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Community In-Site

April 2024, Podcast Guest

Community In-Site is a podcast about the family well-being movement. In Episode 1, Valerie Frost shares her journey from involvement in the child welfare system to leading multiple Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky initiatives.

Navigating the Child Welfare system in Kentucky

Building the Voices of Lived Experience: Lessons Learned from Navigating the System.

August 2024, Author

The purpose of this project was to gather the collective wisdom of individuals with lived experience in the child welfare system, in partnership with others who share similar experiences, to pass that knowledge forward to those entering the system. The report highlights findings from focus groups and interviews, offers recommendations for solutions, and contributes to a larger effort to share navigation and resource information for individuals involved in the child welfare system.

Child Care Assistance Program Recommendations

December 2021

This letter highlights challenges in enrolling and maintaining eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program in Kentucky, due to administrative burdens and barriers, while also offering recommendations for positive change.

Prevent Child Abuse America

August 2023, Podcast Guest

During the 2023 Prevent Child Abuse America National Conference, Valerie joined as a podcast guest to discuss the importance of creating protective conditions within communities to help families thrive. Rather than focusing on individual wellbeing gaps as risks and placing blame, she emphasizes the need for a community-centered approach to support families in reaching their full potential.

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Speaking Engagements and Trainings

• Parents from around the World Unite. 2024 International Virtual Conference: A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare. Virtual. October 2024. View ↗
• Community Well-Being through Co-Design & Economic Supports, A Whole-Family Approach. 2023 Child Support Enforcement Conference. Lexington, KY. October 2023.
• Community Well-being Through Co-Design, Inclusive of Father Voice. 2023 Fatherhood Summit. Lexington, KY. October 2023.
• Healthy Culture. Kentucky Fatherhood Summit. Lexington, KY. October 2022.
• Promoting Well-Being in Communities Through Prevention. Prevent Child Abuse America National Conference: Together for Prevention. Baltimore, MD. August 2023. View ↗
• Shifting to Support. Supportive Communities Conference. Bowling Green, KY. April 2023.
• Connecting the Dots: How to Serve as an Effective Backbone. Thriving Families, Safer Children Supplemental Session. Virtual. October 2024. View ↗
• Lived Experience Engagement training. Community Collaborations for Children Parent Retreat. Slade, KY. August 2024. 
• Mapping the System: Collaborative Navigation to Improve Child Welfare Outcomes. Family & Juvenile Services training conference. Frankfort, KY. August 2024.
• Proximate Engagement: About Us, With Us. Kids Are Worth It!® Conference. Lexington, KY. September 2024. 
• Updating the WIC Food Packages to Boost Healthy Eating Patterns. National WIC Association: National Policy Conference. Virtual. February 2023.
• Advances & Challenges in Community Based Responses for Reducing the Prevalence of Child Maltreatment. 11th Annual Child Abuse Prevention: Be Heroes in the Stories of Our Children. Morehead, Kentucky. April 2023.
• Advocacy and Lived Experience. 2024 Office of Women Ambassadors Training Program. Louisville, KY.  February 2024.
• Building the Voices of Lived Experience Panel. Southern Bluegrass Citizen Review Panel’s A Conversation on Collaboration Conference. Lexington, KY. April 2024. 
• Prevent Child Abuse America and Chapin Hall Panel. Virtual Child Tax Credit (CTC) Convening. Virtual. May 2023.

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Media and Print Coverage 

Lexington Herald Leader

• “Parent voices can and will transform Kentucky’s child welfare system.” June 27, 2024
• “Foster care should be a temporary situation before families are reunited.” July 6, 2023

National WIC Association

• THE STATE OF WIC:  Building the Bridge to a Healthier Future. February 2023

Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky

• Lean on Me Toolkit: “Advocating for Yourself and Others.” March 2023

Face It® Movement

• “Being an Emotionally Safe Parent.” July 2024
• “Investing in Parents Supports Child Well-Being.” September 2023
• “Pay It Forward: Be the Community Families Need to Succeed.” May 2023
• “The Facts on Mothers: Celebrating Moms!” May 2023
• “Resilient Parenting is Safe Parenting – Finding Ways to Cope” April 2023
• “What is a parent?” April 2023
• “Investigations of Child Abuse and Neglect: What If It Is Your Child?” February 2023
• “Having courageous conversations with your kiddos.” January 2023
• “My Hands ARE Full, Can You Lend Yours?” December 2022
• “Parent Perspective: Protect My Children With Me, Not Against Me.” October 2022
• “Parent Perspective: What I Say (And Don’t Say) About Violence Speaks to My Kids” October 2022
• “National Literacy Month.” September 2022

