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Recapping the 2021 Special Session & Impact on Kids

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 for the 2022 legislative session and two-year state budget. As we shared in our statement on the special session, there is no group of Kentuckians that deserves decisive action more than our young people – and the good [...]

By |2021-09-21T11:55:20-04:00September 16th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Updates on Bills Impacting Kids in the Special Session

This week, the Kentucky General Assembly has convened for a special session related to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping Kentuckians safe, and looking ahead to recovery for all Kentucky kids and their families. At this moment, House Joint Resolution 1 passed both chambers and was signed by the Governor, which extends or expires certain emergency orders through January 15, 2022.  Also, House and Senate companion bills have been filed and are moving through the legislative process [...]

By |2021-09-08T17:13:58-04:00September 8th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Getting to the Root of the Problem

By Greta Hittle I recently had the opportunity to chat with folks around Kentucky about the work being done to prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). These folks included state representatives, medical professionals, care and service providers, teachers, counselors, advocates, public health experts, and mental and behavioral health professionals. Just when I thought I had heard every perspective and learned every nuance, I would speak with another one of these folks and realize the [...]

By |2021-09-08T11:54:13-04:00September 8th, 2021|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
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Statement on Priorities for Kids During the Kentucky General Assembly Special Session

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The easy path as we approach this special session is to devolve to conventional thinking – that the pandemic and Kentucky’s recovery efforts are too polarizing and too complex for thoughtful and direct solutions. Yet, we attest a hope that the special session can be a landmark moment when the General Assembly and the Governor come together for [...]

By |2021-09-16T12:59:01-04:00September 4th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, News Room, Race Equity|
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Update on the Kentucky Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity

When the final gavel sounded on the 2021 General Assembly, several pieces of legislation passed that will begin to close gaps in opportunity for children of color. Among these policies that became law was Senate Bill 10, co-sponsored by Senator David Givens, Senator Whitney Westerfield, and Senate President Robert Stivers, which established a Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity. The Commission is tasked with providing studies, research driven policy proposals, and annual reports crossing [...]

By |2021-09-02T16:58:26-04:00September 2nd, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Kinship Caregivers, State Leaders, and Advocates Attend Kinship Coalition Virtual Summit

Kinship Caregivers, State Leaders, and Advocates Attend Kinship Coalition Virtual Summit Governor Proclaims September as Kinship Care Awareness Month LOUISVILLE, KY – Dozens of kinship caregivers, child welfare stakeholders, policy makers, and advocates from across Kentucky virtually gathered today for the Kinship Coalition Virtual Summit. Two years after the federal Family First Act implementation, over a year out from a global pandemic, a lawsuit that rose to the level of the Supreme Court, and several [...]

By |2021-09-02T11:32:05-04:00September 2nd, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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Increasing Compensation is Key to Ensuring Child Care is Available for Kentucky Families

As we’ve shared throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the current public health crisis has shown that without child care, our families, our communities, and the economy cannot successfully function. And as many early childhood advocates and providers have continually shared, the pandemic has only exacerbated the challenges facing Kentucky’s child care workforce as a result of limited public investment. According to a survey conducted in late 2020, following mandated shutdown of child care centers to protect [...]

By |2021-09-02T14:29:52-04:00September 1st, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education|
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Collaboration of Grantmakers Commit to Addressing Kentucky’s High Rate of Childhood Adversity

CONTACT: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Collaboration of Grantmakers Commit to Addressing Kentucky’s High Rate of Childhood Adversity Launches Statewide Initiative Named Bloom Kentucky LOUISVILLE, KY - A collaboration of dedicated grantmaking organizations from across Kentucky gathered today in celebration of the launch of Bloom Kentucky, an initiative focused on statewide policy change that aims to prevent and mitigate the impact of childhood adversity. "Bloom Kentucky is a first-of-its-kind collaborative effort supported by several grantmaking organizations from [...]

By |2021-08-12T13:53:52-04:00August 4th, 2021|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, News Room, Race Equity|
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Thinking Critically About Race and Its Impact on Kentucky’s Children

“Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in.” — President Abraham Lincoln As parents, we want to protect our children. We want to wrap them in love and ensure that they are treated with respect. We want them to have access to the best opportunities and [...]

By |2021-08-11T14:32:30-04:00July 30th, 2021|Blog, Education, Race Equity|
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Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky: Virtual Summit

Join Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky for the Kinship Coalition Virtual Summit on Thursday, September 2nd. The summit will be a two part series to learn about the current landscape of kinship care at the state and national level, and then prioritize an action agenda with kinship and fictive kin caregivers across the commonwealth. Part 1: The Kinship Summit will be on Thursday, September 2, 2021 for kinship and fictive [...]

By |2021-08-23T10:13:43-04:00July 26th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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