Beyond the Statehouse: Centering Family Voice in Ohio’s Early Childhood Systems

Written By: Dominique Johnson, Policy Associate at Groundwork Ohio.

Groundwork Ohio President & CEO Lynanne Gutierrez and Policy Associate Dominique Johnson traveled to Cincinnati on May 1 for a day of conversations with decision-makers, families, early learning leaders, and community partners.

Across every discussion, one message remained clear: improving outcomes for young children requires systems and policies that are shaped by the realities families face every day. The visit reflected the many layers of Groundwork’s mission, connecting policy, practice, and family voice in meaningful ways.

Lynanne and Dominique began the day by participating in a policy and advocacy panel hosted by the bi3 Fund alongside Ohio Representative Andrea White (R-Kettering) and Ohio Department of Children and Youth Director Kara B. Wente. The panel was moderated by Christie Kuhns, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio. The discussion focused on improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Ohio and highlighted the importance of centering family voices in the policymaking process. Panelists reflected on how lived experience can shape more responsive systems and policies at a time when too many Ohio families continue to face significant challenges during pregnancy, birth, and early childhood.

Those themes became even more tangible in a conversation later that morning with three mothers from Groundwork Ohio’s Family Action Network, who shared their hopes for their children and the barriers they navigate every day while trying to provide strong early experiences and opportunities. Families spoke candidly about rising costs, the challenge of securing child care, particularly for children with disabilities, and the difficulty of balancing child care needs with unpredictable work schedules. The conversation served as a reminder that advocacy is built through relationships and lived experiences long before policy debates occur in committee rooms or legislative hearings.

The challenges families described surfaced repeatedly throughout the day. During a visit to Learning Grove, a nonprofit early learning center serving families across the Cincinnati region, Executive Director and Groundwork Ohio Early Learning Advisory Council member Patti Gleason shared the realities many families face in accessing affordable, high-quality child care. The Groundwork team toured classrooms intentionally designed to create warm, welcoming spaces for children and families across the socioeconomic spectrum. They saw first hand the ways the center is designed to be accessible for families rather than feeling sterile or institutional. The classrooms centered comfort, safety, and connection, with cozy reading areas for parents and thoughtful touches that reflected each child’s individual needs. 

What we heard from families earlier in the day was reflected in the broader statewide child care landscape. Ohio is among the lowest in the nation for initial eligibility for publicly funded child care (PFCC). Even families who qualify for a child care subsidy often struggle to find an available placement or a program that meets their needs. While progress has been made in recent years, too many families still face barriers to accessing the care and early learning opportunities they need to best meet their child’s needs.

Those conversations continued with Chara Fisher Jackson, Executive Director of Preschool Promise and a member of Groundwork Ohio’s Early Learning Advisory Council. This discussion centered on expanding access to high-quality preschools, improving kindergarten readiness, and the importance of ensuring families can realistically access early learning opportunities for their children during the most critical years of development, as well as the need for leaders at all levels of government to support policies and budget investments that prioritize children and families.

The day concluded at the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, where the Groundwork team met Candace Wang, Vice President for Education, to discuss funding strategies and the importance of long-term investment in community partnerships. Together, the team discussed the important role advocacy organizations play in sustaining this work over time.

As state leadership and priorities shift over time with ever-evolving political environments, advocacy organizations help ensure that the needs of children remain at the center of decision-making, and that families do not lose visibility in policy conversations.

Every conversation reaffirmed that improving outcomes for children is not the result of one system or one solution. It requires alignment across health care, early learning, policy, and community supports, and meaningful engagement with families. Policies and system solutions that are effective in meeting the real needs of families require we expand outside of the systems themselves and into communities, keeping families with young children at the center as the experts in their own experiences.