Groundwork Ohio Roadshow 2026: Montgomery County
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On August 13, Groundwork Ohio’s 2026 Roadshow continued in Montgomery County, where members of our team spent the day listening, learning, and connecting with leaders working across business, government, and early childhood systems.
With two groups visiting different locations throughout the day, our team had the opportunity to learn more about the people, programs, and services supporting young children and families across the Dayton region.
Economic Conditions and the Realities Facing Families
One group began the day at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Breakfast, featuring a fireside chat between Chris Kershner, Dayton Area Chamber President and CEO, and Beth Hammack, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
The conversation offered a relevant look at the regional and national economies and the realities businesses and families are navigating within them. Hammack provided insights on inflation, interest rates, and the Federal Reserve’s role in balancing economic growth and price stability.
What resonated with Groundwork Ohio’s work is that economic indicators only tell part of the story. Behind the numbers are families making decisions about everyday needs like child care, housing, food, and transportation. Businesses may be optimistic about opportunities to grow and invest, but that growth ultimately depends on people—and on whether families have the support they need to participate fully in the workforce and local economy.
A Familiar Sign Along the Way
While traveling between stops in Dayton, our team spotted something familiar in the window of a home—a Groundwork Ohio sign from 2022!
Four years later, it was still there. It was a fun and unexpected reminder that the work can live beyond an event, campaign, or moment in time. People carry it with them—and sometimes, there will literally be signs.
Creating Strong Foundations Through Early Learning
Another group joined our friends from Children’s Hunger Alliance for a visit to Above and Beyond Enrichment Center, where we toured the center, learned about its programming and Gold Step Up To Quality rating, and had the opportunity to spend time with preschool-age children.
At Above and Beyond Enrichment Center, we saw what high-quality early childhood education looks like in practice.
The center’s approach focuses on nurturing the whole child while recognizing the family as an important part of a child’s development. Its programs serve children from infancy through school age and emphasize learning through play, social-emotional development, independence, creativity, and school readiness.
During our visit, we toured classrooms, learned more about the center’s approach to early learning, and spent time with preschoolers. It was an opportunity to see firsthand the relationships and learning environments that help children develop during some of the most important years of their lives.
The visit was also a reminder that child care is about much more than having somewhere for children to go while their parents work. High-quality programs give children opportunities to build the social, emotional, cognitive, language, and physical skills that form the foundation for kindergarten and beyond.
Above and Beyond describes that philosophy simply: “We Teach, We Learn, We Grow.”
Supporting Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Our team also visited Kids Thrive to learn more about infant and early childhood mental health in Montgomery County.
Kids Thrive provides intensive behavioral health services to children, including young children experiencing trauma and significant behavioral challenges. Staff described children who have struggled to remain in school or child care settings and families who often arrive unsure where to turn for help.
One of the clearest messages we heard was that Montgomery County has resources—but connecting families to those resources remains a significant challenge.
Parents may be trying to navigate a child’s behavioral health needs while also dealing with transportation challenges, food insecurity, work schedules, and other pressures. Kids Thrive staff described families who couldn’t get children to appointments because they lacked transportation or even food to send with them for the day.
“It’s hard to have parents prioritize their child’s mental health when they can’t navigate their basic needs.”
That observation captured one of the most important lessons from our Montgomery County visit: families don’t experience early childhood issues in isolation. Child care, mental health, health care, transportation, food security, and family economic stability are interconnected. When one part of that foundation becomes unstable, the effects can quickly ripple through the rest of a family’s life.
Early Intervention Can Change a Child’s Path
We also heard powerful examples of what can happen when families are able to access the right services.
Kids Thrive staff shared the story of a young child whose trauma and behavioral challenges made it extremely difficult to participate in school and other group settings. After receiving intensive services, the child was able to return to school. Staff emphasized that addressing these challenges early can help children build the skills they need before problems become even more difficult later in childhood and adolescence.
The Kids Thrive team also emphasized the importance of treating parents as partners. As one staff member tells families, “You are the expert on your child.” Rather than talking at parents, providers can work alongside them to understand what their child needs and identify a path forward.
Staff also raised concerns about changes affecting Medicaid-funded behavioral health services, including additional requirements to justify the intensity and duration of services children receive. For families already navigating significant barriers, maintaining access to appropriate care is critical.
Celebrating 10 Years of Preschool Promise
The day also included a stop at Preschool Promise for its annual Experience the Promise Luncheon and the organization’s 10th year serving children and families across Montgomery County.
The luncheon offered an immersive experience of Preschool Promise’s journey from the earliest years to today’s progress. It has worked alongside families, early childhood professionals, and community partners toward a shared goal: ensuring children across Montgomery County are ready for kindergarten and beyond.
In fact, 40% of Dayton preschoolers attending Preschool Promise sites are ready for kindergarten.
The luncheon offered an opportunity to reflect on that progress, celebrate the people who have championed the work, and look ahead to what the next decade can hold.
The celebration was also a reminder that strengthening early childhood systems requires sustained commitment. Communities need dedicated early childhood professionals, affordable and accessible high-quality care, engaged families, committed public leaders, and business leaders who recognize that supporting families is integral to a strong community.
What We’ll Carry Forward
From conversations about the regional economy to preschool classrooms, infant and early childhood mental health services, and community investment in early learning, our time in Montgomery County gave our team the opportunity to hear from different parts of the systems supporting young children and families.
Children need high-quality places to learn, play, and build relationships. Families need access to behavioral health services when challenges emerge. And they need systems that recognize that transportation, food, economic stability, health care, and child care can all affect whether a child can ultimately access the support they need.
Ohio’s economic future and the well-being of its youngest children are not separate conversations. The solutions will require the same kind of cross-sector collaboration we witnessed throughout our day in Dayton.
As Groundwork Ohio continues our Roadshow across Ohio’s 33 Senate districts, we’ll carry what we learned in Montgomery County with us—and ultimately share these lessons with Ohio’s next Governor, General Assembly, and other decision-makers.
Because when Ohio invests early, removes barriers, and supports the whole family, we give young children a stronger foundation for everything that comes next.
Learn More
Explore Groundwork Ohio's county fact sheets to learn more about the data behind this Roadshow stop.
