Groundwork Ohio Roadshow 2026: Warren County
On September 8, Groundwork Ohio continued its Roadshow in Warren County, visiting South Lebanon Early Learning Center to hear directly from families, early childhood educators, community leaders, and policymakers about what it takes to build a strong early childhood system.
The visit began with a tour of the center alongside Senator Steve Wilson (Senate District 7), Randy Chenault from Senator Jon Husted’s office, and Julie Stone, Executive Director of the Ohio Head Start Association, Inc. Senator Wilson has a long history with the site, having first visited when the building was an elementary school nearly 50 years ago. During the tour, he also joined a classroom to read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? to a group of young children.
The group then gathered for a roundtable discussion with center staff, parents, community leaders, and state representatives to talk about the importance of child care and Head Start—and the challenges facing the early childhood workforce.
What We Heard
Head Start makes a difference for children and families. One parent shared how difficult it was to afford child care while balancing school and a military family’s needs. Head Start ultimately provided a pathway for her family to enter the workforce while giving her son access to early intervention, speech therapy, behavioral health supports, and a safe learning environment. As he enters kindergarten, he is already significantly ahead of where he was expected to be.
Educators echoed that impact. One teacher described Head Start as “powerful work,” emphasizing that it is much more than simply providing care. Early detection and intervention, support for families, and connections to other services can have lasting effects on children’s development.
But families cannot benefit from programs they cannot access. Participants discussed the difficulty of finding care for infants and toddlers and children with disabilities, as well as the ongoing shortage of early childhood educators. Participants emphasized that simply increasing classroom ratios is not the answer—Ohio needs to invest in recruiting and retaining the people who make high-quality care possible.
The early childhood system must work together. Participants highlighted the importance of connecting Head Start with early intervention, special education, behavioral health, foster care, and community-based child care. They also pointed to the creation of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth as a meaningful step toward greater coordination across the system.
As one participant put it, “Head Start is the model. Head Start is what we need to do.”
For families, educators, and communities in Warren County, Head Start is not just a program—it is part of the foundation that helps children and families thrive.
Continuing the Roadshow
That is why Groundwork Ohio continues to take the Roadshow into communities across the state. Every stop gives us the opportunity to listen to the people closest to the work, learn from their experiences, and better understand what Ohio’s children, families, and early childhood professionals need.
The stories we hear from Warren County and communities across Ohio will help inform the work ahead as we pursue a shared goal: making Ohio the best place in the nation to be a young child.
Learn More
Learn more about the experiences of young children and families in Warren County:
