Groundwork Ohio Roadshow 2026 Recap: Lucas County
Groundwork Ohio’s 20th Roadshow stop began with a visit to Quality Time Learning Center in Toledo, where Alethea Easterly and members of her team welcomed us for a site visit.
Spending time with local early childhood providers is an important part of our listening tour, connecting our policy work to the people and places supporting young children and families every day.
Our visit continued at Laurie’s Place, where Executive Director Christina Rodriguez, Program Director Julie Haas, and their colleagues on the Mom’s House, Inc. team hosted a community forum with HOPE Toledo, early childhood professionals, public health partners, and local and state leaders. Together, we explored what families in Lucas County need to thrive, from support during pregnancy and infancy to early learning experiences that prepare children and families for kindergarten.
Healthy Babies Begin with Healthy, Supported Parents
The first panel, moderated by Adrienne Bradley, Associate Vice President of Community Health & Impact at ProMedica, explored what families need before a baby is born and throughout the earliest years of life. Panelists included State Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), Julia Myers of Toledo Day Nursery, Emily Scheuer of the Health Council of Northwest Ohio, and Kendra (Kec) Siville of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.
State Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson urged attendees to consider the circumstances surrounding parents and caregivers. Stable housing, reliable transportation, education, and economic security all shape a family’s well-being during pregnancy and after birth. Supporting a healthy baby begins with supporting the health and well-being of the parents. She also emphasized the need to hear directly from moms and dads. Data can identify challenges, but authentic conversations help reveal what those challenges look like in everyday life, and what families believe would make a difference.
"How can we have a healthy baby if Mom and Dad aren't healthy? How do we get mom and dad healthy if if the environment or the village isn't healthy?"
Kendra Siville described ongoing efforts to improve maternal and infant health, including safe sleep education and helping mothers monitor their blood pressure at home. Her reflections underscored the importance of prevention, consistent funding, and bringing services into areas to meet families where they live. Safe sleep support, for example, must account for a family’s actual circumstances. Helping parents and caregivers develop plans requires listening, trust, and assistance along the way.
Emily Scheuer shared a related insight from community listening sessions. Lucas County has many resources, but families do not always know about them or how to access them. As we have heard in other communities, parents and caregivers are often left to connect the dots across complex systems while managing the demands of parenting and daily life.
Panelists identified opportunities to make services more visible, strengthen coordination, and build solutions alongside families. Relationships that help families feel connected and supported were a recurring theme, particularly around maternal mental health and during the first year after a child’s birth. Julia Myers reinforced the need to support providers and build on relationships already supporting families across Toledo.
Kindergarten Readiness is a Responsibility We Share
The second panel, moderated by HOPE Toledo’s President and CEO and Groundwork Ohio Board Member, Rev. John C. Jones, facilitated a conversation around kindergarten readiness. Panelists included Toledo City Council President and First Light Childcare Center owner Vanice Williams, Julie Haas of Mom’s House, and Kevin Mullan of KPM Consulting.
Julie Haas challenged the idea that readiness is primarily about knowing letters and numbers. Children also need opportunities to communicate their needs, develop relationships, participate in learning, and practice managing their emotions. That development begins long before kindergarten.
Vanice Williams posed an important question: Are schools ready for our children? Her perspective expanded readiness to include the while family. Parents and caregivers need support in establishing routines, understanding school environments, and feeling confident participating in their children’s education.
Kevin Mullan provided a business perspective and connected early childhood investment to the interests of business and civic leaders. Even people who do not work directly with young children experience the consequences when families lack support, from workforce challenges to every day community needs. Addressing those challenges requires shared investment and responsibility.
"What if we design the system around the family instead of asking the family to navigate the system?"
Panelists also highlighted promising work through HOPE Toledo and Laurie’s Place, while acknowledging opportunities for stronger collaboration across organizations and sectors. The discussion also recognized that meaningful progress requires patience and consistency. Smaller efforts can create lasting change when communities sustain them, learn from families, and build on what’s working.
Afternoon Visit to Harbor
In the afternoon, we visited Harbor, a behavioral health care provider offering mental health, substance use treatment, early childhood services, and other supports for children and families across Northwest Ohio.
We began with a roundtable discussion with Harbor providers, joined by State Rep. Josh Williams (R-Toledo), to learn more about the challenges families face in accessing services. Providers emphasized the growing need for early intervention and behavioral health services, particularly as they see more young children experiencing complex developmental and behavioral challenges. They discussed lengthy waitlists for autism evaluations and services, workforce shortages, and the importance of identifying and addressing developmental concerns before children reach school age.
The conversation also explored challenges navigating OhioRISE, Medicaid, and other systems intended to connect families with care. Providers shared how administrative requirements, funding limitations, and difficulties coordinating services can create additional barriers for families already struggling with transportation, food insecurity, and other basic needs.
"But if they're struggling with figuring out how to keep the electric on or have food on the table, they're not paying attention to the interventions that you're providing them."
They emphasized that families often need ongoing, coordinated support rather than a single referral and that investing in prevention and early intervention can help reduce the need for more intensive services later in life.
Following the discussion, we toured Harbor's facility and met with mothers receiving treatment and support through its programs, including families whose young children receive early intervention and developmental services. The mothers shared their experiences navigating recovery, parenting, child care, and access to essential services.
Several spoke about the importance of having a supportive environment where they can focus on their recovery while remaining with their children.
Their stories highlighted the importance of programs that support mothers and children together, particularly as families navigate challenges related to housing, transportation, health insurance, and accessing specialized services.
"When parents and families are supported, there's much less, significantly less child maltreatment, which helps to alleviate the burden of the system."
Our visit reinforced the importance of listening to both providers and families to better understand the barriers they face and the supports that are making a difference in their lives.
Learn More
Explore Groundwork Ohio’s county fact sheets to learn more about the data behind this Roadshow stop.
