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Dear Groundwork Team, Thank you for your support for Groundwork Advocacy Day . Registration opened Monday and I am thrilled by the overwhelming response . Please register now to ensure you are included in this important event! Speaking of Advocacy Day--since we can't stop talking about it!--I will be sharing some of the exciting details of our agenda throughout the coming weeks. Today, I am happy to announce that our team has carefully selected several stalwart legislators to receive two prestigious early care and education awards at Advocacy Day. We can't wait to celebrate our early care and education champions on May 18th! As our budget advocacy continues to progress, I was lucky to spend a couple of days in Cleveland this week to connect with our partners in Cuyahoga County. A special THANK YOU goes to Groundwork Steering Committee member, Rebekah Dorman, for planning such an interesting day. The public/private partnerships in northeast Ohio are amazing and I really learned a lot. I look forward to another trip soon. Before members left for spring break, Lynanne and I hit the Statehouse to meet with nearly a dozen members of the General Assembly. Check out this picture we took with Senator Lehner following our meeting in her office. Notice anyone else in the picture? Yes, that's Margaret Hulbert, one of Groundwork's founders. It was great running into Margaret. As legislators take a well-deserved short break from their important work, it's all hands on deck here! Thank you for your support, have a fantastic weekend and.....see you soon at Advocacy Day! Shannon Jones Executive Director

The wait is over! We are happy to announce that registration for Advocacy Day , May 18, 2017 is now open! Click here to register!

Dear Groundwork Team, As we close out March, I am encouraged by the feedback we are getting in the legislature about the need to support quality early care and education. Our work continues, but we look forward to you joining our efforts. More on that later. As promised, I wanted to share some new information I learned last week in Washington D.C., at the Federal Reserve System Community Development Research Conference which focused on Strong Foundations: The Economic Futures of Kids and Communities. Groundwork is using as many evidence-based tools to bolster our case for support for early childhood education in Ohio as possible and I added the following additional resource, The Minnesota Model for Early Childhood Development: A Market/Parent-Based Approach , by Art Rolnick, to our arsenal. I found Rolnick's research compelling because it easily summarizes the astounding rates of return on investments we see from quality 0-5 programs and the fact that benefits far exceed costs when it comes to early childhood investments. I look forward to learning more about the Minnesota model based on the great results they saw in increasing access to quality early childhood programs for kids in their state. Lynanne continues to enhance our work and this week presented at both the Voices for Ohio's Children Kid's Summit and to the Board of Directors for the Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children. Get to know her...she is a talented advocate eager to support early education efforts. Have I mentioned Advocacy Day ??? As a critical piece to our budget advocacy strategy, we look forward to sharing registration materials this Monday for our much anticipated Advocacy Day. We need your voice at our table for this important event. Please register and gather others in your organization to participate too. We need everyone to be counted in this important effort! Thanks again for all you do on behalf of children. Have a great weekend! Shannon Jones Executive Director Groundwork Ohio

#Groundwork #earlychildhoodeducation #earlycare #ohio #advocacy #leader #investments #highqualitychildcare

Dear Groundwork Team, Greetings from Washington D.C. where I have spent the last couple of days at the Federal Reserve System Community Development Research Conference which focused on Strong Foundations: The Economic Futures of Kids and Communities. I am energized by the partnerships we foster here at Groundwork Ohio on the national level and look forward to sharing some of the incredible research that was presented at the conference. It is clear that now, more than ever, we have to invest in quality early childhood education programs to drive economic success in our state. Our advocacy work has not slowed down since delivering testimony in the House Finance: Health and Human Services Subcommittee last week. As you know, our testimony highlighted the need for greater investments in quality early childhood education programs in Ohio. This week we continued to monitor the budget hearings and met with more than a dozen legislators on the House Finance Committee and their staff as part of our budget advocacy strategy. We continue to educate members about the value of high quality early childhood programs and elevate our proposals to improve upon state investments within a tight budget. I am grateful for the positive feedback we continue to receive from the Ohio House. As the budget process continues, I am most excited to have you join me and Lynanne for our Advocacy Day on May 18, 2017 with the day beginning at 10:00am at the Athletic Club of Columbus. Following a packed morning with "special guests" --- more on that later! -- and lunch, we will head to the Statehouse for meetings with legislative offices. Our day will conclude at 3:00pm following these vitally important briefings. Registration materials will be sent to you on Monday, April 3rd but, in the meantime, please mark your calendars for May 18th! Have a great weekend! Shannon Jones Executive Director Groundwork Ohio

