2022 Voter Guide

Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: Answer here ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes or No ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes or No ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes or No ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Answer here Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes or No ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support or Oppose ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support or Oppose ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support or Oppose ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Answer here Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes or No ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes or No ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support or Oppose ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes or No ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes or No ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: Answer here Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: Answer here Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes or No ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Answer here Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Answer here

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: In order to have a strong economy and career opportunities in Ohio, it is critical that our children have the necessary support mechanisms through their childhood and into their career. It is my goal to ensure every child has a safe home, adequate healthcare, and access to strong educational opportunities. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: I would support legislation similar to House Bill 11 (133rd GA) that sought to address tobacco cessation and support prenatal initiatives. I would have also supported House Bill 142 (134th GA) relating to doula services. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Throughout my 44 years in real estate, I have helped thousands of families find their forever home. Their largest concerns have consistently surrounded two issues: Public safety and good schools that provide a quality education. I believe that our children are our future and the only way for them to unlock their full potential is to give them access to quality schools that help them cultivate their full potential. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I firmly believe in the value of the nuclear family concept. It is vital that we do everything in our power to maintain and strengthen it. I also support the currently proposed House Bill 428 (134th GA) that seeks to establish an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) commission. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: Ohio House District 04 is filled with a diversity of communities. As such, it will be my job to listen to all my constituents concerns and take those into consideration as I work in the Statehouse. I am not beholden to any special interest group or organization. I am there to serve the residents of my district and will strive to represent them as effectively as possible. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Geographical challenges certainly exist. Children in more rural areas do not always have access to high-speed internet and other technologies. This is also true for some of our inner-city communities. It is my hope to address these gaps when I am in the legislature. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Mental health has emerged as one of the most pressing issues of our time. I think that we need to encourage schools and parents to come together more often to discuss the child's mental health and other pertinent emotional issues for their age level. Educating parents and other caregivers on how their child reacts to certain topics and remaining watchful for signs of bullying or other abuse is deeply important.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am dedicated to improving the lives of all Ohioans; from all backgrounds and walks of life. While Ohio has many challenges, I want to focus on mental health, homelessness, and improving economic opportunity for all Ohioans, particularly those who our new economy has left behind. To do this we need to improve access and affordability to education and health care and provide real investments in early childhood education while attacking the opioid epidemic that is tearing apart so many communities across the state. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: It is all about access and affordability. Your health and your future should not be determined by your zip code. Every child across our state should have access to quality health care including dental and vision. We do this with real investments and real reforms that are working in other states. Simply put, we need elected officials to have the will to make this happen. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: The evidence is clear. When a child gets quality pre-k education, that foundation benefits them throughout their academic career and life. We need to ensure that every parent that wishes can put their child into high quality child care. We have the resources, we need the will. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: We know early childhood education pays off and is one of the most effective ways to allow children and families to escape poverty. We need politicians to have the will to fund these programs at the levels that ensure success. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: Listening to families and constituents is one of the most important things I do as an elected official. It provides insight and inspiration for better policies and it helps guide what we do in the General Assembly. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: As a former teacher, coach, and school board member, I have seen first hand how social factors can impact a young person's life. This is one of the main reasons I chose to run for public office. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A:

