Blog Post | KYGA24: Unpacking HB 2 and the School Choice Ballot Initiative

Kentucky You Advocates wrote a blog post about Amendment 2, which will be on the ballot in the fall. Voters will be asked if they support a change to the state constitution to allow the legislature to fund non-public schools like private and charter schools.  KYA writes in the blog post, “Our hope is to be a resource for voters who are unsure about their position.”

Read the blog post.

Advocacy Series | State & Federal Policy Updates

The ThriveKY Coalition is hosting a session of its regional “Advocacy for Thriving Communities” Series on July 16^th at the Whitley County Extension Office. Speakers will discuss how to advocate for a stronger safety net through public assistance programs designed to support thriving communities.

Learn more and register here.

Training | #iCANendthetrend Summer Professional Development

“Session 2 - Amplifying Youth Voices” of the #iCANendthetrend Summer Professional Development is happening on July 29th 10-11:30am (EST). It is a webinar presented by peer-led college facilitators and high school Youth Advisory Board members! #iCANendthetrend aims to help build awareness on the dangers of tobacco use, including e-cigarette use, costs associated with nicotine dependence, and ways youth have been targeted and influenced to use these products.

Learn more and register for webinar.

Training | Youth Thrive Training

Kentucky Strengthening Families will be conducting a free Youth Thrive Training on August 20^th and a Training of Trainers (TOT) on August 21^st from 9am-4pm EST. The training will be held at Franklin County Extension Office. The components of the Youth Thrive Training will enhance the work you are already doing with young people and their families. The training utilizes a strength-based approach to teach young people about Positive and Adverse Childhood experiences (PACEs), impact of trauma, and much more.

Learn more and register here.

Email youth.thrive@ky.gov with any questions.

Summer Meals for Kids

The KCHC wants to remind parents and caregivers that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT), which provides a one-time $120 lump sum grocery benefit per eligible student. To register, visit: KYSEBT.

Webinar│ Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children Advocacy Series

Kentucky Youth Advocates held the Blueprint Lunch & Learn: Building Your Advocacy Roadmap webinar for advocates to continue their efforts into the General Assembly interim period and to prepare for the 2025 state legislative session.

Watch the Recording and view the Slide Deck. 

Alarming Trends Highlighted in the 2024 Kids Count Data Book

The 35^th edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2024 Kids Count Data Book highlights the urgent need for action to address the growing academic disparities among U.S. Students and disturbing trends in children’s health.

The data shows unprecedented declines in student math and reading proficiency due to the Covid-19 pandemic’s effect on education, which represent “decades of lost progress." Racial disparities are strong and worrisome, as can be seen, for example, in the Kentucky data:

In Kentucky, 4th graders not proficient in reading, white children: 66%; Black or African American children: 85%. 8th graders not proficient in math, white children: 76%; Black or African American children: 91%

As the summary of the Casey report states, “Today's students, who will comprise America's future workforce, are ill-prepared for the high-level reading, math and problem-solving skills required in a competitive global economy. The failure to adequately prepare our children will have dire consequences for their futures and for the economic vitality of our nation.” 

New Research on Child Development and Climate Change

The Harvard Center on the Developing Child’s Early Childhood Scientific Council on Equity and the Environment (ECSCEE) has released a new working paper and an accompanying brief on access to clean water and how it is being impacted by climate change. In the United States, where it was presumed that we produced nearly universal, clean affordable and trustworthy water, there are serious gaps and challenges made worse by climate change which is exacerbating freshwater supplies being threatened by droughts, overuse, and contamination. Additionally, there are significant inequities in access to clear water.

The working paper A Cascade of Impacts: The Many Ways Water Affects Child Development. explores how water affects children’s health, learning, and behavior, and how ensuring access to safe drinking water is necessary to support the healthy development of all children. It offers specific strategies to address disparities in access to clean water and resources to act in your community. The accompanying brief is Growing Up in a Warming World: How climate change is affecting the availability and safety of water in the developmental environment.

The KOHC Oral Health Resource Hub

The Kentucky Oral Health Coalition (KOHC) has developed from the initial 1990 Oral Health Consortium into its current form as the KOHC in 2012, and is staffed by Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA), a Steering Committee member of the Kentucky Coalition for Healthy children. The KOHC priorities through 2015 include improving oral health awareness and increasing access to oral health care.

The coalition has now revamped its resources with the addition of five new patient-facing educational resources, along with state and national oral health resources, and data and research in its Oral Health Resources Hub.

The KCOH June 14 Quarterly Meeting presentation slides can be found here. 

School Funding and Constitutional Amendment #2 

During the 2024 Legislative Session, HB2 passed which proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Kentucky to authorize financial support for the education of students outside of the public school system. This amendment will be on the ballot this November.

The Kentucky Coalition for Healthy Children is committed to improving children’s health in the school setting where kids spend an important part of their days and years that are crucial to their healthy development. The coalition therefore supports adequately funding public schools as a key priority for improving children’s health.

Adequate funds for public schools are a measure to protect and serve all children. Public schools cannot and do not turn away children with disabilities or children from minority communities. Public schools provide important health, mental health and social service supports, food access, physical activity, and more to children who otherwise might not be able to access them, all the while being held accountable for the funds received.

Public funds that will subsidize private schools will reduce moneys for already underfunded public schools in Kentucky, making the situation for many children worse, as has occurred in other states where such measures have passed.

The KCHC has therefore voted to join the efforts of other groups such as Protect Our Schools Kentucky to oppose this amendment and to urge Kentuckians to Take Action! Stay tuned for more information, a White Paper on health impacts, talking points and actions steps!

Below are some articles with additional information on the School Amendment:

Group speaks out on Kentucky school funding amendment on November ballot

School Voucher Amendment - KYPolicy

November ballot: Hot issue is constitutional amendment on tax monies to private schools

Kentucky Lantern │ More Kentucky children have kept Medicaid coverage compared with other states

Kentucky Lantern | ‘Flabbergasted:’ Help for kinship care families passed unanimously, $20M price tag could derail it

Louisville Public Media | How SCOTUS case is likely to impact Kentucky’s ban on transgender health care

Louisville Public Media | A new Kentucky law will send more youth to adult court — Black kids face highest risk

Kentucky Health News | Surgeon general wants health warnings on social-media platforms, which he blames for mental illnesses among youth

Kentucky Department for Public Health

Kentucky Family Thrive

Kentucky Department of Education

Kentucky Health Departments Association

Kentucky Nurses Association

Kentucky Primary Care Association

Kentucky Public Health Association

Kentucky Psychological Association 

Kentucky Voices for Health

Kentucky Youth Advocates

KY Parent Teacher Association – 16^th District

Pritchard Committee for Academic Excellence

Seven Counties Services

Spalding University

St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Trans Parent Lex

United Healthcare

University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences

University of Louisville School of Public Health & Information Studies

#iCANendthetrend