Groundwork Ohio Testifies Before the Ohio Senate Health Committee
This week, Groundwork Ohio's Policy and Advocacy Director Melissa Bacon testified before the Ohio Senate Health Committee on the importance of investing in Help Me Grow, Ohio's evidence-based home visiting program, in the state budget. Groundwork Ohio is calling on state legislators to increase investment in Help Me Grow to serve more families and improve children’s school readiness, family health, and family self-sufficiency.
Want to support our efforts? Click here to send an email to your state legislators urging them to increase investment in evidence-based home visiting programs like Help Me Grow.
Learn more about home visiting and Ohio's Help Me Grow by checking out these Groundwork Ohio resources:
Video: Home Visitors: A Lifeline for Moms and Babies (via Ready, Set, Soar Ohio)
Early Literacy: A Foundation for Lifelong Learning
The foundational skills that support strong reading and writing are developed long before a child enters kindergarten. When caregivers commit to engaging with children through books regularly, children's early language and literacy skills increase significantly, setting them up for future success in school and beyond.
A new infographic developed by The Conversation, a group formed through Groundwork’s Early Childhood Leadership Fellowship, and published by the Ohio Governor's Imagination Library offers caregivers 5 easy steps to help engage children in early learning and reading. Click here to download the infographic.
Did you know that if you have a child under the age of 5, you are eligible to receive a free monthly book to your doorstep each month through the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library? Click here to learn more and to enroll.
Be an Early Childhood Champion & Join Our Virtual Advocacy Challenge
Throughout the week early childhood advocates like you have participated in our 5-day virtual advocacy challenge, contacting their state legislators to urge them to make Ohio's youngest children a priority in the state budget. Will you join them?
Our tools make early childhood advocacy easier than ever, and each of our challenges are designed to take no more than 3 minutes to complete. Did we mention that you may win a prize for participating in our advocacy challenge? Click here to learn more and get started!
Remember, infants and toddlers can't advocate for themselves at the Statehouse but you can. Join our ongoing virtual advocacy challenge and help make Ohio the best place to be a young kid.
Ohio Senators Discuss the Need for Early Childhood Investments
Last week, Groundwork Ohio convened a panel of Ohio senators and Rhian Evans Allvin, the CEO of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, for a discussion on how state legislators can support young children, families, businesses, and communities in the state budget.
Missed the conversation? You can watch the event at any time by visiting Groundwork Ohio's event archive.
Investments in early childhood education and health are essential to building an Ohio where every child and family can reach their full potential. Now more than ever, legislators must invest where it matters most: During the earliest years of a child's life when their brains are developing the fastest and when supporting families can have the strongest impact.
Want to increase your impact? Share this message with family, friends, and colleagues now!