FacebookInstagramXYouTubeEmail

From Interim Hearings to the 2026 State Budget: What’s Ahead for Kentucky Kids & Families

As summer winds down in Kentucky, state leaders in Frankfort are already preparing for the 2026 biennial budget session. Shortly after the 2025 legislative session concluded, lawmakers were back in action convening interim joint committees with members of both the House and Senate. The interim legislative session spanning June to December serves as an opportunity for legislators to hear presentations from various state offices on current data and program outcomes, budget requests for the next [...]

By |2025-10-07T16:04:38-04:00September 3rd, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Medicaid|
Read More

Ensuring Quality Child Care for Children with Disabilities and Their Families

  Although many families struggle to find safe and affordable child care for their young children, it can be even harder for families whose children have disabilities. Some children may need to find a child care program with accessible playgrounds that allow children in wheelchairs or walkers to move more freely in the environment. Other children may need accommodations if they have low vision or a hearing impairment. Among the most common concerns [...]

By |2025-09-03T15:09:16-04:00September 3rd, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
Read More

Regional Prevention Collaboratives Respond to Kentucky’s Child Care Needs

When you ask families in Kentucky what they need most, reliable child care frequently sits at the top of the list. Long waitlists, high costs, and the absence of providers make it harder for parents to work and for children to thrive in safe, supportive environments. These challenges not only strain family stability but can also increase risk of unnecessary involvement with the child welfare system when stress and unmet needs escalate. Recognizing this, Regional [...]

By |2025-08-28T11:22:16-04:00August 28th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
Read More

Paid Family Medical Leave Can Protect Kentucky’s Most Vulnerable Infants

Kentucky continues to face rates of child maltreatment that are nearly double the national average. Infants are at the greatest risk, making up 1 in 8 victims, making the first year of life a crucial period for prevention. Policies that give parents stability during this window can make a clear difference. The first year with a newborn is both exciting and stressful. Paid family medical leave offers parents time to bond with their newborns and [...]

By |2025-08-27T15:41:52-04:00August 27th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
Read More

Being a Kinship Care Provider is Layered in Zeal – Love in Action

"Being a kinship care provider is layered in Zeal - Love in Action. Keeping my nieces together while providing a stable home was most important to me. While there have been many challenges (lack of resources, no emotional/financial support, navigating new family roles), along the way, seeing them now flourishing, happy and together makes it all worth it." – Angel L. Todd Kinship care has increasingly become a preferred solution when parents face challenges that [...]

By |2025-08-22T11:56:14-04:00August 22nd, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
Read More

The Power of Parent Engagement Meetings

Saying “it takes a village to raise a child” conveys the importance of having supportive people in a parent’s life who can help create safe, healthy environments for their kids to flourish. It’s a shared understanding that parenting is tough and, without support, life’s stressors can make it even tougher.  Since the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act, Kentucky has expanded access to supportive services for parents and families who are at risk [...]

By |2025-08-19T14:17:58-04:00August 19th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
Read More

What are Child Impact Statements and How Does it Impact Policy Change?

What are Impact Statements? Impact statements are used by local, state, and federal agencies and branches of government to assess implications of proposed legislation, administrative procedures, cases, amongst other decisions. Impact statements can cover topics such as  criminal justice, environment, higher education, poverty, open government, amongst other areas of focus.  Most widely known are fiscal impact statements which examine budget implications and may include information related to estimated costs and potential savings of a proposed [...]

By |2025-08-19T12:51:51-04:00August 19th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice|
Read More

Protecting Kentucky’s Kids in Schools: Accountability and Commonsense Practices Still Needed

Every parent, caregiver, and community member expects schools to be a safe place for children to learn and grow. Yet, across Kentucky, we continue to hear stories of students being harmed by those entrusted with their education. Too often these cases of educator sexual misconduct are met with delayed action, quiet dismissals, or a lack of accountability. This leaves students vulnerable and families without answers. Representative Tipton has filed legislation to address this issue for [...]

By |2025-08-11T16:45:26-04:00August 7th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
Read More

Celebrating Community Collaboration: Spotlight on the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities’ (DBHDID) Work Supporting Kentucky Families

As the Kentucky Thriving Families, Safer Children  (TFSCKY) initiative prepares to enter its fifth year, we’re proud to reflect on the remarkable efforts of our partners who share our mission of supporting families before a crisis occurs. At the heart of TFSCKY is a simple but powerful belief: by providing community support and increasing collaboration, we can keep families together and promote overall well-being, safety, and positive outcomes.  This month, we are spotlighting the Department [...]

By |2025-07-30T16:31:48-04:00July 30th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|
Read More

Support on Decision Making to Invest in the Future of Our “Forever Kentucky Home”

by Tara Grieshop-Goodwin The air conditioning unit at our house recently went out - at the peak of some of our hottest days of the summer. We had an older unit that our HVAC service person had been able to keep running with fixes and repairs for many years (even decades) past when most units last. But eventually the damage was too great for repair and we had a big expense to cover. We debated [...]

By |2025-07-24T12:51:49-04:00July 24th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity|
Read More
Go to Top