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Five Minutes, Your Feedback, and Brighter Futures for Kentucky Kids

We at Kentucky Youth Advocates believe that Kentucky can become the best place in America to be young and that we should settle for nothing less. Over the past several legislative sessions, the Kentucky General Assembly and state government have taken significant steps to improve the lives of children in the Commonwealth, and we are excited about those wins for kids. Yet, we still have a long way to go until all children in Kentucky [...]

By |2018-06-14T10:11:49-04:00June 14th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Youth Justice|
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My 5 Go-To Strategies for a Successful Summer Break Transition

This post was originally featured as a Kosair Charities® Face It Movement® to End Child Abuse parent blog. School’s out for the summer which means it’s time to stock up on extra food and toilet paper! Here are a few tips that help me transition to summer breaks: 1.Activities– I try to plan weekly activities well in advance by looking for local kid-friendly events in our area and talking to friends about day camps, playdates, days [...]

By |2018-08-01T12:25:52-04:00June 6th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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A Voice That Can Make Change

Cynthia Schepers, a college student from Jefferson County and a member of the First Lady’s Youth Leadership Council, spoke at the ceremonial signing of House Bill 1 on May 31, 2018. Read her speech below. My name is Cynthia Schepers and I am a former foster youth and current Junior at University of Louisville. The passing of House Bill 1 is an amazing victory for the children of Kentucky. HB 1 does many things for [...]

By |2018-05-31T22:21:51-04:00May 31st, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Statement on Governor Matt Bevin Signing HB 1 into Law

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement on Governor Matt Bevin Signing HB 1 into Law Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates joined Governor Matt Bevin, Representative David Meade, Representative Joni Jenkins, Kosair Charities®, partners in the Face It® Movement to End Child Abuse, and Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children partners to celebrate Governor Bevin’s ceremonial signing of House Bill 1, which was co-sponsored by Representative David Meade and Representative Joni Jenkins and received bipartisan support from the [...]

By |2018-05-31T15:59:05-04:00May 31st, 2018|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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Guest Post: Helping Young People in Foster Care Heal From Trauma and Build Resilience

Originally posted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation on their blog. Photo provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation Growing up is hard to do, and the period from adolescence to early adulthood can be tumultuous even under the best circumstances. For young people whose lives have been disrupted by foster care, the challenges of becoming an adult are amplified. The conditions that have led them to foster care — and being in foster care — [...]

By |2018-08-01T12:28:37-04:00May 24th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|
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Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on CHFS Leadership Announcement

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Today, the Governor named Adam Meier as Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) and Kristi Putnam as a Deputy Secretary. As the Cabinet that most impacts the lives of Kentucky children and families, CHFS leadership plays a critical role in protecting children from abuse and neglect, promoting health and access to health care, and [...]

By |2018-05-17T14:37:39-04:00May 17th, 2018|Child Welfare & Safety, Health, News Room|
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Federal & State Wins for Kids to Celebrate During Foster Care Month

May is National Foster Care Month and we’re celebrating state and federal legislative changes that will positively impact youth in foster care in 2018 and beyond. Two major legislative reforms happened in recent months, first in Congress, and then in the Kentucky legislature. We discussed here how House Bill 1, which received bipartisan support by the Kentucky Senators and Representatives, will help ensure more kids in Kentucky have safe, permanent homes. These changes will be [...]

By |2018-08-01T12:29:32-04:00May 16th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Protecting Girls who have Experienced Abuse: Stopping the Pipeline to Prison

By Cortney Downs, Kentucky Youth Advocates intern Violence against women and girls is nothing new.  Statistics show that females between the ages of 16 and 24 experience dating violence at rates three times higher than the national average, and more than 80% of all sexual assault victims under the age of 18 are girls.  What is often overlooked is that many of these girls fall into something called the abuse to prison pipeline; where the [...]

By |2018-08-01T12:30:22-04:00May 9th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Youth Justice|
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Guest Post: Ensuring Educational Stability is the New Norm for Youth in Foster Care

This originally appeared Jefferson County Public Schools' Envision Equity May 2018 issue. By Karena Cash Last year, I had the opportunity to tutor a young girl in foster care, Jaden*. Whenever I first met her, I was blown away at how much she struggled at basic division problems. She was in fifth grade, so she must know thirty divided by six, right? I simply thought that she didn’t pay attention in school. As the months [...]

By |2018-08-01T12:31:04-04:00May 3rd, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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Guest Post: From the Heart of a Foster Parent

By Tanna Woodward Oh, the heart of a foster parent. Today, I think about the kids that we’ve had in our home. We’ve tried to make a home for them so they would feel safe and secure. So they would know that someone was watching out for them…was SEEING them when they hurt and struggled with the pain life had thrown at them. We’ve had those children we felt we didn’t help at all. It [...]

By |2018-08-01T12:31:56-04:00May 3rd, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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