Last week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Kentucky Youth Advocates co-released a new KIDS COUNT policy report, The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success. Part I in this blog series on the report was posted last week and highlighted one important aspect of the report—the impact of poverty on young children. And now for Part 2 in this series, the impact of adverse childhood experiences on the first eight years. Adverse [...]

November is National Adoption Month, so it seems fitting to take a moment to discuss how Kentucky’s foster care system is working for children waiting for a permanent home. The North American Council on Adoptable Children recently released adoption fact sheets for every state in the U.S. with data collected in 2011. The fact sheets provide analysis on data indicators like the amount of time a child waits to be adopted, or the number of [...]

The KIDS COUNT policy report, The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success, was co-released this week by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Kentucky Youth Advocates. We release a lot of reports, as does Casey – I know that.  But this one made me think as deeply as any “report card” styled brief that I have read in a long time.  The report builds a strong case for investing in quality early [...]

On Monday, I had the privilege to participate in the Step Up For Kids event in Owensboro, Kentucky which was hosted and organized by the Public Life Foundation and the Hager Educational Foundation.  We spent the morning with over 70 citizens, educators, health professionals, local elected officials, and others to talk about the key issues facing children in Kentucky and how to advocate for the 2014 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda. View the news coverage [...]

Every year, since 2004, advocates, business leaders, youth and elected officials have gathered at the Capitol in Frankfort on Children’s Advocacy Day to be a visible and audible presence for Kentucky’s kids.  Attendees rally together to kick off the day, meet with their legislators, learn more about the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, and end by watching legislators in action in the senate or house. It’s a day full of advocacy and the hope for success. [...]

 Owensboro, KY: Monday, October 28, 3013 The first Step Up for Kids event in Owensboro promises to be thought-provoking and action-oriented. With the help of the Hager Educational Foundation and the Public Life Foundation, several community leaders, including District Court Judge Lisa Jones and Head Start Director, Peggy Grant, are scheduled to speak on key issues facing Kentuckians in Owensboro. The day will end with a legislative panel that will include Respresentatives Tommy Thompson and [...]

I am a fan of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s approach to decision-making for our kids’ future. He has quietly and persistently introduced a culture in which data and good research are driving systems change.  While his approach may not always be filled with confetti and pep rallies in City Hall, it is a profound one that gets results. Early in his administration, Kentucky Youth Advocates released its annual Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book, in [...]

For many Kentuckians, Tuesday, October 1st, 2013 was just another day, but not for me. It was the day that I realized that the shutdown of the federal government would limit my ability to fulfill the primary role of my job – utilizing timely data to advocate for Kentucky’s children. At Kentucky Youth Advocates, we champion the idea that data-based policymaking and decision-making is vital in making sure every child in Kentucky is given an [...]

Want to find out how you can positively impact children in Kentucky? Register to attend a 2013 Step Up for Kids event to learn about children’s priorities on the 2014 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children Agenda and to prepare for the 10th Annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol. Legislators, advocates, and experts will discuss the issues facing Kentucky’s kids and families at these events. Attendees will have the opportunity to find out how to advocate on behalf of kids [...]