Dear Groundwork Team I am happy to report that Groundwork's testimony that I delivered in the the House Finance: Health and Human Services Subcommittee concerning the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services executive budget proposal was well-received. Our testimony highlighted the need for greater investment in quality early childhood education programs. I am encouraged by the feedback we have received from legislators as we continue to engage members to support our ask during a challenging budget process. Thank you for your continued support as I look forward. Please don't hesitate to contact me with your feedback--we need all hands on deck. Have a fun and safe St. Patty's Day weekend. Shannon Jones Executive Director Groundwork Ohio #earlychildhoodeducation #funding #education #ohio #statebudget #testimony #healthandhumanservices #update #Groundwork

Thank you for joining Groundwork on social media today as we deliver testimony concerning Ohio’s state budget investments in quality early care and education before the House Finance: Health and Human Services Subcommittee. We expect testimony to begin at 3:00 p.m. or after House Session has concluded in Ohio Statehouse Room 313. You can join this important conversation by following us live on Facebook at “Groundwork Ohio” and on Twitter @GroundworkOhio . Share your own thoughts and use the hashtag #LaytheGroundwork in addition to sharing the following posts on your own social media accounts! FB/Tweet #1: High quality programs = high quality outcomes = high ROI. #laythegroundwork @heckmanequation FB/Tweet #2: Quality birth-to-5 programs for disadvantaged children can deliver a 13% per year ROI. #laythegroundwork @heckmanequation **use this graphic** https://heckmanequation.org/assets/2017/02/F_Heckman_ECEMotiff_Sharegraphic_2016-3-copy.jpg FB/Tweet #3: 50% of young children (0-6) in OH live in low-income families. #laythegroundwork @NCCP FB/Tweet #4: Every Ohio child needs quality #ECE, but our most vulnerable children stand to benefit the most. #laythegroundwork FB/Tweet #5: Investing in #ECE is the smart strategy, even during difficult budgets. #laythegroundwork A special thank you to Chairman Romanchuk and Ranking Member Emilia Sykes for the opportunity to share our thoughts. You can connect with them too at @RepRomanchuk and @EmiliaSykesOH.

Dear Groundwork Advocates: It's hard to believe that I've already been on the job for 60 days! I've met so many amazing people and have learned so much. Thank you all for helping me get acclimated to this new position. I'm encouraged by the talent and expertise within our ranks and am excited about Groundwork's future. Check out some of my personal snapshots from a few of the things I've been doing around the state on behalf of Groundwork... State Budget Update Committee hearings on the executive budget proposal for FY 2018-19 continued in the Ohio House of Representatives this week in the House Finance: Primary and Secondary Education Subcommittee and the House Finance: Health and Human Services Subcommittee which hear and deliberate over the Department of Education and the Department of Job and Family Services budget proposals respectively. Of significant interest was testimony from ODJFS’s Director, Cythia Dungey. Director Dungey’s testimony in addition to the Department’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Spending Plan and it’s “ Redbook ” were made available yesterday. As expected, early care and education investments have been flat funded. As you know, ODJFS is responsible for administering Step Up to Quality (SUTQ), Ohio’s tiered quality rating and improvement system for child care programs. SUTQ’s intended designed was in large part to increase the number of high quality programs in Ohio and make them available to children and families who qualify for publicly funded child care. The state has set statutory goals that mandate that 100% of licensed child care providers be high-quality (rated 3 to 5 stars) by 2025 and require the following thresholds to be met: By June 30, 2017, 25% By June 30, 2019, 40% By June 30, 2021, 60% By June 30, 2023, 80% ODJFS’s Redbook cites that in FY 2016, a total of 1,668 programs were star rated reflecting a 13.8% increase from FY 2015. In FY 16, 35% of all programs were rated with only 13.2% highly rated -- falling short of the June 30, 2017 mandated threshold. Flat funding over the biennium does not set the stage for improved progress. The House Finance: Health and Human Services Subcommittee invites public testimony on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 immediately following session in Room 313 of the Ohio Statehouse. We look forward to seeing many of you there. Social Media 101 According to Pew Research Center, in 2005, just 5% of Americans used at least one social media platform and today, 69% do. This 69% includes our decision-makers who are increasingly getting influenced by and sharing information on a variety of social media platforms, a couple of the most popular being Facebook and Twitter. 91% of Ohio State Senators and 81% of Ohio State Representatives have a Twitter account. You can’t afford not to use social media as part of your advocacy toolkit. The following are some ways to engage decision-makers on social media: Be a Resource: Provide helpful information, highlight publications and evidence that support your mission. You’re the expert! Promote Your Mission: Share who you are and your brand often by communicating regularly about your organizations daily activities, participation in events and strategic partnerships. If you don’t, who will? Hold Them Accountable: Social media is one way to quote a decision-maker in real time or get a written record of their position. Bringing awareness to their position through social media can be effective if you want your audience to challenge their position or credit them as a leader of a certain issue. Celebrate Success: Promote progress by celebrating it and thanking decision-makers for their time and contributions whether it’s attending your meeting or championing a cause. Pictures help! Please help Groundwork build our social media presence. Engage with us by sharing our social media with your networks and following us on Facebook at Groundwork Ohio and Twitter @groundworkohio. We look forward to promoting you and your important work and resources too as we work together to move the needle on early care and education in Ohio. Thank you for all that you do. As always don't hesitate to contact me with your feedback. Have a great weekend. Shannon Jones Executive Director Groundwork Ohio #executivedirector #update #statebudget #socialmedia #earlychildhoodeducation #ohio #education #ohioed

