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RSVP to Our Family Celebration on May 18th at the Ohio Statehouse! We're less than two weeks away from the big event! Join Ohio families, early childhood professionals, community leaders, and policymakers on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:30PM ET outside the Ohio Statehouse for Groundwork Ohio's Family Celebration , a kid-friendly celebration of families with infants, toddlers, and young children. At the Family Celebration, you’ll join hundreds of Ohioans from across the state to show your support for parents, families, and caregivers to Ohio’s youngest children. You’ll also cheer on members of Groundwork Ohio’s Family Action Network, who will be at the Statehouse the morning of May 18th to share their stories with state legislators. We encourage you to bring your young ones to join the celebration. There will be kid-friendly entertainment and music, exciting guest speakers, and more! Learn More & RSVP >> After you RSVP, be sure to invite your friends, family, and community members to join the Family Celebration! Download our promotional toolkit for content you can share on social media, email, and more. Blog: The Impact of Trauma on Young Children of Color and Their Families Studies show that Black children are more likely to experience more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) than their peers. Additionally, as Groundwork Ohio’s Early Childhood Dashboard Preview illustrates, young Black non-Hispanic children are more likely to be treated or judged unfairly due to their race or ethnicity compared to white children. This week, Groundwork Ohio published a guest blog examining the impact of racial disparities, trauma, and adversity on children's health, with a focus on trauma among Black youth. The blog, written by Gloria Blevins, President of National Black Child Development Institute - Cleveland, makes a strong case for why policymakers and community leaders must act to address the mental health needs of young Black children and their families. Read the Blog >> Join Us in Welcoming Cherrelle Turner to the Groundwork Ohio Team! Groundwork Ohio is thrilled to welcome Cherrelle Turner to the Groundwork Ohio team as our new Director of the Center for Family Voice . As Director of the Center for Family Voice, Cherrelle will drive the Center’s work to elevate the voices of families with young children in early childhood policy and advocacy to achieve programmatic, policy, and practice changes at local, regional, and state levels. Most recently from a space of cross-sector impact at the crux between non-profits and child welfare, Cherrelle wields a breath of administrative leadership experience in mobilizing equitable solutions for children and families. With attention to public relations and the realities of public systems, Cherrelle’s career has maintained an emphasis on workforce development, program development, and causal correlations with social determinants of health. Her career has remained astutely focused on improving public systems and associated experiences to enhance the intergenerational success of individuals, families, and communities. Alongside an amazing team at Groundwork Ohio, Cherrelle is eager to further prioritize and support the advocacy of her home state’s growing family units during the earliest stages of life. Join us in welcoming Cherrelle to the team! Connect with Cherrelle >> Panel Discussion: How Policies & State Budgets Impact Health and Well-Being Today, Friday, May 6 at noon ET , join the Ohio State University Roundtable on Actions Against Racism (ROAAR) for a virtual discussion on how policies and state budgets impact the health and well-being of a community. During the moderated discussion, you'll hear from early childhood experts and advocates like Groundwork Ohio President & CEO Shannon Jones and Franklin County Commissioner Erica C. Crawley! ROAAR is a series of panel conversations featuring community, business, and government leaders along with Ohio State University health care experts addressing the issues of systemic racism. Each panelist is invited to share their expert opinion on the issue and provide one action item that their organization will implement to develop safe and healthy communities. Learn More & Register >> Check Out Groundwork Ohio's New Spotify Playlist! Ahead of Groundwork's Family Celebration on May 18th at the Ohio Statehouse, we recently asked members of our Family Action Network to share some of their favorite songs to listen to and sing together with their children. We created a Spotify playlist with those responses and included them in the line-up of songs that will be played during the Family Celebration on the Statehouse lawn. We hope that this playlist ignites excitement surrounding the Family Celebration! We invite you to listen to our playlist by visiting www.groundworkohio.org/spotify . Listen to the Playlist >> What We're Reading: April 2022 >> Want to increase your impact?  Share this message with family, friends, and colleagues now!

