Kentucky Youth Advocates
What now? Child care in Kentucky faces a cliff as pandemic-era federal aid has ended
Rylee Dakota Monn’s salary as a day care teacher mostly went to pay for child care for her own two sons. “I was working full time but I wasn’t making any money for myself or making much of a contribution to the household,” said Monn, who works at Baptist Health Child Development Center in Lexington. […]
Unheard: Foster kids say they were hurt in state residential care in Louisville. Few were believed.
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. It is republished from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting and Louisville Public Media. This story contains discussions of sexual assault and the abuse and deaths of children. It was around 3:30 a.m. and most of the other residents at the Home of the Innocents were still […]
How are Kentucky’s kids faring? New report offers education, health insights
Fewer Kentucky kindergarteners were ready to learn in the 2022-2023 school year than in 2018, according to a new report that measures child welfare. This insight comes from the Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book, released by Kentucky Youth Advocates Wednesday. Kids Count is part of a national initiative from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. […]
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 […]
Disparities persist among Kentucky youth in juvenile justice system
Black and multiracial youth in Kentucky are more likely to have complaints brought against them – essentially, police reports – and are disproportionately detained, Kentucky Youth Advocates staff told legislators in Frankfort Tuesday. Cortney Downs, the chief equity officer for Kentucky Youth Advocates, said to the Juvenile Justice Oversight Council and the Commission on Race […]
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 […]