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Cultivating Hope: KYOAAC’s Latest Funding Opportunities

What does it mean to cultivate? Merriam-Webster dictionary describes this term as “to prepare for raising of crops”, “to foster the growth of”, “ to improve by labor, care, or study”, “further, encourage”. Like a farmer may prepare for raising crops to produce a strong yield, we believe that the state’s opioid settlement funds should be invested to produce strong yields for kids and families across the Commonwealth to mitigate the impacts of the [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:37:43-05:00November 25th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Advocacy Corner, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
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New Issue Brief: Improving the Safety of Kentucky’s Youngest Children

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org New Issue Brief: Improving the Safety of Kentucky’s Youngest Children Understanding the Scope of Child Abuse in Child Centers and Proposed Recommendations LOUISVILLE, KY – Parents across Kentucky rely on child care options in order to go to work and provide for their family. While the vast majority of child care programs are safe and high-quality, recent data shows that incidents of child abuse emanating from child care centers have increased [...]

By |2025-11-20T10:23:11-05:00November 20th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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Guest Post: Reshaping the Trajectories of Kentucky’s Grieving Children

By Leila Salisbury  November has been designated as Grieving Children and Families Month, a time to highlight the data points showing that grief and loss are at the heart of the most under recognized and under addressed population health crisis for our children in Kentucky. 1 in 9 children in Kentucky will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the age of 18.  These bereaved children are more likely to experience Substance Use [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:36:58-05:00November 12th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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Building a Children’s Cabinet: What, Why, Who, and How?

In order to meet the needs of kids and families, many states offer a variety of programs from medical services, nutrition programs, child care, and emergency supports. Although all the programs apply to families and children, the services can be hard to access since they are housed across different departments, cabinets, and websites.  In order to increase efficiency, and make access easier for families of young children, states are looking outside the box and finding [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:36:05-05:00November 12th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Advocacy Corner, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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The State of Youth Vaping and Strategies to Address the Epidemic

Kentucky kids need environments that support their health and wellbeing - a goal that can be supported by policy and budget investments. As the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative continues to explore ways to improve child health outcomes, a recent statement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlighted the dangers of youth vaping - an epidemic that continues to impact teens across Kentucky.  This week, in addition to their stated focus [...]

By |2025-11-06T11:52:08-05:00November 6th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|
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Share Your Story for a Complete Census Count in Appalachia

In the region of Kentucky where I grew up – the beautiful Appalachian mountains of Eastern Kentucky – communication is woven into the fabric of communities. The annual Swappin’ Meetin’ held each Fall at Southeast Community and Technical College would showcase that communication through storytelling, songs, and the many conversations of neighbors and friends.  While the stories and songs will be saved for our beloved community gatherings, we want to hear from our Appalachian communities [...]

By |2025-11-12T10:19:53-05:00November 5th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid|
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Tapping into Curiosity and Innovation: An Updated Dashboard to Drive Action

A trip to the Kentucky Science Center with children is like leveling up on curiosity and innovation. My nephews’ favorite part is usually the water table. It’s fascinating to watch how they look at the pipes and water spouts, devise a plan in their brain, then start working to implement what they want to have happen. The joy on their faces is priceless when they figure out their goal - like how to get [...]

By |2025-10-30T14:14:20-04:00October 30th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Thriving Families, Safer Children: Asking the Miracle Question

Have you ever heard of the “miracle question”? It’s a classic tool used in Solution-Focused Therapy, a method that centers on envisioning the desired future rather than dwelling on past difficulties. The therapist might ask: “If you went to sleep tonight and a miracle occurred while you were asleep which led to your problem being solved, what would you notice the next morning that would tell you this miracle had happened?” This question helps clients [...]

By |2025-10-23T13:45:56-04:00October 23rd, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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More Than a Visit: Reimagining Parenting Time to Strengthen Families

By Jane Herms, President/CEO, Family Nurturing Center By shifting the focus from supervision to active parenting, child welfare systems are helping children stay connected, families heal, and reunification become possible. For children separated from their parents because of abuse, neglect, or other safety concerns, time spent together during that separation is more than a moment on a calendar — it’s a lifeline. Those visits are opportunities to preserve bonds, nurture relationships, and lay the groundwork [...]

By |2025-10-16T14:53:43-04:00October 16th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Social Media Lawsuits, Mental Health, and the Role of Policymakers

Youth mental health issues are at an all time high— youth advocates, school districts, parents, and even the Surgeon General alike are elevating youth mental health as a vital issue due to the long-term impacts on physical health, success in school, and future of the community. Many are lifting up the role of social media companies and their platforms in adversely impacting youth.  Social Media Lawsuits  A major multi-district litigation (MDL 3047) is currently moving [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:35:27-05:00October 6th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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