children
Women workers could bear economic brunt as federal child care funding ends
A huge chunk of pandemic relief funding that kept child care programs afloat for the past few years is set to run out Saturday, and policy advocates say the economic impact will be profound, with the ripple effect hurting labor force participation and consumer spending at a time when the country is still trying to […]
Class action lawsuit seeks to halt enforcement of anti-trans law in Lexington public schools
A class action lawsuit against Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron and the Fayette County Board of Education argues that students’ constitutional and privacy rights are violated by a new anti-trans Kentucky law and asks the court to block its enforcement in Lexington schools. Senate Bill 150, enacted by the legislature earlier this year over Democratic […]
U.S. appeals court upholds Kentucky’s ban on some medical care for transgender minors
Nearly a month after hearing oral arguments on Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, a federal three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Thursday to keep the ban in place. This means Kentucky minors who seek treatment like hormones will not be able to access that care. The […]
As child poverty doubles, states launch or expand their own tax credit
The federal pandemic-era child tax credit expansion lifted millions of children out of poverty in the second half of 2021. But Congress allowed it to expire at the end of that year, and new U.S. census data shows the child poverty rate more than doubled in 2022, erasing the record gains that were made. “It […]
Kentucky lawmakers asked to exempt diapers from state sales tax
If a family can’t afford diapers, they may leave their child in one for too long, resulting in rashes or worse, experts told members of the Kentucky legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue Wednesday. That’s why they joined forces with Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, a Louisville Democrat, to ask that lawmakers consider removing […]
Kentucky can continue enforcing ban on minors’ transgender medical care, U.S. appeals court says
Kentucky’s ban on transgender medical care for minors will remain in force under a ruling issued Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. The decision is a setback for seven anonymous Kentucky minors and their parents who had asked the appeals court to reinstate a preliminary injunction that briefly stopped enforcement […]
Couch, car or curb: Defining ‘homeless’ youth affects aid state by state
The spectrum of youth homelessness is vast. It includes young children sleeping with their mothers in crowded shelters and families living in tent encampments in public parks. There are teenage runaways who have fled abusive homes to live on the streets and kids who spend their nights hidden in cars or abandoned buildings. But youth […]
Kentuckians support more public spending for child care, survey finds
Most Kentucky voters surveyed in June said access to high-quality child care is essential to their ability to work, but they say the state isn’t doing enough to ensure they have it. Also, 75% of parents and 64% of voters are more likely to vote for a governor candidate in November who supports access to […]
Kentucky Family Caregiver Program benefits restored
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story mislabeled the restored program. More eligible people who are raising their grandchildren will receive benefits through the Kentucky Family Caregiver Program, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday. All 15 of the state’s Area Development Districts (ADD) will be able to participate in the program, Beshear said, thanks to […]
Kentucky issues first statewide report of domestic violence data
If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. You can also contact any of Kentucky’s 15 domestic violence programs. Almost half of Kentucky women — 45% — and around 36% of men in the state say […]
Kentucky’s juvenile detention system still struggling with ‘critical staffing issues’
FRANKFORT — Despite salary increases, persistent understaffing is forcing a shuffling of Kentucky juveniles being held in detention. The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice plans to move girls from a detention center in Campbell County to one in Boyd County for an estimated 90 days in response to staffing difficulties. The boys being held in […]
U.S. Supreme Court upholds Indian Child Welfare Act in 7-2 decision
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge to a federal law aimed at keeping Native American children within the foster care system in Native American homes. The Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision upheld the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, which established federal minimum standards for the removal of Native American children from […]