Nearly 1,000 Youth and Adults Join President Stivers, Speaker Stumbo and Other Legislators and State Officials for Children’s Advocacy Day
Jeffersontown, KY - Hundreds of Kentuckians, including over 200 children and youth, from across the Commonwealth are convening in Frankfort today for the 12th annual Children's Advocacy Day at the Capitol. They are urging elected leaders to support the Blueprint for Kentucky's Children, a common agenda for child advocates across the state. "Given that we have a new Administration and interesting political dynamics at play, we know how important it is to ensure elected leaders remember the needs of children throughout the 2016 Kentucky General Assembly. Children not only impact Kentucky today, but they are the future generation of leaders. We need [...]
Statement – HB109 (Continuous Course of Conduct) & HB40 (Adult Expungement) Passing House Judiciary Committee
Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Two Blueprint for Kentucky Children bills progressed through the legislature today with favorable votes from the House Judiciary Committee. Below are statements on each bill from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates. “HB 109 sponsored by Representative Joni Jenkins is a key piece of legislation to better protect child victims of repeated abuse. Many children who have experienced repeated abuse over time, referred to as a continuous course of conduct, have difficulty remembering the details of each specific incident of abuse. Accommodating a child’s more generalized testimony of abuse recognizes the effects [...]
Babies, Children, and Teens All Need Protection from Secondhand Smoke
Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Jeffersontown, KY – An updated Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children issue brief Clearing the Air for All Kentucky Children was released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates. It affirms that children and babies across the Commonwealth are subject to immense dangers from secondhand smoke, particularly in communities without a strong smoke-free policy. Approximately 69 percent of Kentucky’s children live in a community that does not protect all children and pregnant women from secondhand tobacco smoke in workplaces and indoor public places. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes health problems from before birth and into adulthood, and making indoor [...]
More Children in Kentucky’s Child Welfare System Could Benefit by Living in Families
Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Jeffersontown, KY – Every child needs a family and a safe place to call home. A new issue brief released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, Every Kentucky Kid Needs a Family, highlights the importance of keeping families together and placing children who cannot stay with their parents in family placements, such as kinship care and foster families. The number of Kentucky children in out-of-home care due to abuse or neglect grew by 19 percent from 2010 to 2014, making it more important than ever to use placements that provide youth with a trusted, committed adult [...]
25th Edition of the KY KIDS COUNT County Data Book Highlights Progress and Opportunities to Make Kentucky the Best Place in America to be Young
Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Jeffersontown, KY – How are children faring in your county? Where does your county rank on overall child well-being? What has happened in the last 25 years in Kentucky to help kids succeed? Answers to these questions can be found in the 2015 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates. This is the 25th edition of the County Data Book. The 2015 County Data Book ranks all Kentucky counties on overall child well-being based on 16 indicators which relate to economic security, education, health, and family and community strength. It is [...]
Kentucky Sees 27% Improvement in Child Health Coverage
The number of Kentucky children without health insurance fell by 27% over a one-year period. A new report by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families and Kentucky Youth Advocates commends Kentucky for moving up from 28th to 15th place in state rankings on children’s health care coverage. Children in both urban and rural areas saw improvements in their uninsured rates. “Kentuckians should be proud of this achievement for Kentucky’s children,” said Joan Alker, director of the Georgetown University center. “Improvements in health care coverage for children are not only great news for families; they are great for Kentucky’s schools [...]
New Data Shows More than 1 in 4 KY Children Live in Poverty
New data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that more than one in every four Kentucky children live in poverty. The American Community Survey 1-year 2014 estimate showed 26.2 percent of Kentucky children lived in poverty, which was not a significant change from the 2013 estimate. However, the percent of Kentucky children living in poverty remains higher than when the recession began in 2008 (23.5 percent). "According to Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, there are three ways in which we can respond to this kind of data. The first response is to simply accept [...]
New Health Insurance Data Shows More KY Kids are Covered
New health insurance data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that health insurance coverage rates for both children and adults increased in Kentucky from 2013 to 2014. The one-year estimates from the American Community Survey revealed that 95.7 percent of Kentucky children under 18 had health insurance in 2014, compared with 94.1 percent in 2013. This is an estimated increase of 16,000 children. In addition, coverage for those under age 65, which includes both children and adults, increased from 83.4 percent in 2013 to 90.2 percent in 2014. Kentucky’s estimates for health insurance coverage of people under age [...]
National KIDS COUNT Data Book Highlights Gains in Health, But One in Four Children Still Live in Poverty
Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Jeffersontown, KY – Kentucky ranks 34th in the nation in overall child well-being, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2015 KIDS COUNT® Data Book co-released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates. The national KIDS COUNT Data Book provides state-level data and rankings. The 2015 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book, which includes county level data and rankings, will be released in November. In addition to ranking 34th in overall child well-being, Kentucky ranks 32nd in Economic Well-Being, 30th in Education, 24th in Health, and 38th in Family and Community. While three of those four rankings [...]
Too Many Children in Kentucky’s Child Welfare System Not Living in Families
Contact: Andrea Bennett abennett@kyyouth.org 502-381-1176 Jeffersontown, KY - Every child needs a family and a safe place to call home. On any given night, nearly 1,300 out of the 7,211 Kentucky children and youth in foster care are going to bed without the care and comfort of a family. The latest KIDS COUNT® policy report, Every Kid Needs a Family: Giving Children in the Child Welfare System the Best Chance for Success, co-released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Kentucky Youth Advocates, highlights the importance of keeping families together and placing children who cannot safely stay with their parents in [...]