Kentucky Youth Advocates

• “Child Safety Starts with Parent Safety.” October 2024
• “Who is Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky?” June 2024
• “Step with Us Through the Kentucky Child and Family Wellbeing System Website Launch!” May 2024
• “Connecting Communities to Support Families and Well-Being: Regional Convenings.” April 2024
• “Smile for Child Abuse: A Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky Message.” April 2024
• “Here’s to Another Year of Promoting a Well-Being System!” February 2024
• “All Hands on Deck for Supported, Thriving Kentucky Families and Communities: What’s Happening Now?” October 2023
• “Regions Taking Action for Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky.” September 2023
• “Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky in 2023 and Beyond: What to Expect.” March 2023
• “Building the Voices of Lived Experience: Lessons Learned from Navigating the System.” December 2023
• “When We All Do Our Part, Families Make It: An End of Year Thriving Families, Safer Children Reflection.” December 2023
• “KY SEAT Celebrates One Year of Parent Voice.” July 2023
• “Kentucky Continues Making Strides Toward Family Well-being.” May 2023
• “Introducing KY SEAT: Ensuring Parent Voice has a SEAT at the Table.” November 2022
• “Update on Kentucky’s Thriving Families, Safer Children Efforts.” September 2022
• “Join us in Recognizing and Celebrating Reunification Month.” June 2022

Motherly

• “I’m a single mom—and I’m judged differently on my parenting because of it.” August 25, 2020

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Events

Organized by Valerie

• Level Up Lived Experience: The HOW Behind the WHY. Virtual Training Session. March 2025. Report ↗
• Regional Prevention Collaboratives’ Re-Visioning Sessions. May-September 2024.
• Department for Community Based Services’ Trusted Advisor Council Collaboration Celebration. July 2024.

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Resources

Authored by Valerie

• Action Plan Implementation FAQ. June 2023. View ↗
• Building the Voices of Lived Experience: Lessons Learned from Navigating the System Resource Cards and Website. May 2024. View ↗
• Community Action Plan Toolkit. March 2023. View ↗
• “2024 The Child Tax Credit Families Families Really Need Information Brief.” Prevent Child Abuse America, May 2024. View ↗
• Lived Experience Engagement Tipsheet. June 2024. View ↗
• PCAA Presentation: Promoting Well-Being in Communities. October 2023. View ↗
• Remote Learning During COVID +’s & -‘s. 2021. View ↗ 

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Community Engagement

• University of Kentucky, College of Public Health, Department of Health Management and Policy
  Subject Matter Expert Consultant & Facilitator. Jan 2025-present.
  
• Kentucky Chamber Foundation, the Kentucky Chamber Center for Policy and Research, and the Converge Center for Policy Resolution, Kentucky Collaborative on Child Care
  Member. 2024.
  Press Release ↗
  The Kentucky Collaborative on Child Care convenes a stakeholder group of leaders from different backgrounds and empower them with professional support as they work to find consensus around durable, long-term solutions to child care challenges in the Commonwealth.
  
• Casey Family Programs, Elevating Voices of Community Collaborative
  Member. July 2024-present.
  A learning collaborative for impacted parents representing the southern states who are creating positive changes in the areas of child welfare, family support, and community development.
  
• Community In-Site Podcast
  Host. Jan 2025-present. Podcast Landing Page: Meet Your Host ↗
  Development and Marketing Team Member. Jan 2024-present.
  “Community In-Site Podcast Debuts” by the Annie E. Casey Foundation ↗
  A podcast about the family well-being movement.
  
• The Department for Community Based Services’ Trusted Advisor Council
  Facilitator and Coordinator. September 2022-August 2024.
  Video ↗
  An advisory council comprised of birth parents, fathers, relative and fictive kin caregivers, foster parents, and former foster youth. 
  
• National WIC Association WIC Participant Advisory Council
  Council member. August 2022- July 2023.
  Press Release ↗
  Share WIC expertise and experience with the National WIC Association.
  
• Kentucky System Experience at the Table (KY SEAT)
  Council Developer and Coordinator. March 2022-August 2024
  KY SEAT ↗
  KY Seat Member: Valerie Frost ↗
  Kentucky’s statewide birth parent advisory council. Valerie Frost developed and coordinated Kentucky’s first statewide birth parent advisory council for parents with child welfare system involvement.
  
  Valerie introducing the council at the Kentucky State Fair.
• Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky Site Team
  Member and Co-Lead. 2021-present.
  TFSCKY – Kentucky Youth Advocates ↗
  Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky is a collaboration of statewide partners, including individuals with lived experience, rethinking child welfare by creating conditions for strong, healthy communities where families are supported and children are free from harm.
  
• The Child Care For Every Family Network (CC4EFN) Parent Family Leadership Group
  Member. 2021-2022.
  A national network of parents, child care providers and advocates.
  
• Kentucky Food Action Network
  Steering Committee Member. 2020-2022.
  2021 KY Food Policy Network Planning Committee – Community Farm Alliance ↗
  The Kentucky Food Action Network (KFAN) is a collective of individuals and organizations united under the common purpose of creating accessible and resilient food systems that prioritize the health of Kentuckians and the land across our Commonwealth by nurturing all aspects of Kentucky’s food system, from the producer to the consumer.
  
• The Prichard Committee
  Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) Fellowship Candidate. 2020-2021.
  Groundswell Action Spotlight ↗
  The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) is a continuum of engagement and leadership development for families, schools and communities to increase academic success of Kentucky students and progress of Kentucky’s public schools.