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Bloom Kentucky Announces 2024 State Policy Priorities

The General Assembly gaveled in for the 2024 Regular Session this week. Given Kentucky’s unprecedented budget reserve trust fund surplus and the state’s current landscape, there is a real opportunity to invest and empower kids and families across the Commonwealth.  Bloom Kentucky is a collaborative initiative of grantmaking organizations from across the Commonwealth focused on statewide policy changes and budget investments that aim to prevent and mitigate the multi-generational impacts of childhood adversity so that [...]

By |2024-01-04T12:44:20-05:00January 4th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity|
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Building the Voices of Lived Experience: Lessons Learned from Navigating the System

Updated March 1, 2024 Life as anyone knows it can change with one knock or phone call.  “I’m from Child Protective Services. There’s an allegation of child abuse or neglect in your household I need to discuss with you. May I enter?” “This is the local child services agency. We have your niece at our office. Can you be here in the next hour; otherwise, we will need to put her in foster care.” [...]

By |2024-08-15T10:32:13-04:00December 27th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Journey to Success KY: Week of Action on Chafee

By Keisha Lyon, member of Journey to Success Kentucky Earlier this month, the Journey to Success Kentucky team traveled to Washington DC hoping to elevate youth voices to our federal legislators. Among them were two lived experience experts who joined nationwide JTS advocates at Capitol Hill. Our main  goals were asking Congress to: Increase Chafee program funding by at least $100 million per year. Improve communications to ensure that all eligible youth are aware of [...]

By |2023-12-27T11:53:31-05:00December 27th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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It’s Easy to Feel Like the Grinch When Your Parent is Locked Up

By Dequantay Smith, member of REFORM Louisville Holidays are really the hardest times for kids whose parents are locked up. Those are the days that are supposed to be family days. You think, “I’m supposed to be with my family today.”  I had that experience when Memorial Day came around. I was staying with my aunt and great-grandmother during that time. We had a family gathering at a park for the holiday. Everybody was happy, [...]

By |2023-12-21T11:56:53-05:00December 21st, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice|
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Bloom KY Growing Hope: Spotlight on Graves County ASAP

In this edition of Bloom Kentucky’s Growing Hope series, where we’re spotlighting opioid abatement efforts across the Commonwealth, we are shedding light on the great work happening with the Graves County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy and Prevention (ASAP).  Their comprehensive action plan serves as the north star that guides their work – from the exchange program, the distribution or narcan boxes, their recovery backpacks, youth engagement with the Mayfield-Graves County ASAP Youth Council, and [...]

By |2023-12-21T16:39:58-05:00December 20th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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Statement on Governor Beshear’s 2024 State Budget Address

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – It’s become almost a cliché and yet it is very true. A budget is really not about dollars and cents but rather a profound statement of values and priorities. So, what can we learn about Governor Beshear’s vision for Kentucky’s kids in his second term from tonight’s state budget address? First, tonight’s budget proposal underscores what we [...]

By |2023-12-19T08:36:48-05:00December 18th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Medicaid, News Room, Youth Justice|
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Announcing the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2024 State Policy and Budget Priorities Agenda

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 2024 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 [...]

By |2023-12-06T10:13:43-05:00December 6th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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When We All Do Our Part, Families Make It: An End of Year Thriving Families, Safer Children Reflection

Turkey for Thanksgiving is a hassle. There, I said it.  Why are we so bound by tradition for the sake of doing what’s always been done? This year, during my post-meal mindless social media scrolling, I was proud to witness several of my timeline pals boast throwing the classic main dish imperative out the window for less complicated options including roast beef and an even bolder resistance, smoked salmon. Similarly outdated and long overdue for [...]

By |2023-12-05T21:35:06-05:00December 5th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|
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OP-ED: Five things we can do for kinship families

This originally appeared as an op-ed in Kentucky Today and the Herald Leader on November 30, 2023. By Norma Hatfield As we approach a new year, let’s not forget kids in kinship care.  Kinship care is when a child is living with relatives or close family friends other than their parents.  These children may be victims of abuse and neglect and/or formally in the child welfare system, while many for a myriad of reasons are informally [...]

By |2023-11-30T17:40:54-05:00November 30th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
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Journey to Success KY: Community Conversations

When the Fostering Youth Transitions report was released earlier this year, True Up Kentucky and Journey to Success Kentucky lifted up the data trends that could be celebrated as progress, as well as those that highlighted the need for continued advocacy for policies and practices that improve the experiences for Kentucky’s transition-age youth.  In Kentucky, emerging trends made clear that advocates must rally to: Address the overrepresentation of youth of color in the child welfare system. [...]

By |2023-11-30T11:17:52-05:00November 30th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity|
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