Child Care Assistance Key to Building Strong Communities

February 16, 2016

Child Care Assistance Key to Building Strong Communities

Kentucky is one of many states that operate a child care assistance program, which reimburses child care providers who accept children from low-income families. But the program is vastly underfunded, putting a strain on not only child care providers – who aren’t receiving enough to cover their services, causing many to close – but also parents, many who don’t qualify for assistance because eligibility is too restrictive. One such facility is the New Beginnings Development Center in Hazard, whose story […]
February 12, 2016

Two Graphs Explain Why Kentucky Has Less to Invest

The revenue we have to invest in Kentucky almost always grows, year over year. The current forecast predicts the state will collect about $320 more in 2016 than it did in 2015. Yet when you compare the resources we have to the size of our economy – which is directly related to what it takes to maintain investments in education, health and other crucial services for thriving communities – we see that the revenue we have to invest in Kentucky […]
February 10, 2016

More Funding for Mental Health Needed to Build Healthier, More Productive Lives

Kentucky’s community mental health centers (CMHC’s) – that provide therapy and recovery services for people struggling with mental illness and substance abuse, as well as those with developmental and intellectual disabilities – have not received a state funding increase since the 1990’s. Investing in a stronger Commonwealth means investing in public and mental health and those with disabilities. Hundreds of those affected by those budget cuts and lack of funding took to the Capitol Rotunda to make that case. According […]
February 9, 2016

Years of Constant Budget-Cutting Show Kentucky Needs More Revenue

“Earlier last week, a coalition of 20 education, labor and social-service groups, calling itself Kentucky Together, announced a new initiative to make the case for raising state revenues for much-needed investments in public education and social services. Read more by Herald-Leader columnist Tom Eblen here.