Lynanne Wolf is joining the Groundwork Ohio team as the new Policy and Advocacy Associate. This position was created to support Groundwork’s crucial advocacy mission and our immediate need for legislative support during the current state budget discussion. Many know Lynanne through her service on Groundwork's steering committee as a representative of Voices for Ohio’s Children. She was most recently a Policy Associate at Voices, but prior to returning to policy development and legislative advocacy, Lynanne was in private law practice as a child and family law attorney for five years. She also previously served as a Senior Legislative Aide in the Ohio General Assembly. Lynanne is excited to hit the ground running and the Groundwork team is eager to work with her to fulfill its critical mission. Please join us in welcoming this seasoned advocate to Groundwork. You can reach Lynanne at lwolf@GroundworkOhio.org or 614-204-6106. #staff #policy #advocacy #earlycare #earlychildhoodeducation

As you already know, Governor Kasich introduced his state operating budget for FY 2018-19 last month and it is currently receiving hearings in the Ohio House of Representatives ( House Bill 49 ). The legislature and advocates alike have been analyzing the text as the House Finance Committee and the various subcommittees invited testimony from state agencies. Groundwork continues to review the Governor’s proposals to identify the bill’s level of commitment to the early care and education of our youngest Ohioans. The budget detailed "red book" for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has yet to be made available and the "red book" for the Ohio Department of Education was just released this week. Below are our preliminary findings: The Ohio Department of Education maintains flat funding for early childhood education programs for low-income children in FY 2018 and FY 2019. The funding, totaling $75.3 million each fiscal year, funds up to 18,465 preschool slots with the state funding allocation of $4,000 per child. Of the total preschool slots funded, up to 17,215 (93.2%) are supported by GRF line item 200408, Early Childhood Education, in ODE's budget and 1,250 (6.8%) are supported by casino operator settlement fund moneys appropriated in Fund 5KT0 line item 600696, Early Childhood Education, in the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) budget. FY 2017 marked the first year that casino operator settlement fund moneys have been used to fund early childhood education grants. The executive budget permits ODE to use a portion of GRF line item 200408 to establish a new pilot program that would allocate preschool slots to low-income parents rather than to providers. If established, ODE expects to operate the pilot program in two to three areas around the state. The award amount is expected to be $4,000 per child, the same as the existing early childhood education grant program. While ODE currently does not have an estimate of the amount of funding to be allocated for the pilot program, the number of existing, filled preschool slots may not need to be reduced to accommodate it. The pilot program is a response to some preschool slots going unfilled due partly to the time needed to adjust to a programmatic change made in H.B. 64. Beginning in FY 2017, H.B. 64 limited program eligibility to four-year-old children only instead of both three and four-year-olds. In an effort to increase utilization, ODE worked with providers having unfilled slots and reallocated about 1,000 open slots in December to providers that, through an ODE canvass, expressed interest in and capacity for additional slots. As of January 2017, early childhood education programs had filled 81%, or about 14,956, of the total slots funded for FY 2017. The executive budget continues to require the development of joint processes between the ODJFS-administered Publicly Funded Child Care Program, and ODE's Early Childhood Education Program in the areas of program eligibility determinations, applications, attendance tracking, and alignment of copays. ODE's Superintendent Paulo DeMaria, did offer testimony before the house on February 7th which highlighted the Department's maintenance of early childhood education investments in addition to outlining plans to better align services with ODJFS to make Ohio's cross-agency system work more efficiently. ODJFS has not yet had the same opportunity to testify, although we expect testimony from the Department next week. Despite not having further detail, it is Groundwork's understanding that ODJFS has also flat funded its early care and education investments at $143,436,793 in both FY18 and FY19 as reflected in GRF line item 600535. As part of Ohio’s Race to the Top− Early Learning Challenge Grant, 100% of licensed childcare providers in Ohio serving children who receive Publicly Funded Child Care (PFCC) subsidies must be Star Rated in the Step Up to Quality five-star quality rating and improvement system by 2020. As of 2015, only 35% of licensed childcare centers, 26% of Type A, and 3% of Type B home providers are Star Rated*. Ohio statute, R.C. 5104.29(G)(1)(a-e) also mandates that 100% of licensed providers (excluding Type B) that serve PFCC children should be high-quality (3 to 5 Stars) by 2025. In order to reach this goal, the following thresholds must be met: By June 30, 2017, 25% By June 30, 2019, 40% By June 30, 2021, 60% By June 30, 2023, 80% By June 30, 2025, 100% As of 2015, only 15% of licensed childcare centers and 5% of Type A home providers are high-quality (Percentages include providers that only serve school-age children). Given that funding across the board has remained flat, Groundwork is concerned that progress towards these goals is not being adequately achieved. Many questions remain as Groundwork keeps a critical eye towards achieving and sustaining equal access to a quality early care and development system for our most vulnerable Ohio kids. #statebudget #earlychildhoodeducation #funding #Kasich