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: My top three issues are: 1- Advocating for and enacting government policies that encourage job creation, and reduce regulatory burdens on businesses 2- Advocating for policies that support cooperation between government agencies particularly regarding school safety. 3- Support policies that protect professional decision making for healthcare professionals, educators, and police, while providing clear compliance regulations thereby protecting these professions from culture wars, and improving working conditions. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: I have raised 5 children, and as a divorce attorney for the last 13 years, I have worked with many families in crisis. I understand that prenatal and the first years of life have a massive disproportional impact on a person's health, habits, and personality for the rest of their life. Maximizing the health and nutrients, and safe family structure for children and their parents takes a coordinated collaborative effort between numerous agencies like children services, government rec and park programs, Ohio Department of Health (WIC), and many others. We have prioritized building a healthy community in Hilliard through better development, and a currently planned medically integrated community center with facilities for all ages of development. I will support increased access to coordinated early intervention services. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Quality child care is critical, and it is also extremely expensive or even cost prohibitive for many families. The Head Start program is respected and welcomed by families with young children. In my experience there are not enough facilities providing access to the program. We need to expand the training, and funding to be able to offer more facilities to run the quality this program offers our most vulnerable group of children. But the best thing we can do as a state is support the conditions and regulatory environment to attract better paying jobs so families can afford the quality child care. We can also streamline burdens on businesses to allow more parents to work from home with greater flexibility. We also could look into supporting retired extended family’s ability to help with quality child care to help alleviate the burden of high cost and lack of quality early childhood professionals. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: See prior answer. In addition, we have been successful in building and developing the community in Hilliard with collaborative planning and coordination between government agencies. City police, township EMS, school counselors, the city park and rec, and the various non-profit social service organizations all interact with good city planning to create the framework to support healthy families and healthy communities. One of the differences we have made in Hilliard is to prevent the culture wars dividing other communities from dividing ours by doing the hard work to build consensus and being respectful of differences of opinions. It is the collective sense of ownership and belonging that makes everything work and creates a positive environment for children to grow up here. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I have a track record both as an attorney and as a member of Hilliard City Council of listening to all sides. I am 100% committed to taking the time to listening to families and advocates to better understand the practical impact of existing policy. Being better informed and seeing the human impact helps me to develop better solutions and to drive better policy outcomes. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I am an attorney for an Ohio public charter school serving 100% poverty based families. I have lived and visited in a number of countries around the world, and have witnessed how social factors influence a child's opportunities over the course of their life. We must continue to strive for the goal of providing equal opportunity for all children. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: We must as a state overcome the divisive culture wars promoting stress and anxiety between people, and the residual harm from COVID, and get people working in good paying jobs to build a positive better future for our great State of Ohio. Children absorb stress from their parents, and families under financial and emotional stress lead to divorce, depression, and substance abuse. It is all connected together and through a collaborative approach, I think we can be successful in overcoming these challenges at the state level in the same manner we have overcome them at the Hilliard City level.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running for re-election because Ohio needs more leaders who are committed to finding real solutions to the problems we face, not finding more ways to divide us. For the last four years, I have served as a State Representative for the Westside of Cleveland and fought for better schools, safer streets, healthy families, and a stronger economy that rewards hard work. I’ve had success, passing nine bills in four years as Democrat in a Republican supermajority legislature. As the lead sponsor of the Fair School Funding Plan, I built on a five-year bipartisan effort and succeeded in finally overhauling Ohio’s broken and unconstitutional school funding formula. As a result, we are on track for a long-overdue, nearly $2 billion investment into our public schools. I will fight relentlessly to ensure this plan is fully funded. I will also continue to advocate for restored local government funding and improved access to affordable healthcare and good-paying jobs. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Ohio ranks in the bottom half of all 50 states when it comes to child poverty. We know that it costs more to educate children with special needs or who are economically disadvantaged. I am very supportive of gathering Ohio-specific data and researching Ohio-specific solutions when it comes to the need for early intervention services and access to health care for Ohio’s children. Ohio’s future depends on fostering the promise and potential of every child, regardless of their race, gender, or their family’s income. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: We know that a student’s early years are the most formative when it comes to their social and intellectual development. That’s why I believe it is so important to ensure that every child has access to a quality pre-K education. We must start looking at the whole child, and at an educational journey that starts at birth. And, the state must treat and fund education accordingly. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I support expanding access to crucial Early Head Start programs in Ohio. The state should match these federal dollars so that more children can take advantage of them and therefore help to overcome some of the additional obstacles that low-income families face. This is not simply a matter of leveraging federal dollars; it’s a question of investing in Ohio’s future. There are kids across Ohio that have huge hurdles to jump, and there are federal programs like Head Start that are designed to navigate them early on. We have an obligation to do everything in our power to allow every Ohio kid to reach their God-given potential. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: In order to make Ohio a better place for people to live and work, we must listen to families about the issues that are most important to them. I will always listen to and prioritize families when making policy decisions, because at the end of the day we all want Ohio to be a state that future generations are proud to call home. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Far too often, children find themselves disadvantaged for their entire lives because of their zip code or the color of their skin. That’s why we have to take an evidence-based, data-driven approach to expanding opportunity by funding quality education in Ohio. I am proud to be the sponsor of the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan, and I will fight to fulfill its promise to ensure a good education for every student no matter where they live. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: The ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic may not be fully known or entirely felt for many years. That is especially true for children, who suffered significant learning loss as a result of this crisis. That loss is both intellectual and social. It will take a significant, long-term investment like the Fair School Funding Plan (among other education policies) to provide the education, services, and care necessary to repair the damage done to the mental and emotional health of children and families in the wake of the pandemic. The historic and transformational infusion of dollars at the federal level is very welcome and helpful, but it will also take a lasting commitment by the State of Ohio to truly look after the well-being of children faced with these unique, hopefully once in a lifetime circumstances.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I hope to shine a light on several issues as it relates to 1. Education - Funding, Early Childhood Education, Youth Impact, Safety etc. 2. Health Care - Pro-Choice, Right to health care, Infant Mortality, Mental Health issues etc 3. Safety- Seniors, Elders, Children (in-school/at-Home), Communities, and businesses ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Parental support programs that encourage children well-being, including access to early prenatal care including education for parents. Including access to the many programs Ohio has to offer such as Help Me Grow, Head Start, and Early Childhood Education. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I will work to support and encourage more funding along with opportunities for Ohio's Children to develop- physically, socially, emotionally, in language and literacy, along with cognitive skills. Including supporting teachers, administrators and parents in encouraging their participants in providing these services. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: As a former administrator with the Cleveland Municipal Schools, Case Manager for programs such as Fatherhood initiative and other programs that encourage the health and well-being of families I will continue to advocate for this on the State level. I will work to engage families in Ohio programs that will help them use their own strengths to address the challenges in their family sphere and community. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I plan to "Shine a Light" on District 18, its families and encourage them to share with me and other legislators about the strengths, achievements, and experiences in the services they receive. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Witness, I have experienced how social factors have impacted my life, my child(ren) life etc. Also in my life of work on a daily basis I witness it everyday. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: The emotional and mental well-being of our youngest children will be a top priority with the high-prevalence of issues such as depression, anxiety and bullying.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: It is an honor to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives at a time when the state legislature has never been more important. Our state government should work for everyone, not just the powerful and connected. I am running for re-election to continue bringing new leadership to Columbus, put families and communities before politics, and renew Ohio’s promise to make our state a place where you can live, work, and retire with dignity. As a senior executive and father of two children, I know what it is like to balance work and family. As a native Northeastern Ohioan, I will fight to increase investment in Ohio schools, incentivize young families and workers to stay in Ohio, and support policies ensuring equal opportunities for all Ohioans. Everyone should have the opportunity to succeed. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Every Ohioan should have access to quality and affordable health care. In the Ohio General Assembly, I co-sponsored legislation to ensure the protection of coverage for pre-existing conditions and essential health benefits, regardless of the status of the Affordable Care Act and secured $70 million for home-visit programs for newborns to reduce infant mortality rates. We must also fund prenatal and well-baby care, screenings, early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and preschool aged children. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I am deeply committed to investing in and improving Ohio schools. I believe that a child’s zip code should not dictate their destiny, and that every child deserves a high-quality education. As the Ranking Member on the Primary and Secondary Education Committee, I worked to expand access to quality education for all Ohio students. I am running for re-election to invest in early childhood education, including universal Pre-K for all three- and four-year-old children, and expanding kindergarten to full-day. I am also focused on ensuring that universities, community colleges, and trade and technical programs are more affordable and accessible. When it comes to education, I understand how important access and opportunity are to ensure children are set up for success. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I am committed to supporting families and safe, stable environments for young children. Development during a child’s first five years of life is critical, and parents and caregivers need support in order to provide safe, stable environments for our youngest children to learn, grow, and thrive. Ohio household incomes are not increasing and families are struggling to afford the rising costs of education, housing, and healthcare. When re-elected, I will fight for universal preschool for all three and four year olds, as well as all day kindergarten throughout the state. I support paid family leave. I secured $70 million for home-visit programs for newborns to reduce infant mortality rates, secured $18 million for programs to address mental health and substance abuse, and voted to send $22 million to local Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Boards for crisis support for families. In order for children to thrive, we must support families in creating safe, stable environments. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: Families — parents, kinship and foster caregivers, grandparents — are the experts in each child’s life. Parents and caregivers know their children and their children’s needs better than anyone else at the table. As policymakers, we must bring parents and caregivers to the conversation. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Shortly after moving back home to Northeast Ohio, I found time to tutor middle school students on my lunch hour. I was so inspired by my time with these students and their stories that I left a career in the private sector to pay it forward in the education nonprofit community. A child’s zip code should not dictate their destiny, nor should it dictate equitable access to affordable, quality healthcare; high-quality education; or food security. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Equity in health care is a top priority of my re-election campaign. In the Ohio General Assembly, I co-sponsored legislation to ensure the protection of coverage for pre-existing conditions and essential health benefits, regardless of the status of the Affordable Care Act. When re-elected, I will continue fighting to expand access to quality and affordable health care and address health care inequalities.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: 1) To lessen the burden and negative economic impacts on our families and small businesses 2) To create a culture of long-term strategic thinking that not only focuses on today, but also focuses on our grandchildren’s tomorrow 3) EDUCATION REFORM! ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Simple. We all deserve an equal chance for success! Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: The earlier we start educating our youth the better chance for long term success! Our youth make up approximately 30% of the population, but 100% of our future. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: It starts at home! Not rocket science. Allow our educators to educate not just babysit. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: 100% I will ask to be on as many education committees as possible. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Working at Junior Achievement I have seen all levels of education! Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Mental health is very real and kids should have services available to them.

Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running for re-election to continue to be a voice of reason and to strive for common sense and common ground in policymaking. We have unmet need to address in Ohio in terms of our most vulnerable populations (children and senior citizens), and before cutting more taxes, I believe we need to instead use those resources to improve the quality of life for these segments of our population. I will continue to fight for higher appropriations for children's services (we shouldn't be 49th or 50th among the states in what we spend per capita in that area. I also will fight to more fully fund Ohio's new school funding formula. Also, we need to end the "culture wars" and get back to responsible public policy making. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Many of our providers of these services are extremely challenged by the lack of qualified workers to administer these services. We need to ramp up workforce development, raise the compensation, and improve the working conditions so that there is enough capacity to allow improved access and early intervention. We need to increase the income eligibility ceiling so that more lower income parents qualify for subsidies to be able to afford these services. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: When I chaired the Ohio House Finance Committee's Education Subcommittee in Fiscal Years 90-93, I worked with Rep. Ray Miller to, for the first time, use state tax dollars to supplement and expand Head Start program enrollments. We recognized then that early learning at the pre-school level was vital to a child's future, and that the wisdom of such an investment would save tax dollars down the road. For some inexplicable reason, we don't do that today. Also, I will continue to support Step Up to Quality to ensure the best provision possible of this early learning, and, as a result, much better outcomes. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I was able to get state supplemental funding for Head Start 30 years ago; again, instead of more tax reductions, I'd rather use those dollars to invest in children's and Ohio's future. As a former County Commissioner, I was a strong supporter of our Foster Parent program and an enhanced adoption program to help provide the most stable environment possible for those children that so sorely needed that. I certainly am open as a legislator to advice and suggestions as to how the General Assembly can catalyze and encourage the optimal reality of that philosophy for our state. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I have always felt that those on the front line of administering to the needs of a child's life have a lot more first hand knowledge , and I have no interest in being a second-guesser. They need to tell me and my colleagues know what they need in terms of policy making. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: It's clearly obvious that there are disparities in health care and health outcomes, as well as healthy food access, based on race and location of residence. These factors certainly compromise that child's ability to succeed in life. It is a continuing policy challenge that we must do a better job of addressing. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: We must expand Medicaid coverage to support all components of behavioral health care, and try to convince public and private employers that provide health care coverage to include such behavioral health coverage for their employees and their dependents to the greatest degree feasible.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running because I see a stark contrast between many members of the Ohio statehouse and the values of my neighbors, friends and community members. The extremist legislation that is being passed by the statehouse does not reflect the values of the majority of Ohioans. Additionally, the corruption that has come from the statehouse lines the pockets of the rich and does nothing for the majority of Ohioans. I am running to bring true public service to state level government and bring the government away from extremism and back to serving Ohioans. My top three issues are: 1. Upholding the quality of public education through legislation and fair funding 2. Increasing access to healthcare, including mental health services 3. Supporting working families through supporting increasing minimum wage to $15/hr, supporting collective bargaining and prevailing wages and opposing right to work legislation ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: I am a lifelong child advocate. I worked as a pediatric social worker, pediatric nurse, and volunteer as a court appointed special advocate (CASA) advocating for children experiencing abuse and neglect. Additionally, I created my family through adoption and have personal experience with parenting children who did not receive thorough healthcare or early intervention services. I absolutely believe it is our duty to provide healthcare and early intervention services to infants and small children for preventive care, early identification of issues, and early intervention. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I support making preschool accessible to all children. I support expanding access to affordable and high-quality child care that provides early learning experiences for young children. Finally, I support addressing fair compensation for professional early childhood educators. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: As a pediatric social worker, pediatric nurse, and a mother to children with many ACEs, I completely support legislation and funding to support families and provide parenting support. As a CASA, I see the devastating effects of family disruption and would work to improve services and support for families before child removal is necessitated. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: In all my decisions, I will strive to include the experience. Values, and voices of those most affected by the decision. I would work to have a strong relationship with community families and organizations serving families so that I can serve as a true ally and advocate. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I see this every day. I see the difference in my own children who came from pasts of abuse, neglect and poverty and with resources, support, love and a caring adult, they have grown to amazing potentials. I see this in my volunteer work as a CASA where children who are living in poverty are disproportionately impacted by lack of opportunities. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Covid-19 was a shared trauma that all Ohioans experienced and that the youngest Ohioans experienced in unique ways. I would support increased access to mental health services, parenting support, and early intervention to assist with young children who experience negative health outcomes from Covid-19-related experiences.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running for re-election to the Ohio House because as a mother of three young girls, a business owner, and a former school board president I know exactly what the needs of parents are in this moment as well as the needs our state has when it comes to early childhood education, access to quality healthcare for families and young children and much more. On a broader level, we must elect public servants and not politicians pushing extremist agendas and my opponent is an extremist. The top three issues I want to continue to lead on next General Assembly if I have the honor and privilege of being reelected by the people of the #Great28 are as follows. 1. Ensuring we protect and continue to fund the Fair School Funding Plan and make public education funding here in Ohio Constitutional. 2. Passing HB266 The Hidden Predator Act to ensure our children are protected under Ohio law instead of Ohio law protecting rapists and pedophiles and predators. As a survivor this is personally important to me. 3. Protecting the reproductive rights of women and pregnant people and increasing our investment in kids early so that they have what is necessary to living a successful life and not always worrying where their next meal is going to come or if their family can afford childcare or quality healthcare. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: When I was a school board president I supported CLC's. Community Learning Centers. I supported the legislation that passed, and while I was on the school board I made sure we passed the necessary resolutions to allow our public school system to take full advantage of this opportunity for our children. Winton Woods City School District, where my children still attend, is a designated Urban School District however it is located in a suburban setting. This comes with many challenges and opportunities of which I am proud to have led many during my service on the school board. We passed full day Pre-K and full day kindergarten under my leadership as well as the nutrition is the mission bus bringing healthy meals to children and families where they are. On a more personal note, I grew up in poverty with an ACE's score of 8, so I know the true enemy is poverty and it is our job in government to provide for the quality of life necessary so more children can thrive. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I mentioned a lot on this topic in my previous statement, but to reiterate, before serving in the state legislature I myself was a working parent who struggled with quality early learning and the cost of childcare for my children. I have been on state medicaid when I was a child as a product of a single mom and my children were in their early ages, so I know how critical it is to protecting these benefits and enhancing their impact for Ohio's future generations. Finding a way to fund and implement all-day Pre-K and K in an underfunded public school system was not easy, but that was our goal to ensure quality early learning in a state that doesn't currently provide this in its budget. We were successful and this is because it was our priority. I bring this same priority with me to the Ohio Statehouse and will continue to work with my colleagues to make this a reality for Ohio's families and children. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I have mentioned elements of answers to all questions in this section already but to summarize briefly, I understand personally what growing up in poverty is, having an ACE's score of 8, and how supporting strong families and safe stable environments can be life-changing for children. This is a policy area that I am deeply committed to and I hope that the future general assembly holds space for these crucial policy areas to be focused on instead of the current churning of red herring politics and state sanctioned child abuse that benefits no young child. We must focus our attention on all of the critical policy areas outlined in this questionnaire, and the only way to do this is to ensure we elect leaders committed to this work either personally or professionally. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I absolutely commit to listening to my fellow voices of families and parents of young children to inform the policy decisions I make. Listening to stakeholders is the only way we can craft meaningful policy that provides the quality of life Ohioans and our young children deserve. This is my priority always. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I have witnessed this in my own personal life and I also witness this through the experiences of my children. My three daughters are proud Mexican-Americans and their challenges however different from the challenges I had growing up in poverty and experiencing child sexual abuse, are valid and are at the top of my awareness when crafting policy that affects them and many other Ohio children. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: I agree with the findings in this study, as the parent of a 5 year old I see many challenges in her mental and emotional health as well as her academic challenges caused by this global pandemic. This should be a top focus of the state legislature and we should put the federal dollars we have been given to good use to ensure our children under the age of 5 do not continually fall behind or lack the access to social emotional services and supports that they need. The Fair School Funding Plan allocates funding for school counselors in our elementary schools which is vitally important and ensuring my HB333 gets passed in the Senate and signed by the Governor is crucial as well.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: Criminal Justice Reform Election Law Energy/Utilities Policy ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: My 22 year record speaks for itself, as I have always supported Help Me Grow, Every Child Succeeds, and Step Up to Quality Childcare. I successfully championed pandemic emergency child care licenses to the Administration and as former Rep. Crawley can attest, I gave the final push to the put in the Doula bill over the House finish line. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I support what you are after, but it seems to me we have expended a great deal of money on these programs and our resources are not endless, making "individualized caregiving" a very expensive proposition. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I have no opinion on this question. Early childhood education is a priority for me but I am not sure "Early Head Start" is the best way to get there. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I will listen to families but I find better information from experts such as United Way, Groundwork, Every Child Succeeds and others I've worked with over the years. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I have not witnessed that. I have witnessed many heroic Ohioans who have overcome those barriers to become very successful in life. Maybe we need to study why they succeeded when others did not. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: I will continue to support the wellness program dollars we have committed in each of the last 2 budgets and hope to see the Oyler School model replicated in many more buildings across the state.