By Troy Hunter, Senior Policy Director, Groundwork Ohio Follow Troy on LinkedIn In Ohio, families of children with developmental disabilities are navigating a fragmented early childhood system that presents numerous challenges. These barriers create an environment where families must constantly juggle emotional, financial, and logistical stress to secure the basic services their children need. Recent data from Groundwork Ohio’s Family Voices Project , which surveyed 755 Ohio families in April 2024, offers a snapshot of the reality for these families. Nearly 1 in 5 respondents  reported having a child with a developmental disability, highlighting the widespread impact of these systemic challenges across the state.   Report: Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities Face More Challenges Finding and Keeping Services   Families Face Barriers Navigating Systems Families of children with disabilities often experience emotional, financial, and logistical stress far beyond that of other families. Even when families succeed in navigating this system and securing child care subsidies, their journey is far from over. 62%  of these families utilize child care subsidies and almost 60%  reported challenges in maintaining their subsidy. Even if families manage to hold onto their child care subsidy, they face the additional barrier of finding child care providers willing to accept it. 58% of families with children with disabilities struggle to find a provider willing to accept their child care subsidy, compared to 37% of families without disabled children. And it’s not just about finding any  provider—the real challenge is finding one that can accommodate the complex medical or developmental needs of their child. In fact, nearly two-thirds of  families with children with disabilities report difficulty finding a provider equipped to meet their child’s needs. Early Intervention Can Help In Ohio, Early Intervention  can provide developmental support for children with qualifying diagnosis and delays from birth to age three, before qualifying for special education preschool services . In 2023, 34,925  unique referrals were made to Early Intervention services, and 28,450 children were served. In the 2022–2023 school year, 39.56% , 24,044, of students in Ohio's public preschools had a disability. However, families are not guaranteed care before their children turn three, and even those who qualify for preschool services at age three, often only have access to part-time programs. This leaves parents scrambling to find care.   The current system’s challenges have both short-term and long-term impacts on families. Early childhood is a critical window for early intervention services, which can have profound effects on a child's development and future well-being. Ohio needs to continue to invest and increase funding so Early Intervention can provide the support needed to help children develop and participate in the early education and care system.   Finding Solutions that Work for Families Ohio families need access to high-quality, affordable early care and education services, as these early years are essential for shaping developmental outcomes. There is a need for both substantial investment in the system overall and creative solutions to help fill the gaps.   Recently, House Bill 676 was introduced by Representatives Rachel Baker (D-Cincinnati) and Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) . This bill would address these disparities by establishing Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Centers   for children with complex medical needs. These facilities are designed to provide specialized care for medically dependent or technologically dependent children, who require ongoing medical interventions or skilled nursing supervision due to their medical conditions These centers would be staffed with trained medical professionals and allow for services to be billed through Medicaid . Groundwork Ohio presented testimony supporting HB 676 to the House Families and Aging Committee on November 26. You can read Groundwork's full testimony here .   Another initiative, Ohio PROMISE ,  was launched by Governor DeWine and the Ohio Department of Children and Youth in 2023 to support child care programs and staff in serving children with disabilities. This initiative includes the Professional Early Childhood Inclusion Credential,  which raises awareness and competency around inclusive practices by offering three levels of credentialing (Awareness, Knowledgeable, Advanced) to equip child care providers.   Advocate for Access to Services The challenges faced by families of children with disabilities in Ohio are complex, but with advocacy and investment, they are not hopeless. While initiatives like House Bill 676 and Ohio PROMISE are promising steps toward increased child care options for families, we need to continue pushing for greater systemic change. These programs address gaps by offering specialized care environments and expanding access to services—but there is still work to be done.   Take action today by: Reading the full report on the child care challenges faced by families of children with disabilities in Ohio. This report outlines the scope of the disparities and provides recommendations for addressing them. Watching Groundwork’s webinar  hosted earlier this year discussing the disparities children with disabilities face in accessing early childhood education programs.    Now is the time for Ohio to continue investing in Early Intervention services, expanding community-driven solutions, and supporting organizations that provide tailored, high-quality child care. Families should not be forced to choose between their careers and their child’s well-being.

