Training │ Trauma Informed Care

Aetna is sponsoring a free trauma informed care training by UK’s Center on Trauma and Children (CTAC). The training will take place December 6, from 9:00 – 12:00 and will provide a brief overview of the types of trauma children/ adults may be exposed to and symptoms of traumatic stress. Learn more and register here.

Summit │ Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children Partner Summit

Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA) is hosting its 2025 Blueprint policy priority agenda on December 11th from 10:00 – 3:00 at the Sawyer Hayes Community Center in Louisville. The goals of the summit are to inform partners about state policy priorities and provide activities to mobilize advocates for the 2025 legislative session. Learn more and register here.

Annual Meeting | Kentucky Voices for Health

Register now for Kentucky Voices for Health’s 2024 Annual Meeting! The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 10th at the Griffin Gate Marriott in Lexington, KY. The event will bring together coalition members from across the commonwealth (along with some very special guests) for a day of learning, networking, and resource sharing. Learn more and register.

Virtual Roadshow | Thrive KY Policy & Advocacy Updates

The Advocacy For Thriving Communities Roadshow will host a virtual stop on December 16. It will include presentations from the ThriveKY Coalition about updates to safety net programs. This is a 2-hour abbreviated version of the in-person roadshow program. Learn more and register here.

Save the Date │ Kentucky Youth Tobacco Control Conference

The Kentucky Youth Tobacco Control Conference will take place on February 5, 2025, and on February 6th there will be an i#CANendthetrend youth empowerment event, both in Frankfort. There will be a limited number of travel scholarships available upon completion of the application. The deadline to submit your requests is December 20, 2024. For questions, please contact Tara Rueckert (tara.rueckert@ky.gov), Jackie Hodges (Jaclyn.hodges@ky.gov), or Griffin Nemeth (Nemeth.griffin@uky.edu).

Summit | Bloom Summit: Together We Bloom

This event is being held on May 7, 2025, in Shelbyville, KY. It will focus on cultivating positive childhood experiences through both policy and systems change across the Commonwealth, offering a unique platform to explore new strategies for fostering resilience and mitigating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in Kentucky's children. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with thought leaders, gain insights into the latest research, and network with peers committed to building a brighter future for Kentucky's youth.

You can register for the event or fill out an exhibitor application. Learn more here.

New Resource | 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book

The 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book, released by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on 16 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, or stayed the same.

Webinar | Health for a Change: Taking ACTION to Reduce Cancer Disparities

Did you miss out on this webinar by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky? It’s now available on-demand! Learn about a program that’s working with high school and college students to reduce cancer disparities in Eastern Kentucky. Find the recording here.

The Expansion of School Medicaid Programs Turns 10

What is known as the “free care” policy reversal took place December 2014. Since then, more than two dozen states, including Kentucky, have expanded their school Medicaid program to include services outside the Individual Education Program. The Healthy Students Promising Futures Collaborative has a policy brief, Financial Impact of Expanding School Medicaid Programs, with state data as well as the following documents, which provide further information for programs that can enhance health services to children in schools:

• Making the Case for School Medicaid Expansion
• School Medicaid Expansion: How (and How Many) States Have Taken Action to Increase School Health Access and Funding 

Children’s Physical Activity Report Card

The Physical Activity Alliance (PAA) publishes a report card assessing the levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in American children and youth, facilitators and barriers for physical activity, and health outcomes related to physical activity. The 2024 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth unfortunately states that the overall physical activity grade remains a D- since the last report card, indicating that American children and youth are insufficiently active.

Physical activity levels decline with age, so for children 6-11 years old, 26% meet the physical activity recommendations, while rates for 12-17 year olds lie around 15%. The report contains recommendations for policymakers given the importance of this issue for health. 

Mitigating the Harm of Digital Food Marketing to Kids

The Healthy Eating Research organization brought together an expert panel to develop evidence-based recommendations for actions to mitigate the harms from digital food marketing and has published the report Evidence-Based Recommendations to Mitigate Harms from Digital Food Marketing to Children Ages 2-17. Digital food and beverage marketing  of unhealthy foods and beverages which pose a harm to children’s health is embedded in nearly every platform used by children. The recommendations contained in the report include industry-led policies, school-based policies, other physical food environment policies, social environment policies, and government policies.

Blog post: Jessamine County’s Push for Non-Congregate Expansion

Check out this blog post by No Kid Hungry Kentucky. Here is a snippet from the reading:

Lee Ann Conner, Food Service Director at Jessamine County Schools in Kentucky, is doing everything she can to get kids in her community access to food for the summer. Due to the county’s location bordering Fayette County, home to Lexington, parts of Jessamine County are designated as urban, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This designation has massive implications for summer feeding, as non-congregate meal programs are only allowed in rural areas. While much of Jessamine county is considered rural, there are still pockets designated as urban that desperately need summer non-congregate feeding. Conner’s passion is palpable, “Why does it matter where a child lives if they are hungry? Why should it matter if they are in an urban district or in a rural district?” 

This month’s Take Action is dedicated to celebrating that the requirement that public funds are to be used for public schools contained in Kentucky’s Constitutes will remain. Kentuckians rejected Amendment 2, which proposed to broadly allow the legislature to spend tax dollars on educational opportunities outside the public school system.

Kentucky voters rejected Amendment 2 in every county in the Commonwealth, with 66% of Kentuckians rejecting the Amendment.

Actions to improve Kentucky’s public schools are much needed, so it will be important to follow the proposals of advocacy groups and legislators during the upcoming 2025 Regular session. The session convenes on Tuesday, January 7 (part I) and on Tuesday February 4 (part II), with the last day to introduce new Senate bills is February 18 and new House bills February 19.

Kentucky Lantern | GOP lawmaker calls for adding ‘teeth’ to Kentucky’s new curbs on underage vaping

Kentucky Health News | Survey: Kentucky children’s dental decay rates surpass national average

Public News Service: Study: Obesity rates skyrocket among KY kids



Courier Journal: Amendment 2 failed in every Kentucky county. Here's why.

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 School Boards 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