New Report – Bloom Kentucky Examines the Economic Impact of ACEs and Offers Recommendations

New Report - Bloom Kentucky Examines the Economic Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Kentucky and Offers Key Strategies for Prevention Contact: Kelsey Dimar kdimar@kyyouth.org LOUISVILLE, KY – Adversity experienced in childhood has an annual estimated cost of $295 million on Kentucky’s economy, according to The Economic Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Kentucky report released today by Bloom Kentucky, an initiative powered by grantmaking partners from across the Commonwealth and backboned by Kentucky Youth [...]

Opioid Data Dashboard Webinar Recap: Using Data to Leverage the Opioid Settlement Funds

Last week, Kentucky Youth Advocates hosted a webinar about the Opioid Data Dashboard on Children and Families and how it can be used as a tool for informing the use of opioid settlement funds. KYA staff members were joined by Lauren Carr, Opioid Settlement Advisor with the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo), a partner in making information available to communities as they invest the funds from the opioid settlement. The opioid settlement funds, which [...]

Together We Bloom Summit Recap

Earlier this month, Bloom Kentucky convened for the first-ever Together We Bloom Summit that included an incredible lineup of speakers: Dr. Robert Sege, Dr. Wendy Ellis, Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers with Pantsuit Politics Podcast, and Criscillia Benford and Anna Marie Trester with Frameworks Institute. We also welcomed over 20+ local child and family-serving organizations as exhibitors from across the Commonwealth focused on mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences and cultivating Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) [...]

By |2025-12-17T09:31:59-05:00May 22nd, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

What Gets Measured Gets Changed: Leveraging Opioid Data Dashboard Updates

The saying, “what gets measured gets changed,” has long been a cornerstone of the Kentucky KIDS COUNT project, which has reported county-level data on critical measures of child well-being for more than 35 years. As Kentucky faces an unprecedented opportunity to address the opioid epidemic through Opioid Settlement funds, we can prevent future generations from suffering the impacts.  Kentucky Youth Advocates released new data this month on the Opioid Data Dashboard on Children and Families [...]

The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission Awards Funds for Prevention and Recovery

KYA staff attended the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission announcement on March 27th in Louisville. At the end of March, the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission approved more than $19.8 million in new funding across the Commonwealth – investments that reflect a powerful alignment between values and action in Kentucky’s ongoing response to the opioid epidemic.  This latest cycle included two core funding opportunities: one focused on prevention efforts and the other on [...]

By |2025-04-25T10:09:03-04:00April 21st, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|

2025 Bloom Kentucky Legislative Recap

By Hannah McCarty & Hannah Edelen  The Bloom Kentucky initiative is focused on statewide policy changes and budget investments that aim to prevent and mitigate the multi-generational impact of childhood adversity so that all kids and families can flourish.  Bloom Kentucky identified several policy priorities for the 2025 state legislative session to prevent ACEs and address the systemic barriers that families face.  Here’s a recap of how our 2025 Bloom policy priorities fared:  Enact Caregiver [...]

By |2025-04-09T13:22:24-04:00April 9th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

Positive Childhood Experiences: Feeling supported by friends

Did you know that creating positive experiences in childhood can lay the groundwork for lifelong resilience and well-being? These experiences are known as Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs). PCEs highlight the nurturing moments, relationships, and environments that build a child’s inner strength and emotional health. In the Bloom Kentucky blog series, we explore how we can nurture these positive experiences to support children across the Commonwealth.  Today’s spotlight is on the PCE of feeling supported [...]

By |2025-04-02T12:01:15-04:00April 2nd, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

Countdown to the Together We Bloom Summit!

It’s hard to believe that we are just over a month away from the inaugural Together We Bloom Summit hosted by Bloom Kentucky on May 7, 2025 in Shelbyville, Kentucky!  This one-day event will bring together community leaders, policymakers, and advocates from across the Commonwealth to focus on cultivating positive childhood experiences through policy and systems change.  We’re thrilled to welcome an incredible lineup of speakers including:  Dr. Robert Sege, MD, PhD, FAAP, is a [...]

By |2025-03-26T17:18:30-04:00March 26th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

Youth Voices Leading the Charge: Insights from Substance Use Prevention Focus Groups

Last fall, Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA), through the Bloom Kentucky initiative, conducted six focus groups across the Commonwealth to elevate youth perspectives in shaping the Attorney General’s youth substance use prevention campaign, “Better Without It”. With participation from 70 middle and high school students, we engaged young people from Mayfield, Springfield, Louisville, Hazard, and Covington, while a virtual focus group connected youth from Shelby, Warren, Taylor, and Boyle Counties. These conversations—held both in-person and virtually—provided [...]

By |2025-03-13T16:03:10-04:00March 13th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health|

Governor Beshear, House and Senate Leadership Join Hundreds of Youth and Advocates for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol 2025

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 [...]

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