Groundwork Ohio Calls on Senate to Restore $1.3B for Kids and Working Families

June 5, 2025 – Columbus, OH — In testimony today before the Ohio Senate Finance Committee, Groundwork Ohio President & CEO Lynanne Gutierrez urged lawmakers to restore $1.3 billion in proposed investments for Ohio’s youngest children and working families that were removed from Governor Mike DeWine’s budget proposal.

“Ohio families are doing everything right,” Gutierrez told lawmakers. “They’re working hard, raising kids, and keeping our economy moving. They deserve a budget that recognizes their contribution and meets them with the support they need.”

The Senate’s current proposal omits Governor DeWine’s new refundable Child Tax Credit, underfunds the expansion of child care through his proposed Child Care Choice voucher program, and scales back or eliminates important investments in maternal and infant health. These changes come at a time when families across the state are navigating rising costs and limited access to essential services.

“These aren’t just policy differences—they’re a test of priorities. These decisions affect real families and young children at the most critical stage of development,” Gutierrez said. “We can either invest in the families who make Ohio strong, or we can continue asking them to do more with less.”

Groundwork Ohio is urging the General Assembly to realign the budget with the Governor’s pro-family vision—and reject cuts that undermine the very people keeping Ohio’s economy moving.

“While working parents are scraping to cover child care, this budget prioritizes costly private projects that offer little relief to the families raising Ohio’s future,” said Gutierrez. “That’s not a family-first budget. That’s a missed opportunity.”

“Ohio’s working families aren’t asking for special treatment. They’re asking for the basics—child care they can afford, health care for their babies, and a fair shot to build a future,” Gutierrez said. “If the budget doesn’t work for kids and families, it doesn’t work for Ohio.”

# # #

About Groundwork Ohio

Groundwork Ohio is a nonpartisan public-policy research and advocacy organization that champions high-quality early learning and healthy development strategies from the prenatal period to age 5, that lay a strong foundation for Ohio kids, families, and communities. We advance quality early childhood systems in Ohio by engaging, educating, and mobilizing diverse stakeholders and strategic partners to promote data driven and evidence-based early childhood policies.