Making Kids Count

Making Kids Count

Welcome to the Making KIDS COUNT podcast brought to you by Kentucky Youth Advocates, where we sit down with policymakers, community leaders, and youth and discuss ideas to make Kentucky the best place to be young.

Episodes

August 12, 2026 31 mins

Dr. Shannon Moody is joined by three grantmaking partners in the Bloom Kentucky initiative: Allison Adams, President and CEO of the Foundation for Healthy Kentucky; Kristin Walker Collins, CEO of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky; and Sonya Carrico, Director of Policy at Interact for Health. They discuss Bloom Kentucky’s five years of impact in policy change, community engagement, and youth empowerment. Learn more at ky...

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leDr. Shannon Moody is joined by KYA’s Senior Policy & Advocacy Director, Alicia Whately, and Data & Research Director, Karena Cash, to discuss their recent presentation to the Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children in Frankfort. They dig into Kentucky’s child well-being trends in the latest national KIDS COUNT Data Book and highlight the big opportunity for communities and the state to get ready for t...

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Guest host Mara Powell talks with Dr. Shannon Moody, KYA’s new executive director. They discuss what led Shannon to KYA, her reflections on the challenges and opportunities in child advocacy, and her hopes and vision for the podcast and the organization, especially as KYA embarks on its 50th year in 2027. 

Thank you to Aetna Better Health of Kentucky for supporting the Making Kids Count Podcast. Visit AetnaMedicaidKY.com/...

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Guest host Shannon Moody is joined by three community leaders and experts to discuss youth mental health and the impacts of social media. Guests include state Representative Kim Moser of Kenton County, Sarah Kidder, Executive Director of the Kentucky Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, and Dr. Amy Brausch, a licensed clinical psychologist and scholar with the LifeSkills Center for Child Welfare Education and Research at Western Ken...

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Shannon Moody is joined by three statewide child advocacy partners to reflect on themes, wins, and challenges of the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly and the impact on children and families. Guests include Nickie Jones, Executive Director of Family Enrichment Center, Inc. in Bowling Green, Liz McQuillen, Chief Policy Officer at Metro United Way in Louisville, and Shane Noem, President of Roebling Solutions and a Kentucky Youth Advoca...

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Guest host Alicia Whatley is joined by three leaders for a conversation on the current state of child nutrition in Kentucky. Guests include Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, state Senator Jason Howell, and Stephanie Utley, Director of School Nutrition at LaRue County Schools and President of the Kentucky School Nutrition Association.Thank you to Aetna Better Health of Kentucky for supporting the Making Kids Count Podcast. Vi...

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Terry Brooks is joined by state Auditor of Public Accounts Allison Ball to discuss the Office of the Ombudsman's recent report on foster children in Nontraditional Placements (NTP) across the Commonwealth, such as Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) offices, state parks, and hotels.Thank you to Aetna Better Health of Kentucky for supporting the Making Kids Count Podcast. Visit AetnaMedicaidKY.com/choose to learn more abo...

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Guest host Shannon Moody is joined by Jane Herms, president and CEO of Family Nurturing Center in NKY; Sonja Grey, executive director of ECHO; and Laura Wills-Coppelman, co-founder of ICKY Schools. This panel of advocates discuss several bills being considered by the General Assembly to address and prevent child sexual abuse and grooming. Learn more about the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2026 priorities at kyyouth.org/...

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On March 4th, youth, advocates, and leaders from across the Commonwealth joined Kentucky Youth Advocates for the 2026 Children's Advocacy Day at the Capitol and the first ever Town Hall on Kentucky Kids. In addition to remarks from a young person and adult advocates, attendees heard a conversation with a panel of state legislative leaders, including Senate President Pro Tem David Givens, House Speaker David Osborne, and Senate Mino...

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February 24, 2026 30 mins
Guest host Shannon Moody is joined by three community leaders to discuss the importance of meeting families’ basic needs in efforts to mitigate Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the intersection with Bloom Kentucky’s state policy priorities. Guests include Lacy Boling, Executive Director, Paducah Cooperative Ministries; Sara Hemingway, Executive Director, Marilyn and William Young Foundation in Owensboro; and Tim...

