Child care, juvenile justice and education were all topics as the Kentucky youth advocates met yesterday.

The group brought together lawmakers and organizations working for children's well-being to discuss priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

Kentucky Additions.

June Leffler has more.

I will tell you that our priority when it comes to early childhood is around the child care sector.

COVID relief funding that went directly to child care providers to keep them afloat has already or will run out soon.

Ensuring there are still child care options for parents is essential for keeping people in the workforce and out of poverty, say some lawmakers currently.

I looked at the numbers in September.

Kentucky ranks 46 in the labor workforce participation rate in this country.

So I think that is one area we can look at.

Is there life for us as a state to supplement, if not all, some child care dollars that came down?

I think the big arena that policy is going to matter the most is around juvenile justice because there are some very thoughtful proposals out there that will protect community safety and help kids.

There are also some juvenile justice proposals out there that are really dangerous.

They're dangerous for kids and they're dangerous for communities.

Kentucky House Republicans have already unveiled a tough on crime bill that some Democrats say is alarmist, overly punitive and may not increase public safety.

Some of these proposals are reactionary.

They do not get the root causes.

They are not even Band-Aids.

This is going to remove what I consider to be the worst in us in dealing with difficult problems.

We've got to face it that way.

I admire and respect my colleagues, but I will not take steps to prevent the crime is on people's minds.

And that's why my Republican colleagues in Jefferson County are working on this issues, because that's what they're hearing from their constituents.

But I think it goes back to if someone feels like they have no hope, they're going to get in that group, they're going to get in that gang.

And we have to give our young people.

They have to see how they have to see opportunity.

We've got to look upstream.

We know there are important ways to prevent kids from getting in trouble.

We know there are various effective diversion programs that when a kid has made a mistake.

Do we want to simply punish or do we want to put them on the right track?

So, you know, we're going to probably have a flat out fight around juvenile justice, and we're prepared for that.

Representative Tipton says he's working on legislation to improve Kentucky's students math scores.

Senator Nil says he wants to see a larger investment in education, which he says has been underfunded in recent years.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm June Leffler.

Lawmakers will hash out the state budget in the upcoming session.

But just how big that budget be.

We'll hear more next week from those that want to dip into the rainy day fund and those who want to keep it growing.