Statement on the Kentucky Board of Education’s Corporal Punishment Decision

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky students need learning environments that are safe and nurturing. Today, youth and advocates across the Commonwealth are feeling hopeful as the Kentucky Board of Education took steps toward that imperative by voting to limit the use of corporal punishment in all public schools. The Kentucky Department of Education had recently approved draft regulations for the state’s [...]

By |2021-12-01T15:11:23-05:00December 1st, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|

Looking for data by race for your community?

The motto of the KIDS COUNT project is: What gets measured, gets changed. In order to learn more about the current realities for Kentucky kids who are Black and Brown, and to track progress towards equitable outcomes, advocates need data. Kentucky Youth Advocates has compiled into one place – our Race Equity page – the following resources for advocates and policymakers to access child and family wellbeing data broken out by race and ethnicity. Kentucky [...]

October 2021 Update on the KY Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity

Read about the September meeting of the Commission on Race and Opportunity here.  The Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity held an October meeting featuring presentations from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Prichard Committee. These groups presented on topics ranging from the workforce and economic opportunity to education and discipline.  The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s presentation walked through the Chamber’s racial equity report that was released earlier this year, Achieving Equity to [...]

Launch of the 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book

Kentucky Youth Advocates has launched the 31st edition of the Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book! The 2021 County Data Book examines data disaggregated by race/ethnicity, the impacts of systemic racial injustice on children and families, and solutions to advance racial equity so that every child can thrive. The publication features the latest data on 17 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the commonwealth have improved, worsened, or stayed the same over a five-year period. [...]

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|

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, [...]

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|

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|

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|

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, [...]

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