children
Sen. Berg says ‘parental rights’ bill is about scoring political points
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. FRANKFORT — The Senate Education Committee voted 11-1 Thursday to advance a bill sponsored by Sen. Max Wise, Republican candidate for governor Kelly Craft’s running mate, over the objections of Sen. […]
When gun violence ends young lives, these men prepare the graves
This article was republished from KHN (Kaiser Health News). MILLSTADT, Ill. — It was a late Friday afternoon when a team of men approached a tiny pink casket. One wiped his brow. Another stepped away to smoke a cigarette. Then, with calloused hands, they gently lowered the child’s body into the ground. Earlier that day, […]
Kentucky youth-led study shows mental health, social challenges of COVID-19
A new study on how Kentucky’s youth have coped with COVID-19 reports mental health challenges, negative views toward remote learning and more.? The report was published Wednesday by the Kentucky Student Voice Team, which is a youth-led nonprofit with a goal of creating “more just, democratic Kentucky schools and communities as research, policy & advocacy […]
Kentucky Youth Advocates outlines 2023 goals to help children and families
On the first day of the regular legislative session, Kentucky Youth Advocates outlined priorities to achieve its 2023 goal of making the state “the best place in America to be young.”? Kentucky ranks high for adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, which are traumas or stressors in a person’s life before their 18th birthday. They can […]
Child poverty rates highest in states that haven’t raised minimum wage, including Kentucky
Of the 20 states, including Kentucky, that have failed to raise the minimum wage above the federal $7.25 an hour standard, 16 have more than 12% of their children living in poverty, according to a States Newsroom analysis of wage and poverty data. Anti-poverty advocates say that’s a sign that there’s an urgent need for […]
Kentucky moves to revoke license of psychiatric facility where 7-year-old foster child died
The Beshear administration moved Thursday to revoke the license of a residential psychiatric facility in Louisville where 7-year-old Ja’Ceon Terry, a foster child, died July 17 of positional asphyxia. The state immediately ceased placing children and youth at Uspiritus-Brooklawn Academy after the child’s death. On Thursday, state Inspector General Adam Mather ordered Uspiritus-Brooklawn Academy to […]
Too many pregnant Kentuckians and their babies lack access to care. Midwives say they could help.
During three of her four pregnancies, Laura Browning drove three hours round-trip past hospitals to get prenatal care from midwives in Lexington, the only place that offered what she needed.? She even made the trip while in labor with her first baby, feeling that “the care that I was receiving” from the midwives “was worth […]
Residential foster care in Kentucky is physically, mentally unsafe, say some who have been there
One young adult remembers taking a daily allergy pill upon entering a Kentucky residential foster care facility and leaving “on 13 medications within six months.” Another lost the privilege of calling their mother after a riot at their location.? These were among the experiences 46 young adults shared with Kentucky Youth Advocates’ researchers, who examined […]
State should not withdraw safety net as disasters compound childhood trauma, advocates say
In 2020, more than 1,000 Kentucky children were physically abused, more than 15,000 were neglected and almost 800 were sexually abused.? Experts say these numbers, which come from a new Kentucky Youth Advocates report on adverse childhood experiences, are only what’s reported. They’re likely worse.? Adverse childhood experiences, more commonly known as ACEs, refer to […]