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Youth Voice: Action Needed to Enforce Tobacco 21 Law

Kentucky kids need environments free from nicotine products to learn, grow, and thrive. Availability of products with high nicotine content is growing rapidly and marketing with bright colors and alluring flavors targets kids in stores across the state. Although Kentucky lawmakers have taken important steps to limit youth access to these products, like raising the legal purchase age to 21, action is still needed.   Griffin Nemeth testifying at the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing [...]

By |2023-10-19T16:16:17-04:00October 19th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|
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Strategies to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes in Kentucky

By Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  Achieving optimal maternal health is critical to mothers across the Commonwealth and affects future generations in our communities. Nationally, improving maternal health has been a focus area due to high maternal mortality rates across the country. Kentucky also experiences similar negative maternal health outcomes.  In 2018, Kentucky’s maternal mortality rate was 40.8 per 100,000 live births. This is significantly higher than the national rate of 17.4.  In 2021 [...]

By |2023-10-11T16:52:03-04:00October 11th, 2023|Blog, Health, Race Equity|
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Interview with KY Gubernatorial Candidate Andy Beshear

Terry Brooks sits down with Governor Andy Beshear to discuss issues impacting Kentucky kids, such as education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and much more. Tune in to hear the candidate’s ideas for helping make Kentucky the best place to be young. An invitation for an appearance on the Making Kids Count Podcast has also been extended to Gubernatorial Candidate Daniel Cameron. Thank you to Aetna Better Health of Kentucky for supporting [...]

By |2023-09-27T18:14:01-04:00September 28th, 2023|Podcast|
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Interview with KY Attorney General Candidate Russell Coleman

Terry Brooks sits down with Russell Coleman, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, to discuss issues impacting Kentucky kids, such as Adverse Childhood Experiences, the impact of parental incarceration on kids, improvements to the youth justice system, and much more. Tune in to hear the candidate’s ideas for the role of the Attorney General's office in making Kentucky the best place to be young. Listen to our podcast episode featuring Kentucky [...]

By |2023-09-27T17:43:31-04:00September 21st, 2023|Podcast|
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Interview with KY Attorney General Candidate Pam Stevenson

Terry Brooks sits down with Colonel Pam Stevenson, state Representative of District 43, to discuss issues impacting Kentucky kids, such as Adverse Childhood Experiences, the impact of parental incarceration on kids, improvements to the youth justice system, and much more. Tune in to hear the candidate’s ideas for the role of the Attorney General's office in making Kentucky the best place to be young. Listen to our podcast episode featuring Kentucky Attorney General Candidate [...]

By |2023-09-27T17:43:45-04:00September 21st, 2023|Podcast|
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Federal Update on the State of Child Care

In 2021, the United States Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act that provided $24 Billion to stabilize the child care industry with most of those funds specifically dedicated to stabilization payments going directly to child care programs. This supplemental funding stream was dedicated to staff wages, facility expenses, utilities, and health measures utilized by the child care programs.   On September 30th, those funds will have officially expired, and child care programs all over the [...]

By |2023-09-21T12:55:29-04:00September 21st, 2023|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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New Report – Fostering Connections: Actions Needed to Prevent Homelessness Among Foster Care Alumni

New Report – Fostering Connections: Actions Needed to Prevent Homelessness Among Foster Care Alumni Featuring Findings from Interviews and Surveys with Young Adults with Lived Experience and Recommendations LOUISVILLE, KY – Whether they exit care through adoption, family reunification, or aging out, foster care alumni are at higher risk of experiencing homelessness as a young adult. According to recent data, approximately one in three young adults who leave foster care in Kentucky will experience housing [...]

By |2023-09-21T08:42:57-04:00September 21st, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health, News Room, Race Equity|
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Kentucky Youth Speak Out Against Substance Use

We know substance use, among both adults and adolescents, continues to be an issue in communities throughout the Commonwealth.  To better understand just how substance use, as well as the opioid epidemic, are impacting Kentucky’s young people, Bloom Kentucky recently connected with high school students across the state to hear their perspectives on the impact of substance use among their peers and in their communities and how we might address substance use prevention.  We [...]

By |2023-09-14T11:55:50-04:00September 14th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health|
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Adolescent Mental Health is Declining and We Need To Understand Why

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the prevalence of mental health challenges across the nation, especially among youth. While there were policies proposed to expand access to and affordability of mental health treatment and to improve social indicators of well-being, youth mental health is still declining according to a recent report from Child Trends. Improvements in social indicators of well-being have caused an increase in the thriving index for youth, however, indicators of depression, anxiety, and suicide [...]

By |2023-09-13T11:18:17-04:00September 13th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health, Race Equity|
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Guest Blog: Kinship Families Are Waiting For A Champion

This originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader on August 31, 2023. By Norma Hatfield I recently spoke to a legislative committee about Kinship Care. As I sat at the table during the hearing, my heart was hurting for so many kinship families in Kentucky who are in serious need and seem to be forgotten. There are many kids in Kinship Care who’ve been abused, neglected and removed from their homes and placed [...]

By |2023-08-31T19:01:27-04:00August 31st, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|
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