By: Jeremy Kelley Access article Senate Republicans proposed big changes to Ohio’s system of child care for low-income families last week, but opponents argue the plan will hurt the development of Ohio’s children.
Under the Senate’s budget proposal, child care providers would no longer have to meet certain quality standards to serve children in Ohio’s publicly funded child care system...
...Advocates of the Step Up to Quality system pointed to studies showing that star-rated child care programs prepare Ohio children better for kindergarten. They also cited a new University of Cincinnati report finding that high-quality child care generates a 10% annual return on public investment.
“The Senate is not only throwing away money that the state has invested (in recent years), they are also jeopardizing the local investment that we have made,” Lightcap said, pointing to city and county spending on early childhood improvements, as well as tax levies that residents in Dayton, Cincinnati and other cities have approved for that purpose.
“Eliminating Step Up to Quality would be a betrayal and a reckless use of federal and state funding for our children,” she said.