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Child abuse reporting dropped during the pandemic, and advocates said strengthening the state's system to ensure suspected cases of child maltreatment are communicated to the appropriate external agencies is one of their top priorities this year. Annie Boggs, board member of Kentucky Youth Advocates, is one of hundreds of advocates who gathered on Wednesday at the Capitol in Frankfort to promote improved child abuse reporting and other priorities on the group's Blueprint for Kentucky's Children. She said it is critical to ensure kids who have experienced abuse have the resources and wraparou...

Massachusetts lawmakers joined advocates for early childhood education and child care workers on Tuesday to press for federal child care relief legislation. One in four parents reports being fired from their jobs due to a lack of consistent and affordable child care, costing the nation about $122 billion annually in lost wages and tax revenue. Rep. ...

A bill in the Pennsylvania General Assembly would amend the state Constitution to allow more adult victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue their abusers. Senate Bill 1 would open a two-year retroactive window for lawsuits by victims of sexual abuse who were otherwise time-barred from bringing claims. Terry Clark president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services, said in 2019, the state extended the civil statute of limitations for child sexual-abuse victims to file suit, from age 30 to age 55. ...

Many of California's 13.5 million children and teens have not bounced back after the pandemic, especially children of color, according to the just-released 2023 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being. The report showcases data from all 58 counties and shows wide disparities in indicators of health, education and more. Kelly Hardy, senior managing director of health and research at Children Now, said anti-poverty measures during COVID helped a lot, but they were just temporary. ...