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This updates state law to strengthen and modernize CASA programs so volunteers can more effectively advocate for abused and neglected children. The legislation also expands opportunities for volunteer recruitment and improves program structure, helping move Kentucky closer to serving children in every county.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book shows a mixed picture of child well-being in the U.S., with progress in areas like health coverage and graduation rates alongside declines in education and ongoing economic challenges. Overall, the report highlights that where a child lives still plays a major role in their outcomes, with persistent disparities across states and communities.

 The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) was signed in to law in February 2018 as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act (HR. 1892). Its purpose was to turn the focus of the child welfare system toward keeping children safely with their families to avoid the trauma that results when children are placed in out-of-home care. 

In its 35th year of publication, the KIDS COUNT® Data Book focuses on students’ lack of basic reading and math skills, a problem decades in the making but brought to light by the focus on learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unprecedented drops in learning from 2019 to 2022 amounted to decades of lost progress. Chronic absence has sharply increased, particularly among children living in poverty who struggle to consistently return to their regular school day routines.