On behalf of all of us at Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA), we send to each of you – our partners – the best hopes for a blessed and meaningful Thanksgiving. That wonderful writer and theologian, Chuck Swindoll, remembers a Thanksgiving in 1944 when he had just turned ten and was in the fifth grade at Southmayd Elementary School in East Houston. He recalls: Draped high across the front of our classroom was a huge American [...]
Do we run systems for children from an adult orientation or a kid’s perspective? That is this week’s big picture question in thinking about Kentucky’s kids during their first eight years of life. We have been writing for the last couple of weeks about a recent report, The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for a Lifetime of Success, which was co-released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) and Kentucky Youth Advocates on [...]
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 [...]
After months of thorough analysis and testimony about the youth justice system in Kentucky, the Juvenile Code Task Force started getting down to the business of identifying possible recommendations this week. The members discussed a number of options to make Kentucky's system work better for kids and for public safety. One of the major strategies was keeping youth from getting involved with the formal court system in the first place if possible. Task Force members [...]
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 [...]
The Juvenile Code Task Force continued its thoughtful and thorough discussions last week on changes to make the youth justice system work better in Kentucky. Judge Steven Teske from Georgia answered one of the big questions the Task Force has been dealing with, saying that it’s not an argument any longer nationally – secure detention makes it worse. Knowing this – and also knowing the challenges judges and schools face in getting youth back on [...]
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 [...]
