On the heels of massive budget cuts proposed by the Ohio Senate to school and workforce readiness supports, including the elimination of $366 million proposed to increase access to quality child care for children from families with low-incomes, the latest Kindergarten Readiness Assessment results reveal: there are more Ohio kindergartners entering the classroom NOT ready to learn than ever before, with 65% of all Ohio kindergarteners NOT demonstrating readiness to learn. This number increases to 79% of kindergartners from families with low-incomes.
“These scores are a clarion call to state policymakers to restore the thoughtful and strategic investments made by Governor DeWine and the Ohio House of Representatives in the state’s FY24-25 budget,” said Shannon Jones, President and CEO of Groundwork Ohio. “Policymakers must respond urgently to the grim reality that our youngest children are being left behind, impacting both the workforce of today and the workforce of tomorrow.”