In order to familiarize candidates with Ohio’s early childhood education system, this week Groundwork Ohio sent our updated Ohio Early Childhood Education Gubernatorial Reference Manual to the nominees for Ohio governor and their staff to review. Included in this manual was a focused collection of high-level research and news media resources that tell a powerful story supporting an indisputable case for increasing investments in Ohio’s early childhood education system. “The case for investing in quality early education is clear,” said Shannon Jones, Executive Director of Groundwork Ohio. “Prioritizing kids is the right move for working families and the right investment for our state’s long-term economic success.” Currently, only 40% of Ohio kids enter kindergarten ready to learn, so it is not surprising that only 43% of our workforce has a degree or credential that qualifies them for available jobs. This gap is set to increase over the next few years—by 2020, 65% of jobs will require more than a high school diploma. “We know that the investments we make early on have an impact throughout the lifespan,” said Robyn Lightcap, Co-Chair of Groundwork Ohio and Executive Director of Learn to Earn Dayton. “Kids who receive a quality early education are more likely to demonstrate school readiness, graduate from high school, and be in good health and are less likely to be involved in criminal behavior. We can’t afford to wait any longer before investing in our youngest learners.” Check out the reference manual and other Groundwork resources here . The Vote for Ohio Kids campaign has been working around the clock to ensure that Ohio kids are front and center during the upcoming governor's election. We are excited to see that both gubernatorial candidates are engaging in conversations about our youngest learners! Yesterday, Attorney General Mike DeWine and his running mate Secretary of State Jon Husted announced plans to make significant investments in Ohio's early childhood education system . After announcing their plans in Cleveland and Columbus yesterday, the campaign participated in roundtable discussions in Cincinnati and Dayton today, where parents, providers, experts, and advocates shared their experiences and insights with Attorney General DeWine and Secretary Husted. Thank you to everyone who helped plan, host, and participate in these important conversations! Earlier this year, Richard Cordray participated in an early childhood education roundtable in Dayton , which was closely followed by an announcement on his plans invest in Universal Pre-K. We look forward to further elevating the importance of investing in Ohio kids at our Leadership Forum in September and working hard to ensure that our next governor--no matter who it is--makes our youngest learners a top priority. Briefing: Caring for the Youngest Victims of Our Nation's Opioid Crisis Tackling lead in water at child care facilities Raising Payment Rates Raises Quality of Child Care Child Care and the Benefits Cliff Assessing Ohio's Child Care System DeWine Proposes Agenda to Help Ohio Children

Ohio offers Publicly Funded Child Care to working families at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The program, however, fails to support many more low-income, working families who are unable to achieve self-sufficiency without child care support. A single mother of two children (an infant and a 4-year old) living in Franklin County who has an annual gross income of $41,560 (e.g. Community Health Worker, Construction Worker) does not qualify for PFCC under current eligibility rules and would have to spend 41% of her annual gross income on child care. After meeting all other basic needs, the family would be left with substantially less expendable income than a family at 130% of the FPL. Are we preventing families from breaking out of the cycle of poverty? How would expanding PFCC eligibility impact families at 200% FPL? The Bottom Line By expanding eligibility to quality publicly funded child care, we can support working families, give children a better chance at breaking the cycle of poverty, and invest in Ohio’s future economic prosperity. Check out Groundwork's new resource to learn more about the impact expanding PFCC eligibility could have on Ohio's working families. Ohio's youngest learners cannot afford to wait for our state to invest in high-quality early education and healthcare. Click below to tweet at gubernatorial nominees Attorney General Mike DeWine and Mr. Richard Cordray to make sure they participate in the Vote for Ohio Kids Leadership Forum and commit to making Ohio kids a top priority after the election! New Ohio school plan: Equity, social issues as crucial as math, reading Stressed Kids’ Brains Mature Faster

