Child Welfare & Safety

Opportunities for Physical Activity Abound with Shared-Use

Two years ago I had the opportunity to visit William Wells Elementary in Lexington, Kentucky to tour their school-based health center. While there, it became very clear that William Wells not only had a school-based health center, but it was a full-scale community school too – it was used during non-school hours for community activities such as adult aerobics classes, financial literacy classes, youth sports activities and more. I was amazed at the various activities [...]

By admin|2012-05-10T11:10:17-04:00May 10th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|

Guest Post: It’s Not a Fight, It’s a Family

By: Mary Annese Musgrave and Donna Butts Like Katie Carter, many Kentuckians age 50 and older are deeply concerned about sorely inadequate investments in our children. In fact, raising the voices of older people in support of policies that benefit children and youth is the main reason Generations United started Kentucky Seniors4Kids. As children’s book authors Charles and Ann Morse observe, “a child needs a grandparent, anybody’s grandparent, to grow a little more securely in [...]

By admin|2012-05-09T09:26:08-04:00May 9th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|

A 2011 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book Highlight: Teen Births

All newborns need a strong start in life, and fare best when their mothers are healthy and have a strong social support network, sufficient financial resources, and access to education. Yet, many teen mothers lack these critical fundamentals. Babies of teen mothers are more likely to be born prematurely, have a low-weight birth, experience health problems and developmental delays, and die before their first birthday. These children are also more likely to struggle academically, drop [...]

By Paul Colwell|2012-05-08T09:29:43-04:00May 8th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|

Lessons for Next Year: Reflections on the 2012 Legislative Session

Spring in Kentucky is a time filled with an array of annual rituals. If it’s spring in the Commonwealth, you just know that all of John Calapari’s starters will leave for the NBA and that the Cats will re-load with another bumper crop of recruits. You know that the Cards’ Spring game on the gridiron will kick off hope for the fall (Hey, my Cards are a football school!). And then there is that horse [...]

By Terry Brooks|2012-05-03T09:34:42-04:00May 3rd, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Youth Justice|

Wins for Kids during the 2012 Kentucky General Assembly

Kentucky Youth Advocates celebrates the following as wins for Kentucky kids in the 2012 General Assembly. $21 million to reduce social worker caseloads – In response to the high rates of child deaths due to abuse and neglect in Kentucky, Governor Beshear proposed a $21 million increase over the next two years to hire 300 additional state social workers. The final budget passed by the Kentucky General Assembly retained this funding, so new social workers [...]

By admin|2012-05-02T11:09:22-04:00May 2nd, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Youth Justice|

Kentucky Youth Advocates celebrates the following as wins for Kentucky kids in the 2012 General Assembly.

$21 million to reduce social worker caseloads – In response to the high rates of child deaths due to abuse and neglect in Kentucky, Governor Beshear proposed a $21 million increase over the next two years to hire 300 additional state social workers. The final budget passed by the Kentucky General Assembly retained this funding, so new social workers will soon be hired to reduce caseloads and more effectively work to reduce child deaths and [...]

By admin|2012-05-02T09:24:09-04:00May 2nd, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|

“We Are All in This Together”

There has been a lot of buzz, both positive and negative, in the child advocacy world following the publication of the Esquire article, The War Against Youth, by Stephen Marche. I responded in a blog post with my thoughts on how the youngest generation faces tougher hurdles to succeed as adults and why investments in kids are more important than ever. Generations United also responded to the article, concerned that generations were being pitted against one [...]

By Katie Carter|2012-04-26T09:44:35-04:00April 26th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|

A 2011 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book Highlight: Low Birthweight Babies

All newborn babies need to start life healthy to ensure proper growth and development. Unfortunately, some babies face increased risk for health and developmental challenges due to being born at a low birthweight (weighing less than 5 lbs. 8 oz.). Serious health problems for low birthweight babies can include developmental and intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and vision and hearing loss. Sadly, low birthweight babies are 25 times more likely than those born at normal weights [...]

By Paul Colwell|2012-04-26T09:41:08-04:00April 26th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|

Ten Year Campaign to End Child Abuse

Kosair Charities, Kentucky Youth Advocates and several other organizations that provide services to victims of abuse will be launching a ten-year campaign to end child abuse and neglect. That announcement was made last Thursday at Family & Children’s Place’s Annual Child Abuse Prevention Month rally at Louisville Slugger Field. In 2013, Kosair Charities will celebrate its 90th anniversary, and they hope to eradicate child abuse throughout the region before celebrating their centennial in 2023. During [...]

By admin|2012-04-11T10:09:36-04:00April 11th, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Wins for Kids during the 2012 Kentucky General Assembly

Kentucky Youth Advocates celebrates the following as wins for Kentucky kids in the 2012 General Assembly. $21 million to reduce social worker caseloads – In response to the high rates of child deaths due to abuse and neglect in Kentucky, Governor Beshear proposed a $21 million increase over the next two years to hire 300 additional state social workers. The final budget passed by the Kentucky General Assembly retained this funding, so new social workers [...]

By admin|2012-04-02T11:22:08-04:00April 2nd, 2012|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|