Over the past several months, Ohioans watched closely as Mike DeWine and Richard Cordray campaigned to be our next governor. Throughout the neck and neck race, the two candidates found common ground on what we believe is the most important issue: Ohio's youngest children. For the first time in Ohio history, both candidates made early childhood education and health a central part of their campaign platform. On Election Day, we were comforted to know that no matter who was elected, Ohio kids would win. On Tuesday, Ohio elected Mike DeWine to be our next governor... so what does this mean for Ohio kids? Governor-Elect DeWine laid out his platform for investing in early learning in his Kids Agenda and emphasized these plans at the Vote for Ohio Kids Leadership Forum. Among other investments, Governor-Elect DeWine plans to
Increase investments in Publicly Funded Child Care by $150 million over the first biennial budget. He plans to expand PFCC eligibility to 150% FPL and fully fund quality to reach Ohio’s goal of all PFCC providers entering our quality rating and improvement system by 2020 and reaching “high-quality” by 2025.
Triple the number of families served by evidence-based home visiting
Continue to grow Ohio's public preschool program
Create a cabinet-level Director of Children’s Initiatives to coordinate children’s programs across all state agencies so they work better for the people they serve
Governor-Elect DeWine has already appointed LeeAnne Cornyn as the Director of Children's Initiatives, a new cabinet-level position within the DeWine Administration. Now we're focused on the future; Ohio's biennial budget cycle is right around the corner. It's time to make sure that Governor-Elect DeWine's strong Kids Agenda becomes real gains for our littlest Ohioans! Want to help us ensure Ohio's next budget includes increased investments for Ohio's early care and education programs? Join us for our 2019 Budget Advocacy Day!
SAVE THE DATE
On May 8, 2019 early childhood stakeholders from across the state of Ohio will come together in Columbus to bring awareness to the importance of investments in early childhood education and communicate this important information to our legislators. We need your help to make sure the importance of early education issues rings loud and clear!
