Just over two weeks have passed since Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol, and we continue to see the impact of that day on legislators grow and grow. Advocates, you made your presence known and made your voice heard when you asked legislators to make kids their priority! From the rally to individual legislator meetings, from committee hearings to follow-up phone calls, you—the nearly 700 advocates who came to Frankfort—kept kids at the top of legislators’ minds.

Social media on Children’s Advocacy Day created additional buzz. See what advocates and elected officials were saying on Twitter here. For video recaps of the day, you can view Governor Matt Bevin’s video here, KET’s coverage here, and the full video of the rally on our YouTube page here. You can also view photos from Children’s Advocacy Day in the slideshow below.

Throughout the day, the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children presented Champion for Children awards to Senate President Robert Stivers, Senator Julie Raque Adams, Senator David Givens, Senator Whitney Westerfield, Senator Mike Wilson, Representative Addia Wuchner, and Secretary John Tilley for their ongoing commitment to the future of Kentucky kids. And Representative Joe Fischer, Representative Larry Brown, Representative Jason Nemes, Representative Chad McCoy, and Representative Kim King received Step Up for Kids Awards for taking action on behalf of kids.

The impact of Children’s Advocacy Day has created ripples throughout the General Assembly, and we can see that in the progress of bills relating to Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities. Just this week, SB 69, which would ensure students have educators who work effectively and safely with children by implementing a balanced process for reviewing cases when teachers are fired from public schools, passed the Senate Education Committee. And HB 1, which keeps kids safer from abuse with improvements in how we respond to and support families, was introduced in the House. Check out our bill tracker (which will continually be updated) for more information on—and to track the progress of—bills relating to Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities, along with other bills that are good for kids.

Children’s Advocacy Day may be over for the year, but we still have many days left in the legislative session and many opportunities for you to lift your voices on behalf of kids. Follow up with the legislators you met with at Children’s Advocacy Day, and continue to advocate for the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children legislative priorities. Want to receive action alerts in your inbox? Sign up for our email updates here, and as mentioned above, be sure to follow the bill tracker to stay up-to-date on Blueprint legislative priorities and other bills that are good for kids.

Thank you, advocates—especially the many young leaders who are such strong voices for kids across the commonwealth—for the big splash you made in Frankfort on Children’s Advocacy Day, for the ripple effect we’re continuing to see, and for the many actions you will take throughout the rest of the legislative session.

P.S. Did you attend Children’s Advocacy Day? Please take this short survey to help us improve Children’s Advocacy Day and materials for advocates.