FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A new analysis of county-level data sheds light on how systemic racial disparities are affecting the wellbeing of kids in the Commonwealth.

The 2021 Kids Count County Data Book released this week by Kentucky Youth Advocates found while the state has made strides in reducing child poverty, rates remain much higher for Black and Latino children, compared with White children.

Shamitha Kuppala, a high school student from Oldham county, said the report highlights how factors such as race and income-level can influence a student's outcome over a lifetime.

"The more we share this information that we found in the data book, the more that we can change those institutions and make life better and provide better opportunities for these students," Kuppala asserted. "Whether it's physical health, mental, emotional health, all of those things."

The report also found the cost of housing continues to affect Kentucky families' economic stability, with nearly half of Kentucky renters spending 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities, an issue worsened by the pandemic.

Research from the Urban Institute found expanding the Biden administration's Child Tax Credit would decrease child poverty in a typical year by 40%.

Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said acknowledging barriers to opportunity for kids must translate into action to support community resiliency.

"I'm encouraged because I think there are palpable, practical common-ground policy changes that we can see in Frankfort in 2022 that will begin," Brooks contended. "They're not going to eliminate, but they'll begin to mitigate those disparities."

Sen. Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, said addressing systemic discrimination will involve examining how state funds are distributed, and how governmental and private agencies should change their practices.

"Keep in mind, we're policymakers," Neal remarked. "Someone else carries these things out. But once we put those policies in place, which can be the root of all evil or the bedrock of positive outcomes, we have to be careful. We must re-examine this. So we're going to be doing that. I'm going to be urging that."

The report also highlighted how Black parents across the state are incarcerated at substantially higher rates than parents of other races. The Data Book found in suburban counties, 16 Black parents are in state custody per 1,000 adults, compared with less than 3 per 1,000 adults for white parents.

A new survey finds 8 in 10 Kentucky parents say afterschool programs could help their child combat social and mental-health struggles by reducing unproductive screen time.

Experts say demand for these types of programs has increased in the Commonwealth.

Executive Director of the Afterschool Alliance Jodi Grant said after-school programs often are understaffed partnerships between schools and community-based organizations. She said local districts currently can't keep up with demand.

"In Kentucky," said Grant, "for every child that's in a program, the parents of four more want their kids to be in a program - and these parents and these kids are choosing to be there."

She also pointed out that Black and Latino children are among those most likely to lack access.

According to the survey, more than 60% of parents of color, and those with low incomes, said they want after-school programs that help their child build life skills and reduce risky behaviors.

Director of the Kentucky Out-of-School Alliance Tom Haggard said he believes state leaders haven't prioritized after-school programming.

"We really haven't put in the state dollars toward after-school or summer learning at a really impactful level," said Haggard. "Many of the other states have made investments in after-school, and that just isn't something that we've been able to do yet in Kentucky."

Grant pointed to federal COVID dollars as a resource to help support and expand after-school and summer learning programs for kids.

"We absolutely need to be doing more to tap into more dollars for the families that can't afford these programs," said Grant, "because they are creating opportunities for the kids for the working parents and for our long-term economy."

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, around a dozen states nationwide currently are providing funding dedicated to after-school programs.

Groups fighting for children's rights say they are disappointed Gov. Gavin Newsom's May budget revision did not include more money for the Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Program. Newsom proposed about $16 million, but advocates want lawmakers to bump it up another $5 million in the final budget.

Mike Odeh, senior director of health for the nonprofit Children Now, said hearing loss in babies and toddlers causes serious delays in speech and learning.

"It's a developmental issue, and it's not appropriate for kids to be sent to school without the appropriate supports like hearing aids," Odeh contended.

At a legislative hearing in 2019, experts testified only 1 in 10 children in California has hearing-aid coverage through a private health plan, and every month of delay in starting hearing aids correlates with decreased long-term language potential.

The state Department of Health Care Services estimates 7,000 low-income children in California need hearing aids, but only about 68 children are actually enrolled.

Odeh pointed out it is because the program only covers people who have no other insurance options.

"Some kids are getting rejected because they don't meet the income criteria," Odeh noted. "And so they would likely be eligible for MediCal, some are getting rejected because they have partial coverage that maybe provides a $500 benefit of coverage for hearing aids. But hearing aids are about $6,000 for kids and need to be replaced every three years."

Advocates argued with more money, the program could be expanded to help families who struggle with high copays and deductibles.

May is mental health awareness month. As part of that, groups in Idaho are using HOPE Week to help kids in crisis and reduce the state's worrying number of child suicides.

Jean Mutchie is president of the Idaho Resilience Project and a community health manager at Saint Luke's Health System. She said the project and Optum Idaho are teaming up to promote positive moments for kids, which can ease adverse experiences.

Mutchie said Optum Idaho is distributing 20,000 kites across the state - to gets them outside and playing.

"We're really focusing on kites, bikes and hikes," said Mutchie. "So really encouraging people to get outside with somebody else and engage in a positive activity."

HOPE stands for "Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences," and the theme for this year's HOPE week is "hope lives here."

Mutchie said there are a lot of ways to promote the mental well-being of children. She said connections with an adult who is not a family member can help protect their state of mind.

"And if you ask a lot of kids, they can't identify a trusted adult who's not part of their family," said Mutchie. "And so that one non-family member who is that trusted adult in a child's life can make an enormous difference. And data backs that up."

COVID-19 has taken a big toll, and is raising concerns about the number of Idaho children in crisis.

Recent surveys show as many as three quarters of respondents thought the pandemic had worsened mental health in the state, and a huge majority say addressing children's mental health is an especially urgent priority.

Mutchie said one key is that people should feel like they can ask for help.

"Really encourage people to seek help, destigmatize, understand that it's OK to not be OK and it's really OK to reach to somebody," said Mutchie. "And also encourage other people to start to build connection and support to really combat isolation and some of the lack of connect that we've faced during COVID."

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 takes calls twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.




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