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." -James Baldwin In July, Groundwork Ohio is releasing the Ohio Early Childhood Race and Rural Equity Report to bring greater understanding among policymakers and stakeholders of how race and location matters to the policies, institutions, and systems that shape the future for children and families in Ohio. Achieving equity for Ohio kids requires all of us to begin to take responsibility for the things we can change by challenging our assumptions, investigating the evidence, and recognizing what we don’t yet know. As we explore and publish disaggregated data on metrics ranging from pre-natal care to post-secondary attainment, we are motivated by the personal stories that put a face and name to the information that will be shared in the report. Earlier this month, the U.S. News & World Report featured a story that did just that, "Missing Out on Childhood in Rural America." The lack of resources and the severe impact of the opioid crisis in rural America is depriving kids of the early experiences they need for healthy development. Extensive research on the brain science of early development suggests that this will impact children's long-term ability to learn, grow, and thrive. Through the Ohio Early Childhood Race and Rural Equity Report, Groundwork aims to further understand the inequity that kids in Ohio's Appalachian region are experiencing, as well as the experiences of children of color in our state's urban areas. The initial report will empower us to start honest and sincere conversations statewide so we can better understand the experiences of our most at-risk kids and work to ensure all kids in Ohio have the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. The full report will be released later this summer, but you can check out our introductory resources here . Ohio's youngest learners cannot afford to wait for our state to invest in high-quality early education and healthcare. Click below to tweet at gubernatorial nominees Attorney General Mike DeWine and Mr. Richard Cordray to make sure they participate in the Vote for Ohio Kids Leadership Forum and commit to making Ohio kids a top priority after the election! Have you seen The Beginning of Life yet? The documentary, released in 2016, examines how early environment and experiences affect infants--and how infants will affect our future. You can watch the six-part series on Netflix ! COMING SOON... Later this year, a new documentary that explores the state of early childhood education in the United States will be released. No Small Matter is a feature documentary and national campaign for high quality, affordable early care and education that aims to redefine the public understanding of what's going on in children's brains from birth to five--and push their needs to the top of our social and political agenda. Learn more about the documentary . Offering free pre-kindergarten programs is popular, even if taxes must be raised Pre-to-3: Spreading awareness of early-childhood education — with Elmo's help Many Child Care Providers In Franklin County Don't Meet State Standards Franklin County helping child-care providers meet new state standards

Over the past few months, the Vote for Ohio Kids campaign has steadily gained momentum as we work to ensure our next governor makes investments in early childhood education and healthcare a top priority. In addition to a constantly growing list of business leaders and coalition members who are supporting the campaign's work, we want to express our gratitude to our Vote for Ohio Kids Leadership Forum Sponsors! Their commitment to advancing our work has made our successes thus far possible and will allow us to elevate our message in the months leading up to November's gubernatorial election. Vote for Ohio Kids Sponsors: United Way of Central Ohio United Way of Greater Cincinnati The George Gund Foundation Ohio Head Start Association Buckeye Health Plan PRE4CLE Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation Nurse-Family Partnership Healthy Families America Buckeye Association of School Administrators Ohio Association of School Business Officials The Centers for Families and Children Premier Health (on behalf of Larry Hollingshead) Pritzker Children's Initiative Interested in becoming a sponsor? Learn more about our sponsorship levels or contact us for more information! This week, Groundwork Ohio was privileged to join the Ohio Head Start Association for its annual Leadership and Professional Development Conference. Head Start providers from across the state came together to discuss best practices, learn about statewide early childhood advocacy initiatives, and explore topics like race and rural equity in early education. Thank you to our friends at the Ohio Head Start Association for inviting us to share our work at the conference and for the hard work you do every day to ensure that Ohio's most vulnerable kids have the opportunity to grow and thrive. Have you seen this week's new content from Vote for Ohio Kids? The Vote for Ohio Kids Media Toolkit is a resource to help amplify the message of our campaign--that Ohio's governor must put Ohio kids first! The Toolkit provides action steps, images, and sample text to make it easy for you to share our message on social media, in newsletters, and on your website. Check out VoteforOhioKids.org/Toolkit to see this week's featured tweet, access updated sample tweets, and download new shareable images! Editorial: Preschool program off to promising start Survey of K-3 Teachers Finds Affinity With Preschool Colleagues New push for an old idea: ‘Childhood Begins at Home’

