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Open Letter to Louisville Metro Council on Proposed Youth Transfer Center

An Open Letter to President James and Metro Council: That sound? It’s the flushing of millions of dollars towards an idea that will, in many ways, have the exact opposite effect as intended. Let me be clear. I do not doubt the commitment of EVERY Metro Council member when it comes to supporting young people and making our community safe. But the notion of a Youth Transfer Center is a wrong-headed if well-intended approach. First, [...]

By |2021-11-10T12:45:27-05:00November 10th, 2021|News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Data Trends and Solutions to Advance Racial Equity in the Commonwealth

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Data Trends and Solutions to Advance Racial Equity in the Commonwealth Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child well-being Louisville, KY – Kentucky will be strongest when all children have their best chance to thrive. The 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book examines data disaggregated by race/ethnicity, the impacts of systemic racial injustice on children and families, [...]

By |2021-11-10T13:50:01-05:00November 10th, 2021|Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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OP-ED: Vaping still threatens our children. The FDA must help.

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in The Enquirer on Novemeber 1, 2021. By Dr. Terry Brooks Building strong families and communities is the key to unlocking the potential of our next generation. Unfortunately, Kentucky leads the nation in too many cancer statistics—including the rate of new lung cancer diagnoses. These chronic health issues prevent our youth from getting the right start. Everyone, from policymakers to advocates to educators to parents, needs to be [...]

By |2021-11-02T14:50:12-04:00November 2nd, 2021|Blog, Health|
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Advocates, Mark Your Calendars!

The 2022 Kentucky General Assembly is right around the corner, and we have a lot in store over the next few months as we get ready to advocate for Kentucky kids! Check out these upcoming opportunities to get involved: November 10th 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book Release Press Conference Virtual Release Event View the data book and additional resources November 17th Advocate Virtual Forum: 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book Data Deep [...]

By |2021-12-07T10:31:23-05:00October 28th, 2021|Blog, Kids Count, Race Equity|
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Efforts to “Nix the Next” Generation from Becoming Addicted to Nicotine

Building strong families and communities is the key to unlocking the potential of our next generation. Unfortunately, Kentucky has the second highest percentage of adult smokers and is among the highest in the nation for youth who use tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vapes. We know that investing in prevention and cessation is an important step to reduce these rates, improve Kentucky’s health outcomes, and save Kentucky health care costs by averting tobacco related illnesses, [...]

By |2021-10-28T09:19:46-04:00October 20th, 2021|Blog, Health|
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Mark Your Calendars: Children’s Advocacy Week January 18th-21st

For 15 years advocates for kids gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol to fill the halls of the Capitol and ask their elected officials to step up for Kentucky kids. The critical mass of advocates in the Capitol building led to many policy wins and raising awareness of issues facing kids and their families.   And then? COVID-19 forced the cancellation of in-person events across the globe, including the 2021 Children’s Advocacy Day. Kentucky kids needed advocates more than ever before, [...]

By |2021-12-07T16:36:37-05:00October 19th, 2021|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Bolstering the Early Childhood Workforce: Good for Kentucky Families, Child Care Centers, and Economy

In this week’s Advocate Virtual Forum, we covered one of this year’s hottest topics: compensation for early childhood educators. Panelists Laura Hogan with National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Brenda Hagan with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, Jennifer Washburn with iKids Childhood Enrichment Center, and Kevin Fields with Louisville Central Community Centers discussed the challenge’s child care providers are facing, issues facing the early childhood workforce, and potential solutions to common workforce [...]

By |2021-10-14T14:53:29-04:00October 14th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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OP-ED: Is that the best we’ve got for our kids?

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on October 7, 2021. By Dr. Terry Brooks Knee jerk and wrong-headed proposals. Courageous young people giving voice to the issues at hand in the middle of a school board meeting. Bold leadership from our Superintendent. And a puzzling mix of regressive and promising policy proposals from Metro Council leadership. Thus is the landscape of Louisville as we grieve the tragic murder of Tyree Smith. And [...]

By |2021-10-07T14:28:19-04:00October 7th, 2021|Blog, Education, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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OP-ED: Kids don’t need ‘flaws’ and ‘scandals’ – they deserve a justice system that works for them

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader on September 24, 2021. By Dr. Terry Brooks First, on behalf of Kentucky’s kids, thanks to John Cheves and the Herald Leader for the deep, thoughtful series looking at youth detention centers in Kentucky. The stories told, the issues raised, and the challenges at hand demand action from both the Beshear Administration and the General Assembly. There is no doubt that we must address the crisis [...]

By |2021-09-24T13:19:33-04:00September 24th, 2021|Blog, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Statement on the Impact of the 2021 Kentucky General Assembly Special Session on Kids

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Last week’s special session entered our minds and news feeds as quickly as it has now disappeared. Alongside the Beshear Administration and members of the General Assembly, we will continue to assess the results with an eye towards the 2022 legislative session and two-year state budget. As we shared in our initial statement on the special session, [...]

By |2021-09-16T16:21:07-04:00September 16th, 2021|Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, News Room|
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