As you may recall, on March 22nd, Congress passed an omnibus spending bill to fund government for the remainder of FY 2018. The final FY 2018 bill included an increase of $2.4 billion for the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) – raising total federal funding for CCDBG from $5.8 billion in 2017 to $8.1 billion in 2018. This is the largest one-year increase in federal funding for child care in history. Congress’s intent in providing these additional funds was to implement the reauthorization of the CCDBG Act including health, safety, and quality improvements. Congress stated that the funding will increase access to affordable, high-quality child care to more low-income, working families. The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has estimated that after the reauthorization costs are met, an additional 151,000 additional children could gain child care assistance. The actual number of children served will depend on states’ current compliance with the reauthorization as well as state policy choices, including quality initiatives and provider payment rates.
Ohio is required to submit a State Plan that describes its policies and programs in order to ensure compliance with the CCDBG reauthorization. As the state considers how to comply with the reauthorization and spend the additional funds from the CCDBG increase, stakeholders are invited to weigh-in as to how the state can best use new money to advance our child care system. Accordingly, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Bureau of Child Care Policy & Technical Assistance has shared the Child Care and Development Fund State Plan and will be accepting public comment from April 26, 2018 – May 17, 2018. A public hearing will also be held on Thursday, May 17, 2018 beginning at 10 am and continuing until all testimony has been heard. Comments may be submitted electronically by 5 PM on May 17, 2018.
The draft State Plan is available here.
More information about giving testimony or commenting can be found here.
The results are in. Ohio voters have chosen Richard Cordray and Mike DeWine as the Democratic and Republican candidates for Ohio’s next governor. As we move closer to the general election in November, Groundwork is committed to ensuring that our next governor—no matter who it is—commits to prioritizing our youngest Ohioans. Through the Vote for Ohio Kids campaign and our partnership with the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, we are committed to making early childhood education and healthcare issues a top priority for both voters and the gubernatorial candidate.
Check out the Vote for Ohio Kids website to learn more.
Groundwork Ohio has embarked on a comprehensive data analysis and communications project that examines race and rural equity in child outcomes from birth through career readiness. In preparation for the release of our full Ohio Early Childhood Race and Rural Equity Report this summer, Groundwork has released two introductory resources to help set the framework for the project: Unearthing Fairness for Ohio Kids and Brains are Built… Not Born. We encourage you to explore and share these resources, check out our Race and Rural Equity webpage, and look for the full report to be released early this summer!
CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND ADVOCACY DAY Wednesday, May 23rd Join the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, for the 2018 CDF-Ohio Advocacy Day. Child advocacy leaders, providers, young people, and families from across the state will come together to raise awareness about the needs of Ohio’s children and families with our state leaders and legislators. The day will include valuable opportunities to learn and share with our state leaders. The event will also include a number of special guests (to be announced), lunch, and briefings with legislative offices. Click here to register.