State Leaders Join Hundreds of Youth and Advocates for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol 2026
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org FRANKFORT, KY – Hundreds of child advocates are convening this week for Children’s Advocacy Week, urging elected leaders to support the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, a unified policy agenda focused on creating brighter futures for all Kentucky kids and families. Today is Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol, where community organizations, professionals who work with kids and families, and young people from across the Commonwealth gather in Frankfort to meet with their legislators, attend committee meetings, and rally for children. “While Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol looks different this year without a big rally in the Rotunda, our [...]
Statement on Passage of HB 598 by House Families & Children Committee
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky is at a critical point within the system of family legal representation for child welfare proceedings – with concerns around the quality of legal representation being voiced by foster care alumni, birth parents, foster parents, and others in the system. Family and District Court Judges cite low compensation, challenging caseloads, and lack of local attorneys as primary causes of guardian ad litem (GAL) and court appointed counsel (CAC) shortages across the Commonwealth. Through the Family Representation and Advocacy Act, Representative Stephanie [...]
Statement on Passage of SB 74 by Senate Health Services Committee
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – More than a decade ago, vapes grew rapidly in popularity, especially among youth after companies like JUUL began marketing products with flashy colors and flavors appealing to kids. These practices resulted in a lawsuit and subsequent settlement with JUUL for their role in exposing kids to addictive nicotine products. Today, tobacco and nicotine use among youth continues to be a concern among parents, educators, and community members across the Commonwealth. Passage of Senate Bill 74 today by the Senate Health Services Committee [...]
Statement on Passage of HB 6 by Kentucky House
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Representative Samara Heavrin said it best, “House Bill 6 lays the foundation for a stronger, more sustainable child care network.” We’re celebrating this afternoon as this much-needed legislation clears the House with bi-partisan support. Among its many components, House Bill 6 strengthens access and options to safe, affordable child care for working parents. It removes barriers to care for children with disabilities, promotes innovation to allow for more child care options in communities, and strengthens the Child Care Assistance Program and the [...]
Statement on Passage of HB 6 by House Families & Children Committee
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Child care programs offer working families a safe place for children to learn and grow and serve as a critical pillar of community economies. Recognizing the need to strengthen quality and access to affordable child care across Kentucky, Representative Samara Heavrin – along with numerous bipartisan co-sponsors – is championing House Bill 6 this session, and we’re celebrating its passage by the House Families & Children Committee today. Among many other components, HB 6 seeks to strengthen care for children with disabilities, [...]
Kentucky Continues to See Double National Rate of Child Maltreatment in Latest Report
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org LOUISVILLE, KY – The latest national Child Maltreatment report, released last month by the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shows a total of 14,505 child victims of maltreatment in Kentucky during the reporting period (FFY 2024). While there has been a 13% reduction in child victims of maltreatment from 2020 to 2024, Kentucky continues to see nearly double the national rate (7.2 per 1,000) of child maltreatment at 14.1 per 1,000 children. "We call on every Kentuckian to remain vigilant and aware of the role we all must play to [...]
Statement on Governor Beshear’s 2026 State Budget Address
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – There was good news in last night’s address by Governor Andy Beshear as he joined with Republican legislative leaders in prioritizing basic needs like housing stability and food security for our kids and families. Those two arenas are clearly common ground and are ripe for legislative action as this session unfolds. That is a vital opening for a better tomorrow, and the Governor and lawmakers alike need to seize it. If the Governor and General Assembly want to push for that better [...]
OP-ED: Turkey Bombs or Political Spam for Kentucky Kids
This originally appeared as an op-ed in the NKY Tribune on December 20, 2025. These days after Black Friday and before December 25 mean lots of things to different folks. Mobbed malls. Hopeful and expectant kids. Family gatherings near and far. Lots of packages on that doorstep. Perhaps a beautiful church service or cantata. And for me? Really wonderful homemade Italian and more than a bit of football! But for families in remote parts of Alaska, these days mean something very different. It’s all about those turkey bombs! In a fascinating article, Caroline Fanning writes about “The Great Alaska Turkey [...]
New Issue Brief: Strengthening Legal Representation for Kentucky Families
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org New Issue Brief: Strengthening Legal Representation for Kentucky Families An Analysis of Pre-Petition Legal Representation and Recommendations to Improve Outcomes LOUISVILLE, KY – When families have access to quality legal representation during child welfare involvement, children are more likely to remain safely with their parents, leading to improved long-term outcomes. Yet, most Kentucky families do not receive legal representation until after a child has been removed and a court petition has been filed. Pre-petition legal representation offers an additional tool to resolve issues safely and to help families navigate the system. A new issue brief – [...]
2025 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard Launches with a Snapshot on Childhood Obesity and Food Access
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2025 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard Launches with a Snapshot on Childhood Obesity and Food Access Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child health, education, economic security, and family and community Louisville, KY – The 2025 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, or stayed the same compared to baseline data. Detailed data are available for every Kentucky county within the interactive Data Dashboard, including state-level data disaggregated by [...]