Our annual County Data Book has quite a bit of county level data on how kids are faring across Kentucky’s counties, yet it represents a small fraction of the approximately 100 indicators we have posted to the KIDS COUNT Data Center. If you’re not using the KIDS COUNT Data Center, you’re missing out on important information about the children and families in your community. The KIDS COUNT Data Center puts the power of data at [...]
Kentucky kids deserve to grow and thrive free from abuse and neglect, and they depend on adults to keep them safe. Many settings where children are cared for require some type of background check, but the screenings and requirements vary. Stronger background checks would help ensure that kids are safe in the care of professionals. Senate Bill 236 seeks to close the gaps in background checks of adults who work with children at schools, summer [...]
Each legislative session there’s a special moment that advocates (on behalf of kids) can celebrate: The moment when the first Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children bill heads to the Governor’s desk. This week we had that moment, as HB 180 passed the Senate. That bill, sponsored by Representative Addia Wuchner, unanimously passed both chambers and will allow close family friends—also known as fictive kin—to serve as kinship caregivers. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services will [...]
By: Norma Hatfield This hand written letter and drawing was completed at the beginning of a school year when my granddaughter (age 7 at the time) had to complete a school assignment in which she had to do a self -portrait and write something special about herself. What’s so interesting is that Kayla is not alone. She along with approximately 60,000 children are living with a relative in Kentucky and mostly grandparents are the caregivers. [...]
We know that youth in Kentucky are key to creating positive change for kids, and their leadership galvanizes other youth, parents, educators, community leaders, and legislators. In the Kentucky Youth Speak Up series, students advocate for policies, encourage other youth to serve their communities, promote strategies for student success, and motivate all of us to build the best commonwealth for Kentucky kids. Karena Cash and Senator Dan Seum By Karena Cash As a product of [...]
When the child welfare system enters a child’s life and determines they are not safe at home, the child’s journey into the out-of-home care system begins. Potential placements include: A recent story on NPR’s Youth Radio details a young man’s 20 years spent in the foster care system. He entered out-of-home care as a baby, his siblings scattered through the system, and finally left the system at age 21. He says they were separated and [...]
We know that youth in Kentucky are key to creating positive change for kids, and their leadership galvanizes other youth, parents, educators, community leaders, and legislators. In the Kentucky Youth Speak Up series, students advocate for policies, encourage other youth to serve their communities, promote strategies for student success, and motivate all of us to build the best commonwealth for Kentucky kids. By Brittany Carson When I was a child, I never imagined waking up to flashing [...]
This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on December 28, 2016. I was genuinely touched and felt some steel in my patriotic veins as we paused to remember the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Even though I’m on the elder end of the Baby Boomer Generation, that “day of infamy” is still history to me, and I need frankly to be reminded of the lessons attendant to that terrible Sunday so long ago. [...]
The holiday season is upon us, and with that comes a series of festive gatherings. If your family or group of friends is anything like mine, you’ve already been to some holiday parties and still have other family gatherings ahead of you. This is our first holiday season as a family of three, and my husband and I are looking forward to watching Nash devour Christmas dinner and tackle his presents (or at least the [...]
By Amanda Bear Schools should be a safe, secure place for all children. A recent report released by Children’s Law Center, Inc. finds the use of restraint and seclusion on children in Kentucky schools is often unnecessary – especially for young children and/or students with a disability – and can be harmful. At the November meeting of the Juvenile Justice Oversight Council, myself along with Lucy Heskins of Kentucky Protection and Advocacy and Mr. and Mrs. [...]
