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Kentucky Children Rank High in Number of Negative Experiences Early in Life

A report says Kentucky has among the highest percentages of children who have had three or more adverse experiences in their homes.

Those experiences include divorce, an incarcerated parent or substance abuse in their homes. And research suggests that those experiences can negatively affect children for years.

The Kids Count: First Eight Years report released Monday says 10 percent of Kentucky kids have experienced three or more of those factors.

That’s ties Montana for the highest percentage in the U.S.

Terry Brooks from Kentucky Youth Advocates says the report points to a need for more coordination among those seeking to help children.

“We have to begin to think about young kids in that holistic context. We have to do that in Louisville city hall, we have to do that in a county courthouse in Harlan and we have to think about it in Frankfort."

The report also shows that 52 percent of Kentucky children are in families that live below 200-percent of the federal poverty level.

Joseph Lord is a Louisville native who was raised in Jeffersontown. He attended Western Kentucky University before covering public safety and later city government for The Anniston (Ala.) Star. He's also covered education for The Tribune and Evening News in southern Indiana and music and pop culture for Velocity, The Courier-Journal's weekly entertainment magazine.
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