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Guest host Shannon Moody is joined by the Chairs of the Families and Children Committees, Senator Danny Carroll and Representative Samara Heavrin, to discuss the foci of their respective committees this session, including child care, child welfare, and child safety. Learn more about the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2026 priorities at kyyouth.org/blueprintKY. Thank you to Aetna Better Health of Kentucky for supporting ...

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Guest host Shannon Moody is joined by Representative Stephanie Dietz and Family Court Judge Marcus Vanover to discuss child welfare courts, quality legal representation, and the 2026 state legislative session. Learn more about the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2026 priorities at kyyouth.org/blueprintKY. Check out the Strengthening Legal Representation for Kentucky Families issue brief at kyyouth.org/publications/. Than...

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December 30, 2025 25 mins
Guest host Shannon Moody is joined by Shane Noem, a Republican lobbyist from Northern Kentucky with Roebling Solutions and a Kentucky Youth Advocates board member, Jared Smith, partner at the government and public relations firm Piper Smith based in Lexington, and Alicia Whatley, KYA’s Senior Policy and Advocacy Director. They discuss what to expect in the 2026 legislative session, including priorities impacting kids, state ...

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Terry Brooks shares reflections on the 2025 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard, including trends of the latest child well-being data in economic security, education, health, and family and community. Additionally, Shannon Moody is joined by members of the Make America Health Again Kentucky Taskforce, Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer and Representative Adam Moore. They discuss the taskforce’s focus on child nutrition and food a...

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Guest host Shannon Moody is joined by Dr. Wendy Ellis, the Founding Director of the Center for Community Resilience at George Washington University, researcher and assistant professor, Dr. Courtnee Melton-Fant, as well as Barry Allen of The Gheens Foundation and Hannah Edelen with Bloom Kentucky. They discuss the latest report from KYA and Bloom Kentucky titled: The Economic Impact of ACEs in Kentucky and implications and opportun...

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October 1, 2025 36 mins
Guest host Shannon Moody is joined by Allison Adams, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus on Children, and Alicia Whatley, Senior Policy & Advocacy Director at Kentucky Youth Advocates. The advocates discuss the “Make America Healthy Again” movement – nationally and in Kentucky – and the impact on child health and well-being. Thank you to Ae...

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Terry Brooks is joined by Dr. Marty Pollio, former superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and incoming president of Ivy Tech Community College, to discuss the state of K-12 education, reflections from his time at JCPS, and opportunities for all community members to continue supporting kids in school settings. Thank you to Aetna Better Health of Kentucky for supporting the Making Kids Count Podcast. Visit AetnaMed...

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Terry Brooks is joined by Larry Craig, Executive Committee member of the Kosair for Kids Board of Directors and owner of Craig & Landreth Cars; Dr. Jerry Rabalais, member of the Kosair for Kids Advisory Council and Emeritus Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Louisville; and Dr. Shannon Moody, Chief Policy & Strategy Officer at Kentucky Youth Advocates and lead of the Kosair for Kids Face It Moveme...

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Guest host Alicia Whatley is joined by three Kentucky young people: Phoenix Berry, a member of KYA’s 2025 Housing Policy Ambassadors cohort from Lexington; Kiera Dunk, 10th grade student and child abuse prevention advocate from Oldham County; and, Griffin Nemeth, the Youth Advisory Board Coordinator for the #iCANendthetrend program at the University of Kentucky. They discuss their advocacy journeys and share their tips for ot...

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Guest host Cortney Downs is joined by state Representative Nick Wilson, Amanda Hall of Dream.org, and Sarah Durand of KYFREE for a discussion on House Bill 291, known as the Family Preservation and Accountability Act. They dive into the impact of parental incarceration on children, communities, and the state economy. HB 291 is a Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priority bill that would require the courts to consider alternat...

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