Kids in Ohio are among the most likely in the nation to experience high rates of childhood trauma and the vast majority of youth in Ohio’s juvenile courts have likely experienced trauma. The link between childhood trauma and juvenile incarceration creates a cradle to prison pipeline. During the earliest and most critical years of development, children are highly vulnerable to adversity—and high rates of trauma put kids at greater risk for long-term negative impacts on academic success, health, and behavior. Early investments in quality child care , quality preschool , and evidence-based home visiting can help mediate the effects of childhood trauma by increasing a child’s resiliency. Without the buffering impact of resiliency factors, later interventions, like the juvenile justice system, are extremely costly and ineffective in addressing the roots of a child’s behavior. Ohio is investing too little in the evidence-based programs that we know can improve outcomes for youth, including community-based programs and early childhood education that increases school readiness, increase lifelong success, and reduce an individual’s likelihood of serving jail or prison time by 46%. Instead, we are investing $95 million each year to hold 500 youth in youth prisons that reach children too late, fail to address the root causes of a child’s behavior, and results in a nearly 50% rate of recidivism . The Bottom Line If we make strategic, evidence-based investments in early childhood education, we can give all kids the opportunity for success, significantly reduce the need for juvenile justice intervention, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of Ohio’s taxpayer dollars. Check out our new fact sheet, Invest Early or Pay Later: Ohio's Early Childhood and Juvenile Justice Systems, to learn more! Thank you to the Juvenile Justice Coalition for working with us to create this resource. Check out our new fact sheet, Invest Early or Pay Later: Ohio's Early Childhood and Juvenile Justice Systems , to learn more! Thank you to the Juvenile Justice Coalition for working with us to create this resource. This week, the Vote for Ohio Kids campaign released the names of the 62 coalition members to join Groundwork Ohio, the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association and 45 business and community leaders thus far calling for Ohio’s next governor to make kids a priority. “The case for investing in early childhood education and healthcare is clear—whether you consider the substantial benefits to kids or the significant economic impact for our state,” said Shannon Jones, Executive Director of Groundwork Ohio. “Our strong coalition sends a clear message to Ohio’s next governor: it’s time to put Ohio kids front and center.” The coalition is urging both gubernatorial nominees to participate in the Vote for Ohio Kids Leadership Forum on September 27 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. This Forum, supported by business, education, healthcare and child advocacy leaders, will give gubernatorial candidates the opportunity to hear from experts and share their plans for investing in our youngest Ohioans. “The lack of accessible, quality healthcare and early education for Ohio kids has impacted more than our schools and health systems,” said Nick Lashutka, President and CEO of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association. “This is why the Vote for Ohio Kids consensus agenda is supported by so many organizations and community leaders from across the state. Our next governor needs to recognize the urgent need to invest in quality early education and healthcare for Ohio kids now—we can’t afford to wait.” Equity is fulfilling people’s needs so they can enjoy a full and healthy life. It is a just and fair solution for inclusion into society where all are equipped to participate and prosper—­thus reaching full potential. For our youngest learners, equity means providing the necessary resources so that each child’s health and educational achievement are not predictable by race, class, geography, language, gender or other relevant social factors. Gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged children begin emerging as early as 9 months of age. For example, by age 3, low-income learners have half the vocabulary of their high-income peers. Gaps continue to widen, leaving disadvantaged children up to two years behind by age 5. Connections that form early provide either a strong or weak foundation for the connections that form later. The mental and physical health, social skills and cognitive capacities laid in a child’s earliest years are critically important for success in school, the workplace and the larger community. We must recognize that achieving equitable outcomes does not require equality (giving all children the same), but does require equity (giving each child what they need to succeed). It is important to recognize that while each child has the ability to reach their highest potential, every child has unique gifts and challenges. Want to learn more about the Ohio Early Childhood Race and Rural Equity Report? Check out www.GroundworkOhio.org/Ground-Up .

