FacebookInstagramXYouTubeEmail

The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Kentucky Kids & What You Can Do About It

By Judi Jennings, Ph.D. The National Survey of Children’s Health shows Kentucky ranks 3rd highest in the nation (at 12%) of children experiencing parental incarceration. Only Oklahoma and New Mexico rank higher, reflecting the underlying connections between incarceration and systemic poverty. Louisville Family Justice Advocates (LFJA) recently co-led an Urban/Rural Learning Exchange, including a focus on parental incarceration, with two amazing allies: Dreama Gentry, Partners for Education at Berea College and Hasan Davis. Davis is [...]

By |2020-08-26T09:44:56-04:00August 18th, 2020|Blog, Health, Justice, Race Equity|
Read More

A Culture of Caring Amidst Racial Injustice: A College Student Perspective

By Melissa Collins, Child Welfare Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates College is a place where all identities and backgrounds may come together to be celebrated. It is a place where the mind and soul grow alongside one another as differences challenge us to think outside of ourselves and our own experiences in new and positive ways. However, what does it mean when some students do not truly feel celebrated, accepted, or even welcomed within their [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:26:04-04:00August 5th, 2020|Blog, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity|
Read More

COVID-19 and Kentucky Kids: An Update on the Federal Advocacy Landscape

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, Terry Brooks is joined by Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children, to discuss the landscape of ongoing federal advocacy needs for additional COVID-19 relief for Kentucky kids and families. This is part of a series of conversations where we examine the immediate and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Kentucky kids and the systems that influence their lives – health care, education, early childhood [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:26:40-04:00July 30th, 2020|Podcast, Race Equity|
Read More

Deep, Systemic, and Stubbornly Persistent

In June, Kentucky Youth Advocates co-released the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2020 KIDS COUNT Data Book, which tracks child well-being across states. The Data Book is perhaps best known for its state rankings that generate newspaper headlines, but another hallmark is its unflinching portrayal of how child well-being differs by race and ethnicity. The Casey Foundation and Kentucky Youth Advocates know that data for the child population as a whole frequently (in fact, almost always) [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:23:59-04:00July 9th, 2020|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, Race Equity|
Read More

COVID-19 and Kentucky Kids: Landscape for Policies, Practices, and Systems Changes to Advance Racial Equity

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, advocates from across the state heard a discussion on changes in policies, practices, and systems that will advance racial equity for Kentucky kids and their families. Panelists include Karina Barillas, Executive Director of La Casita Center; Dr. Kish Cumi Price, Director of Education Policy & Programming at Louisville Urban League; Keturah Herron, Policy Strategist with ACLU of Kentucky; and Vivian Lasly-Bibbs, Acting Director of CHFS Office of [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:24:29-04:00July 9th, 2020|Podcast, Race Equity|
Read More

What Gets Measured Gets Changed: A Conversation with Kentucky Young People

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, advocates heard from three young people from Barren, Harlan, and Jefferson counties about their unique experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, how the National KIDS COUNT data is reflected in their lives, and ideas for improving outcomes for every Kentucky child. This is part of a series of conversations where we examine the immediate and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Kentucky kids and the systems that [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:27:20-04:00July 2nd, 2020|Podcast, Race Equity|
Read More

COVID-19 and Kentucky Kids: A Conversation with DCBS Commissioner Marta Miranda-Straub

This week on our Advocate Virtual Forum, Terry Brooks was joined by the recently appointed Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services, Marta Miranda-Straub. DCBS includes a number of human services, such as public benefits, child care, child welfare, and more. They discuss challenges and opportunities and Commissioner Miranda-Straub's priorities around trauma-informed care and racial justice as she steps into her new role. This is part of a series of conversations where [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:30:37-04:00June 25th, 2020|Podcast, Race Equity|
Read More

Release of the 2020 National KIDS COUNT Data Book

Terry Brooks shares Kentucky's measurable, but still inadequate, improvements in child well-being as highlighted in Annie E. Casey Foundation's latest KIDS COUNT Data Book, how this data can be used as a guidepost as advocates and decision makers thoughtfully move forward from the immense and disparate impacts of the pandemic, and recommendations to expand opportunities for all Kentucky children to thrive. View the Kentucky State Data Profile Sheet, and read our press release. [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:30:58-04:00June 23rd, 2020|Kids Count, Podcast, Race Equity|
Read More

Child Well-Being Data Highlights Continued Areas of Need as the Commonwealth Prepares to Recover from the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Child Well-Being Data Highlights Continued Areas of Need as the Commonwealth Prepares to Recover from the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic KIDS COUNT® Data Book provides comprehensive annual report on child well-being in the U.S. LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Kentucky ranks 37th in the nation in overall child well-being, according to the latest edition of the KIDS COUNT® Data Book, released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Kentucky’s measurable, but still inadequate, improvements were due [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:31:27-04:00June 22nd, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Medicaid, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

A Recommitment to Doing Our Part in Confronting Racism

Kentucky Youth Advocates is serious when we assert a vision to “make Kentucky the best place in America to be young.” And yet, we know that vision is elusive as long as a child’s skin color still shapes their opportunity to thrive. And we know that is still true in Kentucky. The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery deserve condemnation by anyone with a heart and a brain. And yet as [...]

By |2020-08-19T08:24:50-04:00June 2nd, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More
Go to Top