By: Brandi W., KY SEAT Member Experiencing the holidays without my children is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was Christmas morning, and I had spent the last 16 Christmas mornings with my kids—except for this one. My daughter had been taken out of my custody the October before due to educational neglect. She had not been abused or neglected; she simply did [...]
Just as Santa and his elves have been hard at work this year building toys for children, the Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky (TFSCKY) team has been working hard to foster communities where children and families can thrive. TFSCKY is a statewide collaborative of partners who share the common goal of using preventative measures to keep children free of harm by supporting families. To learn more about this initiative, check out the Thriving Families, Safer [...]
Unsafe access to firearms is one of the greatest threats to Kentucky kids’ safety. Injuries from improperly stored firearms are the second leading cause of death among children and teens ages 1-17 in Kentucky. Nationwide, the situation is even more grim – injuries from firearms are the leading cause of death for children, surpassing motor vehicle accidents. The Issue at Hand In 2023 alone, firearm violence was responsible for 42 homicides and 31 suicides among [...]
Media Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Louisville, KY – Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners from across the Commonwealth released the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2025 priority agenda. The Blueprint speaks with a common voice to create brighter futures for all Kentucky kids and their families. 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 future [...]
Throughout Kentucky, families and communities have felt the impact of the opioid epidemic. For too many families, the impacts have hit very close to home and loved ones have been lost. While we can’t take away those losses that families have experienced, Kentucky has a tremendous opportunity in the wake of the crisis to heal with communities stronger than they were before. Managed by the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, the opioid settlement means that [...]
If we want to make Kentucky the best place to be young, we need to create a Kentucky where kids have an abundance of Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs). In the 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book, Kentucky Youth Advocates not only shares the latest statewide and county-level data on child well-being, we also dive into the disproportionate impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Kentucky kids, progress on efforts to mitigate those impacts, and the power [...]
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child health, education, economic security, and family and community Louisville, KY – The 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on 16 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, [...]
By Valencia Dickerson and Leila Salisbury “Define your grief?” That is one of the first questions I asked young people who walk through my door looking for a safe place to land their emotions and feelings when experiencing a death. November is National Children’s Grief Awareness Month and November 21st is Children's Grief Awareness Day, a time during which grief support centers, schools, therapists, and other professionals can advocate and spread the word that [...]
Kentucky kids access education in a variety of ways, including public schools, private schools, and homeschool settings. Over the past several years, the number of families choosing homeschool for their children has grown substantially. There are many reasons that families choose to homeschool their children, but whatever motivation the family has for initiating homeschool education, it is important to ensure that all Kentucky kids are in a safe learning environment where they receive a high [...]
Updated April 9, 2026 In 2025, the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children and Bloom Kentucky's 2025 legislative priorities included the Family Preservation and Accountability Act. The proposed legislation would require courts to consider alternative sentences for parents of dependent children who committed low-level and nonviolent offenses. With the hard work of advocates and legislative champions, Senator Julie Raque Adams and Representative Nick Wilson, Senate Bill 122 successfully passed both chambers in 2026 and is expected to be signed into law by [...]
