KCHC September Newsletter

Kentucky Coalition For Healthy Children Newsletter

Issue 28 | Septempber 2024

Working collaboratively on policies and practices in and around schools that promote equity and improve the physical, social, and emotional health and well-being of children, youth, and families.

The opinions and viewpoints expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the positions of all coalition partners.

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KCHC Member Highlights

Issue Brief & Summary│ Kentucky Coalition for Healthy Children (KCHC)

Diverting Public Dollars to Private Schools and the Threat to Children’s Health is the new issue brief, and summary, developed by the KCHC. The brief addresses the impact that a change in Kentucky’s Constitution allowing public dollars to go to private schools could have on children’s health. (Read more on Amendment#2 in Take Action! below).

Read the brief

See the Summary

Website│ Kentucky Coalition for Healthy Children (KCHC)

The KCHC has updated its website. The website offers members and stakeholders the coalition’s policy priorities, the health briefs produced, as well as the policy actions taken. It also contains resources on specific children’s health topics, Steering Committee information and meeting notes, links to the KCHC Newsletter archive and more. Visit here.

Webinar│ ThriveKY 2024 Advocacy Series

The ThriveKY coalition is holding a 90-minute webinar on September 3, 2024, 2:00 EST. The Webinar will cover various topics, including the Kentucky General Assembly Interim Session and 2024 voter resources, the economy, budget and childcare, behavioral health and Medicaid waiver updates. Free CEUs for CCHWs, Social Workers, and other professionals who can self-report.

Advocacy Series | State & Federal Policy Updates

The ThriveKY Coalition is hosting a session of its regional “Advocacy for Thriving Communities” Series on September 10, 2024, 1:00 – 4:00 in Glasgow. 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.

Learning Opportunity │Strengthening Your Electoral Advocacy Toolkit

The Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children is holding a zoom lunch & learn on Thursday, September 5, 2024. Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA) will share tips and tools for an electoral advocacy toolkit. Registration here.

Listening Sessions | Medicaid: Access, Barriers & Recommendations

Kentucky Youth Advocates in coordination with United Healthcare Community Plan are seeking Kentucky Medicaid recipients to participate in a focus groups to learn more about their experience with accessing healthcare services, barriers, and recommendations for improvement.

More information on registration and virtual focus group dates here.

Explainer | Immunization Timeline

Kentucky Voices for Health (KVH) has developed this Immunizations Through the Lifespan explainer, which includes the different vaccines by age and how to find the necessary information to access them.

See it here.

Webinars | Youth Vaping

If you missed the #iCANendthetrend's Summer Professional Development webinars, the links below offer the recording of Sessions 1&2. The webinars addressed e-cigarette use among youth, with Session 1 providing an update on the e-cigarette landscape, new products, THC and state legislation, risks, and more. Session 2 focused on developing youth engagement, including a youth panel. The webinars are presented by peer-led college facilitators and high school Youth Advisory Board members.

Professional development session 1

Session 1 resource guide

Professional development session 2 part 1

Professional development session 2 part 2

Learn more about #iCANendthetrend

Forum | 2024 Bost Forum: Finding Common Ground on Our Path to Better Health

This annual forum hosted by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is being held on October 8 in Frankfort, KY. The event is currently “sold out” of its free tickets but a waitlist is available. Attendees will learn from national and local experts about how to more authentically engage our community members and find our common ground on the path towards a brighter future.

Learn more and join waitlist.

Save the Date | Bloom Kentucky Summit

What's New in Children's Health

School Emergency Relief Funds Expire

The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KYPolicy) has released an analysis on the expiration of the ESSER funds, Kentucky School Districts Brace for Expiration of Federal Funds That Sustained Schools for Several Years. The third and final round of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds expires in September. The analysis points out that Kentucky received a total of $3.1 billion for Kentucky, which “has enabled schools to hire staff, raise wages and meet student needs even as the legislature’s funding of public schools has remained modest despite large state budget surpluses.”

