LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- As schools shift to remote learning and child care centers remain closed, experts say community members will play a critical role in recognizing signs of child abuse during the pandemic and can use the TEN-4 Bruising Rule.

Bruising to the torso, ears or neck in a child four years old or younger is a red flag. And, any bruises anywhere on an infant 4 months old or younger is a medical emergency and a telltale sign of possible abuse. That's according to Dr. Christina Howard, chief of the Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine at the University of Kentucky.

She said many licensed child care centers across the state have shut their doors, and parents desperate for child care are forced to rely on people they don't know, who may not be vetted through background checks.

"I think a lot of parents don't know that when they are looking into home sitters, for example, that they can ask the home sitter to sign a waiver for them to see if they've had any substantiated cases of abuse with the state," Howard said.

Research has found child maltreatment and aggressive parenting increased during the Great Recession, and Howard expects a similar or worse trend as the pandemic continues to drive economic hardship and uncertainty.

The Face It Movement is hosting free virtual trainings this Wednesday and Thursday on spotting the signs of child abuse. For more information visit faceitmovement.org.

Keith Inman, president of Kosair Charities, said his organization is working to end child abuse in the Commonwealth by 2023. He believes the coronavirus will change how state and local agencies handle suspected child abuse and neglect cases.

"The pandemic will alter the way we have to deal with abuse and neglect," Inman said. "So, we've got to figure out a different way to put our eyes on children. And a lot of agencies are doing drive-bys, they are dropping off supplies at the house, seeing different ways to force interactions."

Lynn Hulsey, director of programs at the Family Enrichment Center in Bowling Green, has been finding ways to interact with families and keep eyes on children in her region during the crisis.

"Through the whole pandemic, we never stopped providing virtual visits so that if something was happening in the family, that they would be comfortable enough to let us know that they were struggling so that we could help them through that," Hulsey said.

Kentucky continues to have the highest rate of child abuse in the nation and double the national rate of infant maltreatment. All Kentucky adults are mandated reporters of child abuse and can make reports to the state hotline at 1-877-KYSAFE1.


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A new federal report shows anti-poverty policies enacted by New Mexico are making a big difference.

This month, the U.S. Census Bureau has released a supplemental report measuring poverty at the state level for the first time.

Emily Wildau, senior research and policy analyst at New Mexico Voices for Children, said the report still ranks the state last in the nation, at 28% under the Official Poverty Measure but when newly enacted state programs are taken into account, poverty decreased dramatically from 2021 to 2023.

"When you look at that same time period, and you use the measure that counts things like refundable tax credits and noncash benefits like SNAP, New Mexico's child poverty rate drops to just 8.9%," Wildau pointed out. "Which is actually better than the national rate."

The national child poverty rate is 10.4%. Wildau noted one disappointing figure in the data: The state's rate of uninsured children rose to almost 6% in 2023, compared to about 4% in 2022, likely because of changes made to Medicaid following the pandemic.

Wildau emphasized many policy changes made by New Mexico lawmakers are not reflected in nationally-generated data looking at children's well-being, often because the policies are new and have not been incorporated into how poverty is measured.

"We're doing really good things," Wildau outlined. "Increasing our state-level Earned Income Tax Credit, adding a new state-level Child Tax Credit and expanding SNAP eligibility October 1st up to 200% of that kind-of official poverty rate."

Along with New Mexico, 13 other states boosted fully refundable Child Tax Credits in 2024, aimed at enhancing economic security for low- and middle-income families. About 43 million people, or 13% of Americans, lived in poverty last year.

The number of West Virginia children living in poverty remains among the highest in the nation, and more children are living in households struggling with hunger, according to the latest federal data.

The end of pandemic supports combined with rising inflation, rent, and the cost of living, are to blame experts say.

The expanded Child Tax Credit cut child poverty in half, said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director with Food Research & Action Center.

When it ended, he said more families dipped back into poverty. Now, the child poverty rate has hit nearly 14%.

"Had we added a few more dollars to that program, it could have cut child poverty entirely," said Bhatti. "But it was a deliberate policy choice that the government made to not do that, and then another deliberate choice to remove that expansion."

According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, child poverty in the Mountain State dipped from 25% in 2022 to around 20% in 2023.

But despite the reduced numbers, the number of kids living in poverty remains among the highest in the nation.

Nearly 14 million children live in households currently experiencing food insecurity, up by more than 3% from 2022.

Bhatti noted that nearly 35% of single parent households headed by women struggle to pay for groceries.

He said his organization wants Congress to protect the Thrifty Food Plan, which sets the standard for the maximum amount of SNAP benefits households receive.

"Some lawmakers want to cut that Thrifty Food Plan adjustment," said Bhatti, "and as a result, that would cut $30 billion from SNAP benefits over the next 10 years."

Experts say kids who eat healthy meals are less likely to develop high blood pressure, diabetes, dental cavities, and other health problems.

But as more kids go hungry or lack access to quality food, they're also more likely to be uninsured.

According to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the number of children without health coverage rose to nearly 6% in 2023.




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During this week's presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris proposed reviving the Child Tax Credit, which was part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

Harris says she'd raise the credit to $6,000 for newborns, renewing focus on its impact for Ohio families. However, the U.S. Senate recently rejected House Resolution 7024, which aimed to expand the Child Tax Credit.

Analysts have said the proposal could have lifted 400,000 children out of poverty, including thousands in Ohio.

Lauren Reliford, public policy director for the Children's Defense Fund, cited a "lack of political will" as the main barrier to expanding the credit.

"But at this point, childhood poverty is a policy choice," she said. "The folks that have the power to do it know and have seen the evidence - and they haven't done it."

A Child Tax Credit expansion initially passed in the House with bipartisan support, including all but one Ohio representative. However, critics of the expansion have voiced concerns about the cost to taxpayers and potential misuse. These factors contributed to its rejection in the Senate, despite widespread support from family advocacy groups.

Reliford also pointed to the broader impacts of poverty on children and the long-term consequences of inaction.

"Poverty is a toxic stress," she said. "Children see their parents being stressed, and they take that on, too. And so, why are we allowing these children to grow up in spaces and places without the necessary resources they need?"

The Child Tax Credit has been credited with significantly reducing childhood poverty during the pandemic, but its future remains uncertain as the debate continues in Washington.