Expanding Access to Doula Services
Ready, Set, Soar Ohio created a blog series to shine a spotlight on early childhood champions and to discuss other issues in the 0-3 space. Recently, State Representative Erica C. Crawley (D-Columbus) wrote a blog to share her personal story and to discuss her recent legislation that would expand access to doulas by allowing Medicaid to reimburse for their services.
"Black women experience higher rates of poor birth outcomes, including higher rates of Cesarean, preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant death," said Representative Crawley. "Access to continuous labor support from a doula is especially vital for birthing people of color."
This week, the Ohio Controlling Board approved funding for the grant program announced earlier this month by Governor Mike DeWine that would provide grants to child care providers continuing to provide care at pandemic ratios instead of returning to pre-pandemic ratios.
Additionally, Governor DeWine announced a new program that will reimburse child care providers who are caring for eligible school age children during the school day as they participate in virtual learning.
Race, Ethnicity, and Early Identification of Autism
Today at 11 AM, join the Ohio Interagency Work Group on Autism (IWGA) for their webinar on "Race, Ethnicity, and Early Identification of Autism." During this webinar, you will learn more about the experiences of families of color, implicit bias in the medical community, and policy and practice implications of this work. Children from racial and ethnic minority groups are:
Diagnosed with autism later or not at all
Less likely to receive timely services after diagnosis
Less likely to receive the recommended type or amount of service
This month's IWGA webinar is joined by national speaker, parent, and disability advocate, Gwen Harshaw, and health equity specialist, Tiffany Huber, from the Ohio Department of Health.
Calling all early childhood educators! The Ohio Association for the Education of Young Childrenis now accepting applications for The Serving Leader Institute, a fellowship for early childhood educators like you who are interested in strengthening their leadership skills to motivate you and your team.
The fellowship will bring you together with early childhood colleagues from a variety of roles and settings to collaborate, network and problem-solve together. Ohio AEYC's certified facilitators will provide you with focused coaching to promote your own professional growth and to strengthen your program.
Are you ready to begin your leadership journey? Click the button below to learn more about the program and to submit your application before the September 4th deadline.
Ohio Approved credit is available upon request (32 hours).
REMINDER: Respond to the Market Rate Survey Today
On July 30 child care providers were notified that it was time to complete the 2020 Market Rate Survey. ODJFS has contracted with Strategic Research Group (SRG) to conduct the survey. Information collected includes program enrollment, private pay rates, and barriers to utilizing Ohio’s Publicly Funded Child Care program. Your participation is vital to ensure that ODJFS has a true representation of the current child care market. ODJFS is asking all providers to complete this survey regardless of whether you provide publicly funded child care. Your program should have received an email with a secure link to complete the confidential survey. The survey will end on September 13th.
If you are having problems accessing the survey or have other questions, please contact Strategic Research Group at 2020mrs@websrg.com or 1-800-341-3660. You can also check out the Frequently Asked Questions page at http://www.websrg.com/odjfsFAQ.
Want to increase your impact? Share this message with family, friends, and colleagues now!