The analysis adds that “National research shows that Kentucky is among the states whose schools will feel the expiration of ESSER funds most deeply starting this school year. This loss exacerbates the funding challenges public education will face if Amendment 2 passes in November allowing the diversion of public resources to private school vouchers.” The report reviews how and where the funds were spent.

Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation

The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) has published its report Hunger doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report. The report measures the reach of the Summer Nutrition Programs nationally and in each state.

In terms of the Average Daily Participation (ADP) in Summer Lunch in July 2023, compared to ADP in Summer Lunch in July 2022, Kentucky increased from 42,169 to 62,995, a 33.6% increase, ranking 25^th in the nation. The number of Summer Food Service Program Lunches Served in June, July1, and August 2022 and 2023 increased from 690,597 to 1,368,923.

Public schools play a significant role in reducing hunger during summer in Kentucky, especially in rural areas. According to the Kentucky Department of Education, that administers bot the Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option of the National Lunch Program, 173 school districts and community-based organizations operated summer meal programs, of these, 106 of them provided rural, non-congregate meals which expanded the reach of the programs in Kentucky.

Youth Digital Media Use and Mental Health

Because social media’s effects on the mental health of young people are not well understood, research is ongoing and a compilation of some new research on the subject has been published in the Handbook of Adolescent Digital Media Use and Mental Health. The Handbook explores the relationship between social media and a wide range of mental health issues, ranging from body image and eating disorders to depression and sleep. The book is edited by Jacqueline Nesi, P.hD.; Eva H. Telzer, Ph.D.; and Mitchell J. Prinstein, Ph.D., published by Cambridge University Press and available as a free, open access eBook.

Youth Risk Behavior: Concerning Trends

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Data Summary and Trends Report 2013-2023. The report provides 10-year trends on adolescents’ sexual behavior, substance use, experiences of violence, mental health, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, social media use, and reported experiences of racism in school.

Some of the concerning trends in disparities identified in the report include that female students are faring more poorly than male students across almost all measures of substance use, experiences of violence, mental health, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. “The rates at which female students are reporting such negative experiences is stark”, states the key findings section of the report.

The report emphasizes the large role that schools play in youths’ lives and development. “Schools can provide education, connections, and environments that lessen the impact of negative events and promote health and well-being”, states the report, as it also provides resources for schools to promote mental health and well-being.

In Your Community

Answering the call: tackling child food insecurity in eastern Kentucky

Harlan County, located in the hills of eastern Kentucky, has the highest child food insecurity rate in the state. But organizations have been stepping up to the plate to try to keep kids fed during the summer. The break between school years has traditionally been the hungriest time of year for kids, as regular school meals are not available.

Harlan County Community Action Agency (Harlan County CAA) is one of the organizations working to address this issue. They provide congregate and non-congregate meals, meaning some kids eat their food on-site and others are either delivered the food or take it to-go. This flexibility is important in rural communities where it can be harder to reach kids. Harlan County CAA received a No Kid Hungry grant this summer that has allowed them to expand their non-congregate meal services. The county is a vast mountainous area of over 46,000 square miles with many small communities in outlying areas. With the help of additional resources funded by the grant, the organization was able to deliver 6,176 meals as of early August.

These efforts can also have additional benefits outside of keeping kids fed. Harlan County CAA is able to provide wrap-around services and connect families in-need with resources like transportation, workforce programs, and heating and cooling assistance.

Take Action

November 5, 2024 is fast approaching and voters have to make serious decisions which can certainly impact Kentucky’s children and future, among them, whether to modify Kentucky’s Constitution to allow public funds to be used for private schools, Constitutional Amendment 2.

The KCHC has developed an issue brief and summary on the various ways this Amendment would impact children’s health. Share the brief and summary with your networks!

And don’t forget to register to vote. The registration deadline for the 2024 General Election is October 7, 2024 4:00 p.m. local time. And…VOTE!