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Consider Investing Today – Every $1 You Invest in Advocacy Provides a Return of $115 in Community Benefits

A few weeks ago, we met the grandparents pictured left, who have taken on the role of raising their 4-year old grandchild. This scenario of grandparents and relatives raising their kin is becoming more and more common in Kentucky. In fact, estimates suggest there are approximately 63,000 children across the state being cared for by relatives other than their parents. The state recently stopped accepting new applications for the Kinship Care Program which supports people, [...]

By |2013-05-16T11:48:35-04:00May 16th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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A Sure-Fire Bet for Kentucky Kids

When it comes to March Madness, I think I am an expert.  I look at every rating system known to mankind.  I compare offensive and defensive efficiencies of each team.  I analyze the relative strength of every conference.  And the result?  Well, all four granddaughters beat me (and the two youngest are only three years old!) but I did edge out my four year old grandson in our family bracketology contest!  When it comes to [...]

By |2013-05-02T11:55:19-04:00May 2nd, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Youth Justice|
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Kids, Families and State Budget Debates

There is a swirl of speculation about the topic.  Is the Governor going to call a special session, and – if so – what will be on “the call?”  Or what are the priorities emerging at this very moment in Cabinet-level planning for the 2014-16 budget? Any talk about budgets offers us both hope and worry.  Will it spotlight the very real need for fundamental and systemic changes in the state’s tax and budget structures [...]

By |2013-04-25T11:04:15-04:00April 25th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|
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Cruel April Fool’s – Families Facing Cuts to Child Care Assistance and Kinship Care

Effective today, April 1, about 2,900 children and 1,600 families on average a month will not be able to access public financial assistance for child care. It seems a cruel joke that this is occurring on April Fool’s Day. Freezing applications for the child care assistance program will not allow any new families to receive assistance. This move, while expected to save the state some money, makes up 0.4 percent of the state budget. However, [...]

By |2013-04-01T13:17:40-04:00April 1st, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|
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Messages to Governor Beshear from Grandparents & Relatives Raising Kin

Last Thursday we attended the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Conference in Lexington. In it's 11th year, the conference has grown to attract 400 participants from over 50 counties.  The conference provided a wealth of information --  from practical tips on how to raise a high schooler  (it's a little different from 20 or 30 years ago...) to advice about how and when to gain legal custody. The organizers say that due to demand, they could easily expand to [...]

By |2013-03-27T15:12:20-04:00March 27th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Early-childhood Reports Show the Good, Bad and Ironic

This post originally appeared as an op-ed on March 14 in the Herald Leader. Find it online here. The Governor's Office of Early Childhood released for the first time early childhood profiles on a county-by-county basis. It was a report filled with good news, bad news and irony. First of all, this is a tool that can help communities and schools assess progress and make plans to help youngsters entering kindergarten. We were happy to [...]

By |2013-03-18T13:07:17-04:00March 18th, 2013|Blog, Education, Health|
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Show Your Support for Relatives Raising Kin

“I had not planned for this in life so it was rather draining, financially.” These are the words of a Fayette County grandmother interviewed by WTVQ news about the importance of the support she receives from Kentucky’s Kinship Care Program which helps her step up to raise her three grandchildren. See the link to the full story here. The program offers $300 per month, per child to relatives and other kin who are raising children [...]

By |2013-03-14T14:38:15-04:00March 14th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Statement on Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Release of Early Childhood Profiles

The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood released for the first time Early Childhood Profiles on a county-by-county basis. This tool can help communities and schools assess progress and make plans to help youngsters entering kindergarten. We were happy to see that KIDS COUNT data, which we track and report annually, proved useful for these profiles. And the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood is to be commended for this effort. That is the good news. The bad [...]

By |2013-03-12T18:04:37-04:00March 12th, 2013|News Room|
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Tough Times are the Most Important Times to Protect Kids

Two weeks ago, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced that it will dramatically cut child care assistance to low income families and will pay no new subsidies to relatives caring for children who have been abused or neglected. This announcement spells trouble for a whole host of reasons, as many voices around the state have passionately and eloquently described. In addition to eliminating critical supports that help children, families and our economy thrive, [...]

By |2013-02-14T13:14:49-05:00February 14th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|
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Protect Kids from Cuts

On January 29 the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced cuts to some vital programs for children, in response to a projected $86.6 million budget shortfall for the Department of Community Based Services. The planned cuts target the Kinship Care Program and the Child Care Assistance Program both of which affect thousands of families and children across the Commonwealth. Cutting the Kinship Care and Child Care Assistance Programs will cost the state more [...]

By |2013-02-04T16:23:29-05:00February 4th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|
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