The end of the year brings holiday gatherings, time with family and friends, and just as reliably: the countdown to the Kentucky legislative session. When the Kentucky General Assembly convenes on the first Tuesday in January to launch the 2026 regular session, lawmakers will once again have the chance to advance policies and budget decisions that support Kentucky’s children and families. 

Bloom Kentucky is a collaborative initiative of grantmaking organizations from across the Commonwealth, united by a shared commitment to end Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and promote resilience through systemic change. 

As the 2026 session approaches, Bloom Kentucky looks forward to advocating for policy solutions and strategic investments that address the root causes of adversity, strengthen protective factors, and build brighter futures for all Kentuckians. 

Bloom Kentucky is advocating for the following state legislative priorities to help prevent and mitigate ACEs: 

Promoting Family Housing Stability

  • Aim: Make common sense changes to the eviction process, including expunging eviction filings that are dismissed and prohibiting minors from being named on eviction filings. 
  • Connection to ACEs: Housing instability and eviction can have harmful impacts on child well-being and development, including risk of negative health outcomes, developmental delays, and toxic stress. Families who face eviction, even if their case is dismissed, often experience long-term barriers to securing stable housing. By making common-sense changes to the eviction process, this policy solution will promote family housing stability and protect children from the adverse impacts of eviction.

Establishing Utility Standards

  • Aim: Establish standards to protect children and their families from utility disconnection during extreme weather. 
  • Connection to ACEs: Utility disconnection is linked to multiple adverse childhood outcomes, including increased risk of hospitalization, developmental delays, and heat-related illness or death.  In times of extreme weather, common-sense standards should be in place to protect the health and safety of Kentucky’s families.

Promoting Child and Family Well-Being

  • Aim: Assess proposed legislation through child and family impact statements. 
  • Connection to ACEs: By requiring a data-driven assessment of how legislation affects various determinants of family well-being, this policy solution will ensure that proposed legislation considers conditions that may exacerbate ACEs, as well as promote positive childhood experiences (PCEs). 

Addressing Diaper Need

  • Aim: Support the basic needs of families by investing in addressing diaper need. 
  • Connection to ACEs: Diapers are an essential need for babies and toddlers’ health and hygiene. When families struggle to afford diapers, parents and children suffer. Improving families’ ability to meet children’s basic needs is a critical strategy for mitigating ACEs and ensuring that all families have access to the resources they need to thrive. 

Supporting Positive Youth Development 

  • Aim: Support youth development and mental health by creating mechanisms to incoming direct social media settlement dollars toward positive childhood experiences.
  • Connection to ACEs: Not all social media use is harmful, however research shows that manipulative or addictive social media features negatively impact youth mental health. PCEs have been studied as an effective prevention strategy for ACEs and have been associated with supporting positive youth mental health. By investing in positive youth development and experiences, Kentucky can ensure our young people thrive in their communities. 

Informed by the findings from The Economic Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Kentucky that highlight the Commonwealth’s nearly 300 million annual economic burden, the 2026 state policy and budget priorities reflect Bloom Kentucky’s commitment to addressing the impacts of ACEs, reducing the economic impact, and cultivating a Commonwealth where all kids and families can flourish. 

Learn more and get involved:

  • Ask your legislators if they know about ACEs and help educate them about the impact of trauma and ways to mitigate and prevent it if they don’t. Look up your state Senator and Representative.
  • Share Bloom Kentucky’s 2026 Policy Agenda on social media and ask your legislators to support common sense solutions this upcoming session. 
  • Host a Community Conversation around ACEs, PCEs, how to use data to drive decision-making, and more!
  • Sign Up for email updates!

Bloom Kentucky is supported by a growing list of grantmakers, including: Brown-Forman Foundation, C.E. & S. Foundation, Central Kentucky Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Louisville, Community Foundation of South Central Kentucky, Community Foundation of West Kentucky, Felix E. Martin, Jr. Foundation, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Harshaw Family Foundation, Humana Foundation, Interact for Health, James Graham Brown Foundation, Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Kentucky Foundation for Women, Kosair for Kids, Laura Goad Turner Charitable Foundation, Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana, Lawrence & Augusta Hager Educational Foundation, Lexington Clinic Foundation, Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation, Marilyn & William Young Charitable Foundation, Inc., Mildred V. Horn Foundation, Nicklies Foundation, Public Life Foundation of Owensboro, Snowy Owl Foundation, The Gheens Foundation, Inc., The Greater Clark Foundation, The V.V. Cooke Foundation, and Wood & Marie C. Hannah Foundation.

Visit BloomKentucky.org to learn more.