Groundwork Ohio is pleased to announce the appointment of Shannon Jones as its Executive Director. “Shannon joins Groundwork with an impressive background in policy and legislative advocacy,” said Robyn Lightcap, co-chair of Groundwork Ohio. “As a former member of the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives, she has extensive, bipartisan relationships and legislative know-how that will serve the organization well.” “I am very excited to be working on behalf of Ohio’s youngest children,” said Jones. “As a former legislator, I know that Ohio’s economic success is dependent on quality investments in early education. Groundwork’s Steering Committee is filled with highly-respected professionals committed to kids’ success. I’m looking forward to working with them to secure Ohio’s future.” Prior to joining Groundwork, Jones served as an Ohio State Representative and State Senator, where she was chosen by her colleagues for key leadership posts in both chambers. She is the only woman in her party, and the first in Ohio history, ever to achieve that distinction. Her public service includes leadership and management roles at the federal, state, and local levels. “Shannon’s passion for and knowledge of early childhood issues makes her well-suited to lead Groundwork as we refine our policy agenda and create a vision for Ohio’s youngest children,” added Stephanie Byrd, co-chair of Groundwork Ohio. “We are confident that she will take our advocacy to the next level.”. #staff #policy #executivedirector

We enthusiastically announce the addition of four new members to our Steering Committee representing varying businesses and organizations that seek to improve the lives of our community’s children. MaryBeth Bush is a professional family childcare provider in Warren. In 1997 she founded Mary’s Little Lambs Childcare & Preschool, a growing and successful 3-Star, high-quality family childcare provider. In 2012 MaryBeth became the first family childcare provider to be nationally accredited through the National Association for Family Child Care. She is also a founding executive board member and the current treasurer and secretary for the HAPPY Homes Ohio Association, Ohio’s family childcare networking organization. Rhonda Childs recently became the Director of Early Childhood for Upper Arlington Schools where she also serves as the Director of Burbank Early Childhood School. She has over 10 years of experience working with pre-K and kindergarten students in the classroom, working extensively with diverse populations of students including different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds as well as students with special needs. Rhonda previously served as a Department Coordinator at Columbus City Schools in the Department of Early Childhood Education. Laura DiCola is the Early Childhood Education Strategy Leader for the Summit Education Initiative (SEI), a nonprofit organization located in Akron that works “cradle to career” to enhance the educational experiences of individuals and their families. After spending more than 20 years finding creative solutions to complex business problems as an attorney in the private sector, she left law to pursue her passion for education and community-based work. Laura’s work at SEI focuses on the early childhood strategy, including early care, kindergarten readiness and third grade reading. Katie Kelly serves as the Director of PRE4CLE, a plan to ensure all 3- and 4-year-old children in Cleveland have access to a high-quality preschool. She previously worked for Groundwork Ohio from its inception in 2004 until 2014. During that time Katie served as Campaign Director and Executive Director of the organization for a combined seven years. Under her leadership, Groundwork became a leading advocate for high-quality early care and education in Ohio. Katie also served concurrently for seven years as a Public Policy Fellow at The Center for Community Solutions.