More than 400 early childhood advocates and community leaders from Cuyahoga County gathered for Invest in Children's 2018 Annual Meeting on Monday to celebrate local success and elevate the call for statewide investment in quality early education. We know that local initiatives like Cuyahoga County's work for Ohio kids--a recent evaluation showed that kids who attended an Invest in Children UPK site for at least 18 months during the two years prior to entry to kindergarten were 2.67 times more likely to be on track for language and literacy than kids who attended a high-quality non-UPK site. Despite Invest in Children's great outcomes, and the success we've seen in other local initiatives across the state, there are still far too many children who do not have access to quality early programs and are failing to receive the support they need for healthy early development. County Executive Armond Budish, PNC Regional President Paul Clark, and Groundwork Ohio Executive Director Shannon Jones shared a common sentiment as they each addressed the crowded room: Ohio needs to increase investment in early childhood education on the state level--and our next governor needs to make this a top priority. Keynote speaker Art Rolnick, Senior Fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, could not have been more clear-- quality early childhood for our most at-risk kids is the best public investment we can make . As one of the first economists to calculate the return on investment for early education, Art Rolnick has spent the last several decades strengthening the case for quality early education programs. The economic and brain development research is clear--investing in early education is the right move for Ohio. Want to raise your voice and help ensure Ohio's next governor commits to prioritizing investments in our earliest learners? Join the Vote for Ohio Kids coalition. Editorial: Next governor should make Ohio’s kids a priority Child care organization celebrates the successes of young mothers Raising Payment Rates Raises Quality of Child Care ​

The Vote for Ohio Kids campaign , with support of founding partners Groundwork Ohio and the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA), business leaders from across the state, and a strong coalition of early education and healthcare advocates, yesterday formally invited the gubernatorial candidates, Attorney General Mike DeWine and Mr. Richard Cordray, to participate in the Vote for Ohio Kids Leadership Forum on September 27, 2018 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. “It’s time to make Ohio’s youngest learners a priority in this state,” said Shannon Jones, Executive Director of Groundwork Ohio. “Both the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor have recognized this issue and been vocal about their interest in addressing the need for accessible, quality early education and healthcare throughout the state. Our goal is to make sure this interest turns into real action for Ohio’s next governor.” “We know that investments in early childhood healthcare and education provide the support that Ohio kids need to succeed,” said Nick Lashutka, President and CEO of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association. “The Leadership Forum will offer candidates the opportunity to engage with business leaders who are committed to supporting quality early childhood programs and to share their own plans for advancing early childhood education and healthcare during their time as governor.” Investing in quality early healthcare and education have proven to offer significant benefits to kids’ academic outcomes, lifelong health and success, and economic prosperity for the state. The Vote for Ohio Kids campaign has targeted six areas in its consensus agenda, each with extensive bodies of research demonstrating their effectiveness and the return they offer on state investment. The invitation sent to gubernatorial candidates earlier this week was signed by 45 business leaders from across the state. Check out the invitations to Attorney General Mike DeWine and Mr. Richard Cordray and the full press release . Sharing the Case for Quality Early Childhood Education: Business Briefings in Columbus and Athens In partnership with United Way of Central Ohio, Motorists Insurance Group, the Columbus Partnership, the Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, Appalachian Partnership Inc., Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, Ohio University, and Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program, Groundwork Ohio helped to host Business Briefings Columbus and Athens today. Dr. Katharine Stevens, Resident Scholar of Education Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, joined us once again to share her insights on early childhood education policy for our state. Her report, Workforce of Today, Workforce of Tomorrow: The Business Case for High-Quality Childcare published by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, outlines the multigenerational impact quality childcare can have on our economy. We know that Ohio is facing a workforce crisis. Our state’s future depends on our kids and they are not ready for success. Only 40% of Ohio kids start school ready to learn, so it’s not surprising that only 43% of Ohio’s workforce has a degree or credential for available jobs—a gap which is set to increase over the next two years. The workforce of today needs quality child care for their kids so they can go to work and the workforce of tomorrow needs quality child care in order to prepare them for school