Latest Data on Child Health and Poverty

Every fall, data nerds rejoice, because it means the release of the newest American Community Survey one year estimates from the Census Bureau. While the one year estimates are not as thorough as the five year estimates that are released in December, they still provide a wealth of knowledge for many topics, including demographics, income, poverty, housing, and education. These estimates can help guide legislators, community leaders, and community members toward policies that work to [...]

By |2025-09-25T14:26:15-04:00September 25th, 2025|Blog, Health, Kids Count, Medicaid|

The Power of Data: How We Know What Kentucky’s Kids Need

While many people are familiar with the Kentucky KIDS COUNT project, there is much more county, school district, and race level data that is collected and analyzed. The Annie E. Casey Foundation, who leads the national KIDS COUNT project, hosts a Data Center for all 50 states where additional information can be found. In addition to the data they display for the entire state and each congressional district, KYA tracks more information at the county [...]

Census–it’s more than you think

Most of us think the Census is the once every ten year survey that gets filled out to take a count of people, but it’s actually so much more! As an organization that depends on accurate, timely, and thorough data, the Census is one of Kentucky Youth Advocates' go-to sources for information.   While the Census Bureau conducts a survey once every ten years (called the Decennial), it also evaluates the data, makes adjustments based on [...]

What’s at Stake Federally for Kentucky Kids?

By Chase Pasarella, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates, and the KYA Policy Team As we move toward the final days of the Kentucky legislative session, the federal government has also been busy negotiating a budget bill. Late last week, Congress passed a continuation budget that funds government programs and offices at mostly current levels through September 2025.  Since taking office in January, the Trump Administration and leaders in Congress have made it clear that priority [...]

Embracing the Preschooler Perspective: Counting is Fun!

By Aunt Tara With some recent family moves, I’ve been lucky to have my young nephews living closer. It is reminding me of how simple activities like counting can be so exciting through the eyes of a child. Recently on a trip for ice cream around Halloween, I asked my young nephew, “How many eyes does your monster ice cream cone have?” His eager response was, “it used to have 2, but now it has [...]

By |2025-03-21T11:53:16-04:00November 13th, 2024|Blog, Kids Count|

Latest Census Data on Housing and Health Insurance

By Peyton Walker, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates This month, the Census Bureau released its most recent 1-year estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is a Census survey that tracks a wealth of data, which advocates can access online in a user-friendly, searchable format. The data from the ACS provides important insights that can help us to see what is working and where we need to improve.  Kentucky Youth Advocates’ KIDS COUNT Data [...]

By |2024-09-26T09:33:36-04:00September 26th, 2024|Blog, Economic Security, Health, Medicaid|

The Fruits of Our Labor: New Child Population Data

Remember the 2020 Census? It seems like forever ago in this topsy turvy world, but it was just last year (April through October) that everyone in the U.S. was asked to complete the short questionnaire to determine how many people live here. Despite the many challenges wrought by the pandemic, our state achieved a higher self-response rate for the 2020 Census than in 2010! The fruits of our labor paid off – and when I say “our” [...]

By |2021-08-19T16:01:16-04:00August 19th, 2021|Blog, Kids Count, Race Equity|

Thank You to Our 2020 Census Champions Awardees

We love giving awards to decision makers who have stepped up for kids. This year during Children's Advocacy Week, in addition to the usual Champions for Children awards given to legislators who prioritized kids during last year’s General Assembly, we also gave 2020 Census Champions awards to those in state government who went above and beyond to promote a fair and complete 2020 Census count of the commonwealth. Going into 2020, I thought the [...]

Guest Post: On Baby Day, Make Sure All Babies Count in the Census

This blog was originally posted by the Count All Kids Campaign in partnership with ZERO TO THREE. Even during this time of uncertainty, we know one thing to be true: babies count. They count to their families, of course, carrying their love and hope. But as communities and our nation look to the future, babies are also our up-and-coming essential workers and first responders, our future thinkers, voters, policymakers and neighbors. In times of crisis and [...]

Guest Post: Make Sure Every Child Is Counted Today

This blog was originally posted by the Count All Kids Campaign in partnership with First Focus. On April 1, tell people to count all children at their address who have no permanent residence. As the spread of the Coronavirus has increased, the vulnerabilities within our system have become clear. Children and families living in poverty and experiencing homelessness already lack the financial stability to access nutritious food, stable housing, healthcare, and all of the resources [...]

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