Kentucky Youth Advocates release 2024 Kentucky kids count data book

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky Youth Advocates has released its 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book, which evaluates the overall well being of Kentucky's children.

The data book measures children on 16 areas such as child health, education, economic security and family and community throughout all 120 counties in the Commonwealth.

This year, the 34th edition of the Data Book, the data is accessible through a new interactive County Data Dashboard.

"While the Data Book still offers that statewide look at how children and families are faring, the online County Data Dashboard presents data at the county and school district-level in a way that allows users to compare to baseline data, to neighboring counties, and to how the state fares overall,” Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said in a news release.

In addition to the standard measures, the Data Book measures the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE) in regards to economic security, education, health, and family and community.

“Nearly one in four Kentucky kids have experienced at least two ACEs – within the abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction categories – and we know those traumatic events can increase the risk for developing health issues and engaging in risky decision-making into adulthood," Brooks said.

Overall, Kentucky saw improvement in 11 of the 16 categories being evaluated, but is still coming up short in other areas.

For child poverty, one in five children, or 21%, in Kentucky still live in poverty, and of that, 38% are Black children and 28% Latinx children compared to only 18% white children.

In 2022, one in five, or 21%, of Kentucky children lived in food insecure households, and currently, 36 counties show a rate of 25% or higher.