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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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Address the Root Cause of Behavior, Don’t Criminalize It

Kids are kids, and we should not expect them to act like tiny adults. However, when our response to elementary school-age children who get in trouble involves the juvenile justice system, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Interacting with police, being in court, and experiencing incarceration can be traumatic. It can also negatively impact a child’s development, interrupt their schooling, and keep them in a system that’s easy to get into and difficult to get out [...]

By |2021-07-07T11:07:07-04:00July 7th, 2021|Blog, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Kentucky Announces Plans to Bolster Child Care with Federal Relief Funds

The latest national KIDS COUNT Data Book co-released by Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Annie E. Casey Foundation data shows that Kentucky is moving in the wrong direction on 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school, with 60% of this age group not enrolled in school. Of those who are enrolled, we know that many children in Kentucky attend preschool through a licensed child care center, which serves a dual purpose of helping children get the [...]

By |2021-07-01T12:55:54-04:00July 1st, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Race Equity|
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Implementation of 2021 Wins for Kids

Many of you joined us in advocating for the 2021 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy and budget priorities through virtual meetings, calling, or emailing your legislators, attended Children’s Advocacy Week, and so much more throughout the 2021 legislative session. Your critical efforts paid off with legislative wins for children and positive investments in the state budget. These new laws went into effect June 29th and the new state budget will take effect July 1st. Blueprint [...]

By |2021-06-30T13:04:48-04:00June 30th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Child Care Centers: Safe Spaces for Children to Grow, Learn, Play, and Thrive

We know that for many children summer brings changes to daily routines formed during the school year, including how children spend their free time and their food and drink choices throughout the day. But licensed child care centers continue to provide a safe, structured environment for children when they are out of school and new regulations took effect this month that codified Senate Bill 45, passed during the 2020 legislative session. SB 45 ensures all [...]

By |2021-06-30T14:22:44-04:00June 21st, 2021|Blog, Education, Health|
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Actions to Mitigate Food Insecurity in the United States

By Nikky Patel, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates In the past year, many Americans have experienced a lack of access to healthy food and, although food insecurity is not a new issue, we have vividly felt its effect throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the federal government and Congressional leaders have been responsive to this issue and continue to apply lessons learned throughout the pandemic to take action that will address hunger and food insecurity in [...]

By |2021-06-30T14:28:55-04:00June 16th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity|
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Trauma-Informed Plans: An Opportunity for More Positive Learning Environments

When the gavel sounded on the 2019 legislative session, advocates across the state celebrated the passage of Senate Bill 1, the School Safety and Resiliency Act. This bipartisan effort brought together lawmakers, behavioral health experts, and school administrators to ensure all students can learn in a safe and supportive school environment. While the bill encompassed multiple areas of school safety, including requiring procedures and oversight to strengthen school security if a threat occurs, it also [...]

By |2021-06-30T14:28:23-04:00June 10th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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