Ohio's state biennial budget process is now in full swing, but what does this budget mean for pregnant women, infants, toddlers and their families? Join us on TODAY from 10:00 - 11:30 AM as we provide stakeholders with an update on the state biennial budget and what is needed to ensure that young children and families remain a top priority in the budget. During the meeting, you will have the opportunity hear from the following esteemed panel in addition to some special legislative guests:
Director Maureen Corcoran, Ohio Department of Medicaid
State Senator Louis Blessing
State Representative Allison Russo
Dyane Gogan Turner, Chief of the Bureau of Maternal, Child and Family Health at Ohio Department of Health
Reem Aly, Vice President at Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Zach Reat, Director, Data Management and Analysis at the Health Policy Institute of Ohio
We hope you will join us for this important conversation to learn more about the state biennial budget and how to engage with Ready, Set, Soar Ohio throughout the process.
You're invited to join us for our virtual event Laying the Groundwork Summit: in the Ohio House on Friday, March 19th from 10:00-11:30 AM. We are thrilled to announce stellar guest appearances from the following policymakers:
Governor Mike DeWine
Director Kristi Burre from the Governor's Office of Children's Initiatives
Assistant Minority Leader Kristin Boggs
Finance Committee Ranking Minority Member Erica Crawley
Additional esteemed legislative guests to be announced
This virtual summit is an opportunity to learn how Ohio's biennial budget can support quality early childhood experiences for Ohio kids, families and communities and how you can engage throughout the budget process.
Making this Moment a Movement 5-Day Virtual Advocacy Challenge
Over the past year, it has been made clear that we need strong advocates in the Statehouse and in Washington, D.C. advocating for young children, families, and the systems that support them. We invite you to join us during the week of March 22nd for our Making this Moment a Movement 5-Day Virtual Advocacy Challenge. During this 5-day challenge, you will commit 5 minutes of your time each day to advocate for children and families. Our tools and resources make it easy for you to elevate your voice and influence statewide policy.
Policymakers need to hear your stories to better inform their decisions. Are you ready to make this moment a movement? Commit to making Ohio the best place to be a young child by signing up for the challenge.
Expanding Access to Child Care Eligibility
Yesterday, Ohio House Representatives Mary Lightbody and Andrea White provided sponsor testimony on their bipartisan legislation (HB 145) to expand initial child care eligibility. Currently, Ohio has one of the lowest eligibility rates in the nation at 130% of the Federal Poverty Level ($28,236 annual income for a family of 3). This new legislation aims to expand eligibility to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level ($43,440 annual income for a family of three). By expanding eligibility, more young children will have access to early education that they need to learn and grow, and more families will have the support they need to return to work.
ACF and CDC Early Childhood Vaccine Priority Stakeholder Webinar
The Administration for Children and Families is co-hosting a stakeholder webinar with the CDC on Friday, March 12, 2021 from 1:00 - 2:00PM ET. The purpose of this webinar is to provide more detailed information about the ECE vaccine initiative, the CDC’s Federal Retail Pharmacy program, and resources available to help you with outreach to your child care and early childhood provider communities. During this webinar, stakeholders will have chance to hear more about this effort from ACF and CDC leaders and address any initial questions that you and your partners and constituents might have about this initiative.
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