From Listening to Action: Shaping Ohio’s Next Early Childhood Policy Agenda

By: Brittany Boulton Vice President, Groundwork Ohio

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Groundwork Ohio is leading a powerful statewide early childhood movement, securing state policy and investments to meet the growing needs of young children and families. You play a crucial role in this movement, which transcends Ohio’s policy landscape and political climate. Our collective effort champions policies with both a long-term strategy and immediate impact. Amidst the noise of constant information, voices, and real needs, we stay focused, strategic, and accountable to our data-driven policy framework, ensuring tangible progress toward our mission and vision.

One of the tools we use to hold ourselves accountable to our mission and vision is our Policy Framework. This framework helps define which policies are within the scope of our mission based on data and evidence. We advance policies that change the factors that result in outcomes supporting young children in Ohio who are healthy and ready to learn.

When it comes to determining which policies will advance our mission, Groundwork deploys a robust and adaptable process to craft our policy agenda, uniquely unfolding every two years. This flexibility allows us to respond swiftly to challenges and seize opportunities. The foundation of our progress lies in trusted relationships, built over more than two decades, that continue to propel growth and impact. As our advocacy tools and reach expand, our policy process evolves – engaging a broader array of voices through diverse tactics, channels, and platforms. This dynamic approach requires us to evaluate a wide spectrum of interests and weigh them against opportunities.

What We Learned from the Last Roadshow Tour

Throughout the spring and summer of 2024, we traveled across Ohio to hear directly from the people who know their communities best – families, early childhood professionals, health care providers, business leaders, advocates and community partners.

The reach was significant: 13 communities visited, 55 Ohio counties represented, 100 panelists and presenters, 21 discussion panels, 174 survey respondents, and 869 post-it notes capturing how early childhood data resonated in local communities.

While each community brought unique perspectives, several shared themes emerged. Ohioans consistently identified challenges related to affordable and accessible high-quality child care, health care access, basic needs, and workforce capacity. We also heard about the power of local innovation, where communities are developing creative partnerships and solutions. Those voices helped shape Driving Change: Groundwork Ohio’s Policy Roadmap and our FY26-27 policy agenda.

That work contributed to meaningful gains and investment for young children and families, including more than $89 million in new state investment. View our budget summary here.

From Listening to Action

As we continue shaping what comes next, Groundwork Ohio is once again focused on gathering input from key stakeholders and advocates to assess Ohio’s early childhood landscape.

That means getting back on the road.

Throughout the 2026 Roadshow Listening Tour, our team is meeting with families, business leaders, local elected officials, early childhood professionals, and community partners across Ohio. Through community conversations, business roundtables, site visits, and other engagement opportunities, we are listening for what has changed since 2024, what challenges remain, and what solutions are emerging locally.

1. Join us at a Roadshow Listening Tour event in your community between August and October 2026. We’ve visited Wayne, Holmes, Lorain, Montgomery, Miami, and Preble Counties so far, where we’ve hosted events with partners across Ohio’s urban and rural communities. We’re reaching out to diverse audiences, including families, community leaders, early childhood professionals, business leaders, and local and state policymakers. In each community, we’re exploring the most significant opportunities and challenges faced by young children and families. We can’t wait to see you there!

2. Take our Policy Survey. We invite you to share your feedback in this survey as part of our statewide data gathering about the status of Ohio’s young children, which informs our policy work.

3. Share your experience, work, stories, and data with our team to collaborate on supporting young children and families. Connect with Vanessa Butler, Senior Director of Community Relations, or Caitlin Feasby, Managing Director of Policy. They’ll get you plugged in!

4. Amplify the movement with your support. Your generous gift ensures the ongoing resources needed to drive our policy agenda process and make a lasting impact. Join us in

driving change!