and future success. Our business community can take the first step in making quality early childhood education a priority in Ohio. Understanding Equity: The Importance of Disaggregated Data Groundwork Ohio has embarked on the Ohio Early Childhood Race and Rural Equity project to bring greater understanding among policymakers and stakeholders of how race and location matters to the policies, institutions and systems that shape the future for children and families in Ohio. Taking action begins with honest and sincere conversations. Our first step is gathering and analyzing disaggregated data. In order to advance equity for Ohio’s children, we have to know who Ohio children are and how systems are serving or failing to serve them. Usually, data is reported in the aggregate. For example, only 40% of all Ohio kids arrive in Kindergarten ready to learn. Without disaggregating data by breaking it apart by race, geography and other demographic variables, we fail to understand the whole story. This more detailed data becomes a powerful tool in preparing more Ohio kids to be ready to learn. Understanding who is more often left behind and investigating the barriers for these children has the potential to influence how we allocate resources necessary to help all children thrive and achieve equitable outcomes. Editorial: Next governor should make Ohio’s kids a priority These Are The Best And Worst States To Live For Working Mothers In 2018 Moving Through (Not Around) Racial Equity Work

As you may recall, on March 22nd, Congress passed an omnibus spending bill to fund government for the remainder of FY 2018. The final FY 2018 bill included an increase of $2.4 billion for the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) – raising total federal funding for CCDBG from $5.8 billion in 2017 to $8.1 billion in 2018. This is the largest one-year increase in federal funding for child care in history. Congress’s intent in providing these additional funds was to implement the reauthorization of the CCDBG Act including health, safety, and quality improvements. Congress stated that the funding will increase access to affordable, high-quality child care to more low-income, working families. The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has estimated that after the reauthorization costs are met, an additional 151,000 additional children could gain child care assistance. The actual number of children served will depend on states’ current compliance with the reauthorization as well as state policy choices, including quality initiatives and provider payment rates. Ohio is required to submit a State Plan that describes its policies and programs in order to ensure compliance with the CCDBG reauthorization. As the state considers how to comply with the reauthorization and spend the additional funds from the CCDBG increase, stakeholders are invited to weigh-in as to how the state can best use new money to advance our child care system. Accordingly, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Bureau of Child Care Policy & Technical Assistance has shared the Child Care and Development Fund State Plan and will be accepting public comment from April 26, 2018 – May 17, 2018. A public hearing will also be held on Thursday, May 17, 2018 beginning at 10 am and continuing until all testimony has been heard. Comments may be submitted electronically by 5 PM on May 17, 2018. The draft State Plan is available here . More information about giving testimony or commenting can be found here . The results are in. Ohio voters have chosen Richard Cordray and Mike DeWine as the Democratic and Republican candidates for Ohio’s next governor. As we move closer to the general election in November, Groundwork is committed to ensuring that our next governor—no matter who it is—commits to prioritizing our youngest Ohioans. Through the Vote for Ohio Kids campaign and our partnership with the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, we are committed to making early childhood education and healthcare issues a top priority for both voters and the gubernatorial candidate. Check out the Vote for Ohio Kids website to learn more. Groundwork Ohio has embarked on a comprehensive data analysis and communications project that examines race and rural equity in child outcomes from birth through career readiness. In preparation for the release of our full Ohio Early Childhood Race and Rural Equity Report this summer, Groundwork has released two introductory resources to help set the framework for the project: Unearthing Fairness for Ohio Kids and Brains are Built… Not Born . We encourage you to explore and share these resources, check out our Race and Rural Equity webpage, and look for the full report to be released early this summer! High-quality preschool can support healthy development and learning Corporal Punishment and Preschoolers: What New Federal Data Show Quality Is Crucial to Sustaining Benefits of Pre-K, Studies Stress CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND ADVOCACY DAY Wednesday, May 23rd Join the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, for the 2018 CDF-Ohio Advocacy Day. Child advocacy leaders, providers, young people, and families from across the state will come together to raise awareness about the needs of Ohio’s children and families with our state leaders and legislators. The day will include valuable opportunities to learn and share with our state leaders. The event will also include a number of special guests (to be announced), lunch, and briefings with legislative offices. Click here to register.

