Save the Date! Ready, Set, Soar Ohio Relaunch
You’re invited to join us on September 23rd from 10 – 11 AM for the virtual relaunch of the Ready, Set, Soar Ohio campaign. Only weeks before the pandemic hit, Ready, Set, Soar Ohio launched its initial campaign with nearly 100 coalition members from across the state. During the pandemic we worked closely with coalition members to realign the campaign’s priorities in light of the challenges families with infants and toddlers continue to face throughout the pandemic. While details are forthcoming, we want you to know that Ready, Set, Soar Ohio is launching even bigger and better than before! Be sure to save the date for this virtual relaunch to learn more about how we can all work together to ensure that more pregnant women, infants, toddlers and their families have access to the support they need to soar to their full potential.
Congratulations to Ohio's Child Care Providers!
Over the years, Ohio's child care providers, child care resource and referral agencies, state agencies, philanthropy, advocates, and more have worked tirelessly to meet the state's goal of having child care programs quality rated by the July 1, 2020 deadline. Due to pandemic, the deadline was pushed back and ended this week on Tuesday, September 1st. Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, 4,400 child care providers in Ohio now have at least a 1-star Step Up to Quality rating! This is big news for Ohio's infants and toddlers as they now have increased access to high-quality programs that meet or exceed their educational and developmental needs. Congratulations to all of the child care programs who are now quality rated! With your dedication, we know we can make Ohio the best place for young children to learn and grow.
This week, Groundwork Ohio joined members of the Ohio Census Advocacy Coalition in sending a letter to U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman urging them to advocate for extending the statutory reporting deadlines for the 2020 Census. As it stands now, the Census will end its counting efforts on September 30th, but only 86.3% of Ohioans have responded to the Census.
Unfortunately, young children are one of the most undercounted population in the Census year after year and this year will be no different if Congress does not act quickly to extend the deadline. If we do not count all children during this year's Census, Ohio will fall significantly short of funding the programs that young children will rely on over the next 10 years.
To learn more about why the Census matters, check out this Ready, Set, Soar Ohio blog by clicking here. You can also click the button below to access our Census toolkit filled with sample messages to encourage families and those around you to respond to the Census.
Advancing Early Literacy in Ohio
This week, Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine announced that the Ohio Governor's Imagination Library is now available in 78 out of Ohio's 88 counties, with three more counties -- Crawford, Van Wert, and Mercer -- launching their countywide Imagination Library in September. In total, the program now delivers monthly books to over 205,000 children under the age of 5!
Enrolling your child in the Imagination Library only takes a few minutes by clicking here. If your organization is interested in supporting a countywide program, please reach out to the Ohio Imagination Library by clicking here.
UPCOMING: National Prenatal-to-3 Research to Policy Summit Respond
All early childhood stakeholders, including policy leaders, advocates, researchers, and funders from across the county are invited to join the virtual National Prenatal-to-3 Research to Policy Summit on Tuesday, September 15, 2020. The Summit is presented by the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at The University of Texas at Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs. During this summit, you will hear from many early childhood policy leaders to include Governor Mike DeWine.
The theme of the inaugural 2020 National Prenatal-to-3 Research to Policy Summit is Building a State Policy Roadmap to Strengthen the Earliest Years. The Summit will bring the early childhood field together to:
Learn about the newest findings on the science of the developing child
Discuss how policy choices can lead to or reduce racial disparities
Launch the first and much anticipated 2020 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap, paired with custom state Roadmaps and online data interactives
Hear from state leaders about using the evidence-driven Roadmap to strengthen prenatal-to-3 systems of care in their state
Want to increase your impact? Share this message with family, friends, and colleagues now!