All of the technical solutions failed. But, station director Charles Force saved [...]

By |2021-06-24T10:19:10-04:00June 24th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Race Equity|

COVID-19 Vaccinations & Kentucky Kids

Updated June 20, 2022 We've made a big step towards ending the pandemic with vaccines now available to protect adults and youth against COVID-19, now including young children. Kentucky's approximately one million kids look forward to the day when they can more safely spend time with friends, travel with their families, attend school in person, and enjoy their communities. To protect children from COVID-19 and potential variants, the American Academy of Pediatrics provided a checklist for parents and caregivers [...]

By |2022-06-20T09:37:37-04:00June 23rd, 2021|Blog, Health, Medicaid, Race Equity|

The Child Tax Credit and Payments to Parents and Caregivers

This post was originally featured on the blog of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Image courtesy of AECF If you are a parent or caregiver who has filed taxes before, you may already be familiar with the child tax credit, which most parents claim on their annual income tax return. For years, it has provided an after-the-fact credit for families with children. What’s new is that beginning in July 2021, for most parents, [...]

By |2021-06-23T13:34:55-04:00June 23rd, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Kids Count, Race Equity|
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