Are you ready for Ohio’s Primary Elections next Tuesday? Through the Vote for Ohio Kids campaign, Groundwork Ohio and the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association have been hard at work educating voters and candidates on the importance of prioritizing investments in our youngest Ohioans. Vote for Ohio Kids is working to ensure that Ohio’s next governor—no matter who it is—understands the impact that quality early childhood education and healthcare can have on kids’ academic outcomes and lifelong success, as well as the long-term economic prosperity of our state. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the Vote for Ohio Kids agenda and our priority area fact sheets: quality child care , quality preschool , evidence-based home visiting , and quality healthcare . Before hitting the polls on May 8th, take some time to confirm your polling location , check out your sample ballot , and learn more about the issues affecting Ohio’s kids during this year’s gubernatorial election. Groundwork Ohio has embarked on a comprehensive data analysis and communications project that examines race and rural equity in child outcomes from birth through career readiness. In preparation for the release of our full Ohio Early Childhood Race and Rural Equity Report this summer, Groundwork has released two introductory resources to help set the framework for the project: Unearthing Fairness for Ohio Kids and Brains are Built… Not Born . We encourage you to explore and share these resources, check out our Race and Rural Equity webpage, and look for the full report to be released early this summer! Finding a good preschool isn’t easy: Try it. Survey: 4 in 5 Americans want increase in pediatric mental health support Is Curiosity as Good at Predicting Children's Reading, Math Success as Self-Control? Study Says Yes CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND ADVOCACY DAY Wednesday, May 23rd Join the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, for the 2018 CDF-Ohio Advocacy Day. Child advocacy leaders, providers, young people, and families from across the state will come together to raise awareness about the needs of Ohio’s children and families with our state leaders and legislators. The day will include valuable opportunities to learn and share with our state leaders. The event will also include a number of special guests (to be announced), lunch, and briefings with legislative offices. Click here to register.

Groundwork Ohio has embarked on a comprehensive data analysis and communications project that examines race and rural equity in child outcomes from birth through career readiness. Over the past several months, we have been hard at work analyzing disaggregated data for existing statewide and local equity metrics, including infant mortality, access to home visiting, incidence of lead and asthma, access to quality child care, access to preschool, kindergarten readiness, suspension and expulsion, 3rd grade reading achievement, 8th grade math achievement, high school graduation and college attainment. In preparation for the release of our full report this summer, we have created two introductory resources to help set the framework for the project. The first resource, Unearthing Fairness for Ohio Kids , outlines some of the key concepts we use throughout the report by defining equity and explaining how disaggregated data can help us more fully understand the experience of our most at-risk children. The second resource, Brains are Built… Not Born , explores how early brain development and early experiences impact the lifelong growth and success of a child. By understanding the important distinction between equity and equality and recognizing the importance of quality experiences during the critical early years of development, we can begin to work toward achieving equitable outcomes and positioning Ohio kids for lifelong success. We encourage you to explore and share these resources (click images below), check out our Race and Rural Equity webpage, and look for the full report to be released early this summer! This spring, the Groundwork staff has been on the road promoting the Vote for Ohio Kids campaign and our Race and Rural Equity Project, as well as our ongoing early childhood advocacy work. Here are just a few of the many things Groundwork has been up to this past week: Last Friday, Groundwork Executive Director Shannon Jones shared information about the state of Ohio's early childhood education with Fran DeWine, wife of gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine, on her visit to Mini-U, which is part of the Montgomery County and Dayton Preschool Promise. Groundwork Policy Director and Legal Counsel Lynanne Gutierrez gave a sneak peak of our findings from the Ohio Early Childhood Race and Rural Equity Report with educators at the Ohio AEYC Early Childhood Conference in Sandusky. On Monday, we joined the Ohio Children's Hospital Association for their legislative advocacy day at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital's new Center for Women and Children in Cleveland to promote the Vote for Ohio Kids campaign. Yesterday, our Communications and Policy Associate Julia Hohner joined the Appalachian Ohio P-20 Council, a group committed to increasing student success in the Appalachian Region, to share Groundwork's advocacy initiatives and spread the word about the Vote for Ohio Kids campaign. The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released an Ohio addiction policy inventory and scorecard. This is the first in a series of inventories and scorecards analyzing Ohio’s policy response to the addiction crisis and outlining areas where the state could be more effective. Read more. CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND ADVOCACY DAY Join the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, for the 2018 CDF-Ohio Advocacy Day. Child advocacy leaders, providers, young people, and families from across the state will come together to raise awareness about the needs of Ohio’s children and families with our state leaders and legislators. The day will include valuable opportunities to learn and share with our state leaders. The event will also include a number of special guests (to be announced), lunch, and briefings with legislative offices. Click here to register. Growing Disparities in Enrollment, Investments, and Quality: 2002-2017 Let's protect children against disadvantage with early education Beware the Child Care Cliff