Response not yet received.

Response not yet received.

Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I've run successful campaigns in the past, winning elections over well-established incumbents. I've been effective in the public service positions to which I've been elected. I'm well known in my District as someone who is honest and who works hard for my constituents' interests. Ohio has become a one-party state and it shows. We're ranked near the bottom on most economic and quality of life indicators. Our Republican legislators and governor recently responded to the tragic murders in Uvalde by passing and signing laws that make it even easier to acquire and conceal weapons. This is apart from the wanton corruption among legislators that has embarrassed our state in the eyes of the rest of the nation. When I'm elected, I'll work to support and sponsor legislation that meets the needs of working families, not the wealthy special interests. Women's Right to Choose: Reproductive rights are coming under attack as they have not for over half a century. Extremists are advocating for and proposing policies that remove any and all agency women might have in making decisions over their own bodies. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: A great deal of research shows that early intervention services are effective and can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to learn new skills and increase their success in school and life. Those studies show that, the earlier and more comprehensive the services are provided, the more successful they are. Other studies show that each dollar spent on early intervention services provide a return of up to twelve dollars back to society. Those studies show that, the earlier the interventions, the more effective they are. That's why I was disappointed that the Inflation Reduction Act was passed without promised resources for child care and preschool and a child tax credit that the House passed last November. I will work to make sure Ohio's early childhood education and intervention services are well funded and remain effective. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Quality early learning leads to increased high school graduation, increased post-high school education, higher personal incomes in adulthood, lower crime, and lower dependence on social welfare. As with early intervention services, quality early learning provides exceptionally large returns on each dollar invested. All parents deserve to go to work knowing their kids have a safe, nurturing place to go and all early educators deserve a wage that allows them to live with security and dignity. But for decades, Ohio has had a child care crisis. Even before COVID-19, thousands of families could not afford high-quality child care, and most child care workers were paid poverty-level wages. State lawmakers haven’t devoted the needed resources to support families and build a bright future for all our children. While lawmakers took a step in making child care more affordable in the last state budget, Ohio still does less than most states when it comes to helping parents afford high-quality child care. I support House Bill 145, which would expand initial eligibility for publicly funded childcare from 142% up to 200% of the federal poverty level. Further, I will work to improve wages for child care workers by increasing the state minimum wage to $15 and increasing reimbursement rates to child care providers. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: A central theme of my campaign is support for working families and their children. A safe, secure and loving home, as well as a school which is consistent and nurturing, makes a big difference for our looked after children. Studies confirm that stability can support a child to flourish in their home and school and reduce the impact of any difficulties they have already had to endure. That stability is a function of a variety of factors including education, financial well-being, and home ownership among others. Supporting working families through the provision of good jobs, good schools, good services, and good access to health care are all effective in helping provide stable environments for children. I'll advocate and support policies that achieve all these objectives. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I'm the proud daughter of working parents, both of whom were strong union members. My father and siblings were strong union members. As with all working families, there were challenges, but our lives were made better because of those union jobs that provided safe working conditions, health insurance, decent middle-class wages, and secure employment. I have served on the Macedonia City Council and was elected to the Summit County Council in 2020. My political career has been based on listening to and taking seriously the voices of families and turning their needs and interests into policy. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: My own circumstances speak to some of those issues. As I mentioned above, growing up in a working family that was able to provide stability and emotional safety because good jobs and good services were available to us and that was instructive for me. As those sorts of careers and services have become harder to come by, the stresses put on families has risen. The source of my motivation to run for office comes from a desire to see that all Ohio families realize the same set of circumstances that allowed me to have a stable and nurturing family environment. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Ohio's performance in providing services that support children's mental and emotional health has deteriorated sharply during the past few years. Our state has slid from 11th to 25th among all states in its provision of such services. We are worse than the national average with respect to the numbers of children and adults who aren't receiving needed services. Ohio is facing several public health challenges, including drug addiction, overdose deaths, trauma, mental illness, depression and suicide. In 2017, Ohio ranked second worst in the nation for drug overdose deaths per capita. The expansion of Medicaid and increases in the last state budget for addiction and mental health services has been beneficial. I'll work to assure that these increases are sustained. On the other hand, state lawmakers have slashed support for Ohio’s local governments, leaving them with fewer resources to deal with these challenges. Municipalities and counties need sufficient, ongoing resources to adopt best practices to save lives and support people in their recovery. I'll support the return of resources to local governments so that they can provide much needed services.

Response not yet received.

Response not yet received.

Response not yet received.

Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running as a candidate for House District 33 to continue my work on behalf of Ohio families. My priorities include the following: 1) Criminal Justice Reform - We need to lower the number of collateral sanctions imposed on citizens returning to home after completing their sentence. By doing so we will help the labor force and restore the family unit headed by those making family-sustaining wages. 2) Increase minimum wage to at least $15 per hour. 3) Ensure Reproductive Freedom for all. Reproductive Freedom is an economic issue. When someone has full access to healthcare, they can make the best decisions for themselves and their family. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: During my time in the legislature, there have been attempts to roll back Medicaid expansion and I have fought these efforts at every turn. Further, I have championed early childhood education standards which would lift our community. I have toured all of the hospitals in my area to observe pre-natal and maternal care and as a member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, I have authored legislation to improve the lives of mothers and newborns. I toured pre-school facilities in the district to understand the challenges they faced while trying to meet standards which help improve school readiness. I have participated in the This Side Up campaign to make sure parents know proper sleeping protocol for babies. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: As a teenager, I witnessed the benefit of my sister attending high quality childcare in the same building where my mother worked. She was happy and healthy and more than ready for a school. I know the value of affordable, reliable child care because of my own experience as a mother and a grandmother. The pandemic showed how childcare is not a reliable safety net for parents who cannot stay home to care for preschool children. I held a listening session to understand need improvements and I write letters to our Governor urging timely payments to caregiving professionals. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I served as a juvenile court Magistrate for more than 14 years so I witnessed first hand how our child welfare system tried to meet the challenges faced by Ohio families. As soon as I joined the legislature I began to call on more resources to put child welfare system which was already on overload. I continued those efforts for every general assembly. I joint sponsored HB 8 which became law and has helped more foster care families overcome training barriers to be ready when the next child might need a temporary home. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: As stated above, I regularly held town halls and listening sessions to better meet the needs of working families. I have a Working Families Town Hall scheduled for August 29, 2022 where I will continue my efforts. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: As a juvenile court magistrate, I regularly witnessed the disparities faced by the Summit County population and witnessed the unfortunate results of disparate treatment. I am proud to serve as a continuing member of the Summit County Juvenile Courts JDAI committee which works to actively address disparities in the juvenile system. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: I recently joined an interfaith collaborative to evaluate Summit County preparedness for implementation of 988 suicide hotline. Through this effort and many others, I intend to continue to drive families to the resources needed to combat mental health issues and to confirm access to treatment. I have legislation pending in the Civil Justice Committee which would address Mental Deterioration standards and make evaluation and treatment more accessible early on.

Response not yet received.

Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running for office because I believe that all Ohioans deserve representation. I am focused on bringing more state funds back to my district for the benefit of my constituents, fighting extremism, and delivering for our teachers, healthcare workers and parents. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: I am a strong advocate for early intervention and healthcare. I have fought to increase access to supports via Madeline's Law which requires insurance to cover hearing aids for children. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I am strongly in favor of making quality early learning affordable and accessible. In fact, I signed on to the bill that increases public access to childcare. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I strongly support providing adequate funding for Early Head Start programs. Children benefit most from proper care and early intervention. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I hold regular town halls, am very active on social media, and I am always accessible to the public. I commit to continuing to listen to families and making sure that all stakeholders have a voice in decisions that affect them. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I am very aware of the need for equity and exploring ways to give each and every child the tools they need to excel. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Much of my platform supports Ohio's youngest children. Whether it's expanding access to healthcare, to childcare, to maternal and fetal care, or to universal pre-K. As a father of two incredible daughters and an amazing son that we adopted from kinship care, I am all in to fight for Ohio's youngest.

Response not yet received.

Response not yet received.

Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running for re-election to the Ohio House because I am passionate about bringing people together to solve the tough problems facing our communities. Our children and families need access to quality early learning, safe, drug-free neighborhoods and high-performing schools to flourish. Our working-age adults need opportunities to evolve skills and compete for quality jobs. Our seniors need empowering resources as they age through their later years. We all need a healthy Ohio to live, learn, work and thrive. I want to put my skills and experience to work for the 36th Ohio House District to bring their voice for change in Columbus. Top 3 issues: Access to quality, early learning and supports for families and kids in the birth to five space; Providing comprehensive, best-practice prevention education for our children in the early years of k-12 so they learn the skills they need to prevent mental health, substance use and other issues; Working to bring businesses, K-12 and higher ed schools parents, students and other community partners together to help students have the skills they need and a pathway to achieve a post-high school credential to be able to support themselves and their families and flourish and thrive to their fullest God-given potentials. I also have a high interest in criminal justice issues, including protection of victims' rights. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Several years ago, I worked in early intervention education and developmental disabilities. I fully support increased funding for Help Me Grow and home visits to provide outreach supports to get more kids and families the services they need, as well as continued medicaid support for mothers throughout their child's first year of life. I am very supportive of initiatives like doula services for at-risk mothers, Healthy Beginnings at Home, etc. My professional and personal experience informs my belief in the urgency of getting kids - and parents - the help they need as early as possible. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: As a mother, grandmother and professional, my experience has proven the fact that kids who have access to quality early learning from birth to five have a much better trajectory for success. We know that entering kindergarten ready to learn gives a child a much better chance to be reading in third grade, performing math successfully in eighth grade and on track to graduate and pursue a post-high school credential. I am very supportive of helping parents maximize their ability to provide their children quality early learning, including helping to promote parenting education such as Triple P parenting, providing funding for Help Me Grow and home visits, providing access to quality, affordable child care and keeping the Step Up to Quality standards high for our children. I a joint co-chair of the state's Study Committee for Publicly Funded Child Care and SUTQ and have been convening people from around the state to help form recommendations for future success and sustainability of these initiatives. I joint sponsored a bill to increase the FPL to 200% as the onramp to publicly funded child care in our state. I lobbied hard for the study committee to ensure we do all we can to retain SUTQ standards to give all Ohio children the best chance to flourish and thrive to their fullest God-given potential. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I am fully committed to understanding and helping to implement policies that shore up the foster care system gaps, help all children have access to health care and stable environments and help parents gain the skills and supports they need to do the best job possible and be fully engaged in their children's lives. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I have coordinated after-school tutoring/mentoring initatives and summer food and mentoring programs for at risk/under-resourced children and families. This lived experience being in relationship with these children and some of their parents has given me exposure to the struggles many children face as they are impacted by social determinants of health. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Supports for parents to have the skills and supports they need for their mental/emotional health and substance misuse avoidance will help greatly reduce children's exposure to ACES and improve their own chances for positive social/emotional learning and mental health. I am also working on helping to institutionalize best-practice prevention education in our schools in pre-k through 12 so that we greatly reduce a child's chances of developing mental health and substance use issues during their growing up years.

Response not yet received.

Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: Mental Health, healthcare, workforce, early learning and all education ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I’ve worked on early learning initiatives before it was “cool”. For at least 30 years. I know all stages of the process both public and private. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: It’s critical Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I was one of those children. It takes a village to help a child. It also takes hard work and perseverance to never give up! Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: To create incentives to maintain and expand workers. There is a great shortage. There are issues with organizations creating silos to protect turf. That has to end. We need to create facilities to help longer term stats. We cannot provide space for everyone but with best practices and participation by those in the field can help to handle the load.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: Economy Lower taxes Public safety Workforce Education ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Early intervention is really important. We must make sure parents have both access and affordable care for their children. Early prevention can save a great deal of money in the long run and improve the quality of life for the child. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I have always supported Learn to Earn Dayton and Preschool Promise. I see the value in the programs and will always support them. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: Ohio families are the key to success. All children need the support of strong families. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I will always listen to the voices of families. I am proud of my family and it is the center of my life. Everyone needs a strong family for support. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I worked in law enforcement for 30 years. I could write a book on the negative impact that poverty has on children. Everyone needs a fighting chance. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: We invested money into our schools for wrap around success. We invested money to children’s hospitals for more treatment. This is an issue that we have to fund and address.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: Creating better jobs with family-sustaining wages Stopping crime and building safer neighborhoods Safer, fully-funded schools for our children ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: First, I am decently well-known in Lucas County as one of the top health and wellness advocates in the area. I have regularly given updates, on TV, in the news, etc, talking to everyone in the area about the importance of eating healthy, living healthy lives and creating an environment that puts people on a more successful path, both mentally and physically. Ohio constantly ranks at the top for early childhood deaths. Much of this is due to a lack of affordable pre-natal care and healthcare services for new parents. Most of the time, from socio-economically challenged households. A top priority of mine is fighting for parents and children to live health, sustainable lives. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: Too many children in Ohio grow up in unstable environments, either economic or otherwise. The more we can support wraparound services (pre-k, after school programs, etc), the better chance we have of giving these children the upbringing they deserve. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I will always have an open door policy for each and every constituent. If there are concerned citizens that are passionate about an issue facing their children's well being, I want to hear about it. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: As a woman of color running for office, I haven't just witnessed, I have experienced firsthand the barriers society creates. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: More funding for early childhood learning.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: Focus our attention back on Ohio's working families rather than corporations and lobbyists. Expanding Union jobs and workplaces paired with investments in renewable infrastructure. Pursue fair funding for Ohio's Schools and promote Honesty in Education. We need to empower educators to improve retention rates and give their classrooms the proper tools and curriculum to prepare our students in the 21st century. Fight for modern family values so that all Ohioans, regardless of race, religion, orientation, or gender can feel safe and thrive in our community. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: I support funding campaigns to support the awareness and enhance early childhood healthcare services. I believe it is necessary to ensure that a child and their family receive supports in medical and intervention services. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I believe we should restore funding of childcare, pre-k, and other programs so that professional educators are adequately compensated and can effectively serve Ohio's infants, toddlers, and children. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: As an educator who hopes to have children of their own one day, I believe the state should work to ensure that more vulnerable populations receive supports to improve educational outcomes. Ensuring that healthy meals, medical and dental services, and parental/community engagement, all contribute to enhanced outcomes for students and children later in life. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I believe that government is best when it serves the people. Families should take a central role in shaping community policies and laws to benefit Ohioans. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: With my wife and I both being in the classroom, we have experienced a variety of educational settings in rural, urban, and suburban communities. It is evident that socioeconomic circumstances currently play an outsized role in the outcome of students. We need to "close the gap" in many areas to ensure equity and opportunity. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: I was recently endorsed by the SAFE Communities Coalition which works closely with allies including healthcare providers, scientists, nonprofits, industry partners, advocates for children, and underserved populations to elect representatives who will promote evidence-based, pro-vaccine, legislation to ensure healthier communities. I believe tackling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and working to better prepare our State for public health emergencies should be a top priority to support the mental and emotional health of Ohio's youngest children.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I have the experience from serving in the the Senate and the House for the past 12 years and also the experience of teaching grades 1-5 for 37 years. I have also served my city of North Ridgeville on the Planning Commission and also as city at large councilwoman. I have proven myself as someone who listens to constituents and will work across the aisle to improve Ohio. Jobs and Inflation Education specifically literacy Lessen regulations where needed ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: I joint sponsored HB 11, 133rd GA which helped pregnant Moms with tobacco cessation, lead poisoning and prenatal initiatives. I serve as co-chair of Infant Mortality to find ways to continue to improve the health of the mother and baby in the first year and beyond. Quality preschool should be available to all Ohio children. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Being a Mom, Grandmother and a classroom teacher of younger children I understand the necessity for quality education. The importance of a well trained and respected individual that spends several hours a day with children will have results that will last a lifetime. I have continued to advocate for step up to quality, better compensation and more children who qualify for preschool. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: My record as a legislator for the past 12 years has shown my support for children. Many of my bills have been about saving lives of those with opioid addiction, children crisis centers and infant mortality. If reelected I will continue to fight for the child. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: Through conversations with constituents through monthly office hours, attending meetings and events and taking time to visit preschools and classrooms helps me to be better informed. I will continue to listen to parents and experts in the field when it comes to policy. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: My district consists of rural suburban and urban areas so I have seen first hand the different lives of children in each area. Our children of color and poverty continue to die in the first year and struggle in school at a much higher rate. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: I will continue to support funding for mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children. I also worked with Sandy Hook on HB 123, GA 133, which will help youth with suicide awareness and training.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running to give back to the community. My youngest graduated high school that I was very active in the education process. I served as president of the Avon Lake High School Boosters. Now I have freed up my volunteer time and want to make a difference in the region now. My legislative experience came from being a Federal Legislative Chair and State Legislative Co-Chair for a national association that I was on the board. I defended and and lobbied for my industry, Top 3 Education Economic Development. Veterans Affairs ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: It is very important to have early health care for pregnant women and young children. By doing this it will reduce health care costs. Early education will give them the opportunity to succeed earlier in life. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: As a father of 4 I know how important it is to have the resources to help your child excel in education. Well trained educators will leave an impression that lasts a life time. I will always push for higher quality education to ensure all children have the opportunity to excel. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: As a parent of a social worker for Job and Family Services, I have been able to hear about the lack of essentials for lower income families. Many of the cases involve poor hygiene, unhealthy food, and education. I support intervention to help the family to be able to become self reliant. Ultimately, it will be less strain on the government programs. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I will listen to all sides before making a decision. While a Legislative chair person for my industry, I had to educate the legislators about my industry. I will open the door to discussion before I make a decision to sponsor a bill or vote on one. I will be informed. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I am the middle of 13 children and my parents did not have a lot of money. I personally experienced the struggles. Fortunately, we were able to overcome adversity. I have mentored employees that came from impoverished areas on how to manage a budget. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Help expand county board of health programs. Make the programs more accessible to the ones in need.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running for re-election to be a conservative voice for our district and to represent the families of our community. As a parent and grandparent of ten grandchildren I know that policy at the state level has an effect on us all. I believe we need to work together to give the young people of our communities the tools they need to succeed regardless of their economic situation and help parents be shining examples to their children. While my time in the house thus far has revolved around understanding energy issues, I still consider fostering our families and encouraging strong family values to be of utmost importance for a strong Ohio. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: As mentioned in and earlier question this has not been my primary focus in the Ohio House however, I would be happy to discuss ideas to provide better access to proper healthcare for our children. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Not only is affordable quality health care important for child development it also allows families to work and become self-sufficient. We need to allow more local control in providing day care assistance and allow more flexibility by providing a more graduated scale of reimbursements for those families trying to better themselves through their career efforts and higher pay opportunities. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I would support evidence-based programs that have proven to benefit children and their families within the cost confines of our state budget. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I am willing to listen to all points of view and would be happy to engage with groups who can provide cost effective solutions both public and private. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I have done a ride-a-longs with job and family services in our district over the past year and understand that even in our rural and less urban communities’ people occasionally need assistance. The hardest issue to address is how to determine when a hand-up has harmed the individual’s self-worth and created a devolving culture of government reliance on their ability to become self-sufficient as a family. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Keep kids in school, keep them busy and help them get back on track.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I’m dedicated to making Lake County the best place to raise a family. As State Representative, I championed the Ohio Fair School Funding Plan which improved academic achievement, increased school accountability and lessened the reliance on property taxes. Another key issue is continuing to move our state towards energy independence by supporting Ohio’s energy infrastructure. Lastly, we must continue to find solutions to fight the opioid crisis. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: As I am an attorney by trade and don’t sit on any healthcare committees, I rely on my colleagues with experience in the healthcare field to provide guidance. I do serve on the Insurance Committee, where we are actively looking for solutions to lower healthcare costs for all Ohioans. I welcome your input and am committed to tracking the work of the Study Committee on Child Care to ensure that I am ready to pass critical legislation to provide access to health care and early intervention services. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I agree that quality early learning experiences are critical for laying a foundation for educational success later in life and supports workforce development as a whole. As a new grandfather, I want my grandson to have access to these programs just as I did for my children. I have long been a champion for childhood education and I look forward to working with Ohio Kids First to expand my advocacy to early childhood education. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I am committed to supporting all of these proposals including home visiting services, family support programs and leveraging federal Early Head Start funding. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: Parents and caregivers are in the best position to make decisions on healthcare, education and other developmental aspects of their children. I am fully committed to listening to their voices and invite anyone to meet with me to discuss policy. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: These factors are precisely why we emphasized equity in our school system through the use of disadvantaged pupil impact aid in the Ohio Fair School Funding Plan, which I spearheaded. Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed in the classroom regardless of their socioeconomic status. This will create a positive impact over the course of their life. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: I am a strong advocate for the mental and emotional health of our children. I sponsored HB512, which established the Ohio Children's Behavioral Health Prevention Network Stakeholder Group to address behavioral and mental health.

Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running to represent Ohio's 57th district because I am from here, and I know what challenges the people living here face. I am a young professional who is passionate about giving a voice to all Ohioans, including the underrepresented demographic of young people. There is a lot on the line this election with corruption in the state house, rights being stripped away, and votes being oppressed. My biggest issues are education, public integrity, and the economy. These issues are all tied together I believe in universal pre-k, investing in k-12, job training, and higher education. Without protection to voter rights and good actors in the general assembly investments in education cannot happen. Furthermore, without proper education, Ohio’s economy will suffer greatly. For all these reasons I should be elected. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: In the general assembly, I will fight to expand Medicaid coverage so that more families will have access to HealthySteps. increase funding for Healthy steps and expand partnerships with Federally Qualified Health Centers, family medicine, and pediatrics, in urban and rural areas. Moreover, Currently Families with income up to 90% of the federal poverty level and a child younger than age 19 qualify for healthy steps. While Medicaid is available for Insured or uninsured children (up to age 19) in families with income up to 156% of the federal poverty level. My goal in the state house would be to close that gap so that families with income up to 156% of the federal poverty level qualify for HealthySteps. I would also fight for Children who qualify for CHIP to have access to HealthySteps. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I will fight for a Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program in The Ohio General Assembly. Free Pre-k for all Ohioans is essential to safe costs for parents. I would support Senate Bill 318 and future proposed legislation that would expand early education for pre-school-aged children. I will also fight to increase funding for education professionals specializing in babies, toddlers, and pre-school-aged children. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I will invest in voluntary home visiting and family skills training programs as well as evidence-backed research into how ACE impacts children and how public policy can mitigate that impact. I will fight to ensure that early childhood health and education services and programs are fully funded by the state as well as increase partnerships with institutions and organizations within the state. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I have listened to the voices of families in my district from parents, caregivers, and even adults who had grown up with much needed early childhood resources unavailable. I will make a lifelong commitment to listening to the voices of families across Ohio and make public policy decisions based on the needs they need to be addressed. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I have witnessed firsthand how the zip code and race of a child impacts a child's opportunities. I have heard stores from friends across the state of all backgrounds who have experienced less opportunity because of where they grew up and the color of their skin. I have met families in my district and around Ohio that are struggling to find early childhood care. This has shaped my view on what Ohio can do for these families and when elected I will do everything in my power to meet early childhood care needs for the families and people I have met. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: I support the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ and Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) initiative that supports evidence-based training to equip parents and caregivers of young children with the skills to help their children develop into healthy people. I would work to fund the Ohio Department of Mental Health initiatives and create state policy that would provide parents and caregivers of young children with resources and education to deal with stress and all the mental and emotional ailments that stem from it.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am a strong advocate for the working and middle class in my professional career and know that the only way to effectuate real change is to break the supermajority in the Ohio Statehouse and serve as a much better representative for the people in District 62. The top three issues I hope to take a lead on, either in sponsorship or co-sponsorship roles are (1) issues related to bodily autonomy, (2) healthcare, and (3) corruption. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: There is absolutely no question that access to health care is a priority issue here in Ohio and while I do not have a medical or educational background, my years as an advocate both in and out of the courtroom have opened my eyes as to the policy decisions that need to be made both legislatively and via the budget process to have Ohio invest more in healthcare, education, and intervention services. With that said, I also really look forward to open discussions with all stakeholders to see both practical immediate solutions and longer-term options that may be necessary. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I'd refer to my previous answer. It is unconscionable that we as a State have prioritized special interests over the health and welfare of those who are the most vulnerable. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I'd refer to my previous answer. It is unconscionable that we as a State have prioritized special interests over the health and welfare of those who are the most vulnerable. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: The only way to make the right policy decisions especially those affecting families is to listen directly to the families. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Having represented clients in many socio-economic depressed areas in both Ohio and across the county (my work in Memphis, TN and northern Mississippi also comes to mind), I have witnessed how systemic racism and caste-like attitudes have created generations of children who are consistently left behind just because of where they live. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Medicaid expansion and more funding for mental health services.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: Energy policy issues including access to Fiber/Broadband; Adoption/Foster Home supports; Ensuring Election laws that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: I supported HB 142 that allows for medicaid supported Doula services. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: I believe the birth to age 5 is a critical development cycle for children and development during this time frame is crucial to future success. As we discover more about Adverse Childhood Experiences and their effect on future development, we will need to prioritize more resources in this area. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I sponsored - and the House ultimately passed, HB 352 & HB 442 - HB 352 - Which prohibits a disability from being used to deny/limit parenting or Fostering - HB 442 - Which brings parity to the Private/Public Foster Home staff qualifications allowing Home Assessments to be done by qualified and trained professionals Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I am always available to listen and learn more about the needs of Ohio’s families. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Engaged and committed parenting will always be a goal; supports that help with those objectives are welcome. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Anything we can do to build resilience skills and cut down on ACE’s in our children will be welcomed.

Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running because I believe we can do better for Ohioans. Our statehouse is overrun with political posturing and legislation that does not support women, children, or families. The top three issues I look forward to pushing in the statehouse include: 1) Women’s rights, 2) Children’s health and safety as well as access to quality education, and 3) Workforce development / supporting workers. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Through my work as a K-12 curriculum director (previously) and on the state board of education (currently), I have made taking care of children one of my top priorities. I supported the use of federal and state COVID dollars to provide wraparound services for schools, which includes those with preschools and head start programs. I believe we should do a better job communicating services that are available to parents, especially early assessment and interventions for developmental issues. I also fully support universal pre k and access to daycare as ways of reaching and supporting young children and their parents. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: As a mother of 5, all of my children went to early daycare / childcare and prek schools because we had access and the ability to pay for these services for our children. When they were assessed for kindergarten, all of my children had large vocabularies and were ready for many of the requirements for entering. I realize this is not the case for most. As a curriculum director, we assessed students for full-day kindergarten versus the half-day program offered at the time. The disparities in student work samples between children who attended early care and those who did not were vast. Early care and education is essential for working families and for starting children on a path of success. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: As foster parents, my husband and I see how trauma affects children and teens. Our county has seen success in a voluntary mentoring program that pairs new parents with parent mentors to support the transition to parenting. From the last information I received, less babies in the county were going immediately into care as a result of this grant-funded program. We should do better as a state to support these programs by funding them. 10,000 kids are in some sort of out-of-home placement in Ohio, and I believe we need to better support parents whose children have been removed. With legislators’ neverending focus on how K-12 students perform academically, we should absolutely better fund early head start programs to improve achievement for all. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I welcome these conversations. As a parent and foster parent, I know how it feels to be unheard, and I will work to hear from fellow parents in policy making. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Both as an educator and foster parent I have witnessed this. Just this weekend, my family and I attended a Family Fun Day event on the “west side” of our city, which is a predominantly black neighborhood. The purpose for this event was to build a more inclusive Medina because even in 2022, we have marginalized communities still fighting for their seats at the table. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: I fully support both the state’s Social Emotional Learning standards as well as increasing wraparound supports for children (including psychiatric and counseling services). I would also like to see the state focus on restorative practices and training for educators.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: As the joint sponsor of HB 428 (Pavliga - Edwards), I sought to create a study commission to study ACES as a whole concept and propose policy to address this concern. It is currently out of the House and on to the Senate. We are currently confirming language for a bill that would license facilities to provide emergency child stabilization. I am a huge proponent for children and families and my legislation supports this. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I listen to those constituents in my District and across the state about the concerns they have that their child will have access to healthcare, education and a supportive community to achieve their goals in life. I have proposed bills that support my position. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Getting more training mental health workers in the community. Currently, I am working on a scope of practice bill with Senator Gavarone and NEOMED medical school on a scope of practice bill to address this concern.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I'm running to keep extremists from taking away our rights, reduce the divisiveness, and focus on the real problems of our state. 1. Mental Health and health care 2. Education financing and testing 3. Gun safety ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: The most important development years for children are those leading up to preschool. Focusing funds and resources in the areas of health care and education have the most impact during these years. If we can focus resources during these years, it can help reduce the costs that we incur during later years. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Childcare is a significant issue for parents, especially quality childcare. I favor universal pre-k in Ohio. We need to provide enough quality childcare during these early developmental years. The benefits of this have impact beyond the children, extending to their parents and their productivity. We can invest in children in their early years or pay more for the problems that develop later in their lives. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: As with prior comments, early investment now prevents higher costs of dealing with resulting problems. Families need to have safe, stable, healthy environments for them to flourish. This creates the foundation for learning. I remember vividly hearing teachers comment during testing week in the elementary schools about all of the snacks, etc. they brought to bolster the children so they can perform better on the tests. Kids need to have this foundation already in place so this isn’t necessary. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: One of the reasons I’m running is to listen then represent the residents of Wayne County. This isn’t occurring now and I intend to change that. Issues such as those you have raised have been occurring for years and we need to change that. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: As I participate in the life of my local community, I have witnessed and heard of these issues. My children are bi-racial but our socio-economic status has reduced the impact of that fact. I helped start a weekend food program to address weekend food issues. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: We need to find a way to increase the number of mental health professionals and be sure they are properly compensated. We then need to find a way to get more mental health professionals into schools and the community.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I AM RUNNING FOR THE OHIO HOUSE BECAUSE I FEEL I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN THE 81ST HOUSE DISTRICT AND IN THE STATE OF OHIO. 1.) PASS A BALANCE BUDGET 2.) MAKE SURE OHIO HAS AFFORDABLE AND RELIABLE ENERGY 3.) DUE TO THE SUPREME COURT RULING I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE SUPPORT IS THERE FOR THE MOTHER AND THE BABY. NEED TO LOOK AT ADOPTION AND FOSTER CARE LEGISLATION AND SEE WHERE IT CAN BE IMPROVED. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: INCREASE CHILD CARE OPPORTUNITIES. MAKE SURE THE CAREGIVER IS QUALIFIED. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: EVERY QUESTION YOU HAVE LISTED ARE THINGS I SUPPORT. THE KEY WILL BE FINDING THE FUNDS. SINCE THE STATE OF OHIO HAS TO BALANCE THE BUDGET WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. HOWEVER IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO INCREASE THE TAX BASE WITHOUT RAISING TAXES I FEEL THIS WILL BRING MORE PEOPLE BACK INTO THE STATE AND WE CAN START FUNDING THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I BELIEVE THE STRUCTURE OF THE FAMILY IS KEY TO A HEALTHY AND WELL BALANCED YOUNG PERSON. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT IF A YOUNG PERSON IS BETTER OFF WITH THE BIOLOGICAL FAMILY OR A FAMILY WHO WANTS TO ADOPT AND WILL SHOW THE LOVE AND CARE THE YOUNG PERSON NEEDS. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I WILL ALWAYS LISTEN. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: CHILDREN WATCH THEIR PARENTS. IF THE PARENTS SHOW STRESS I HAVE A FEELING THE CHILD WILL BE STRESSED TOO. WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE MORE.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am running for State Representative because I believe in our democratic way of life, including preserving our freedom of bodily autonomy, our freedom of speech, our right to free and fair elections, and our need to live in safe communities filled with opportunity and hope. As a practicing attorney over the last 25 years in the areas of civil litigation and family law, I am still shocked at the lack of understanding of what is in a child's best interest. In particular, there is no consideration of a child's primary attachment in our current scheme of parenting time and child support. It can take weeks to get in front of a court when one parent takes the children. The most dangerous time in a woman's life is when she leaves. And the new frontier of battle is the fight for the children. Because whoever controls the children, commandeers the flow of child support. In some cases, the move to take the children and then petition the court to keep them from the other parent can reward the kidnapping parent up to $300,000 or more. Keeping children from their primary attachment to extract money in the form of child support is not even addressed by the courts of Ohio. I intend to introduce legislation that enables a family to be heard by a court within 7 days of one parent leaving to ensure access to a child's primary attachment in determining parenting time and child support; to introduce and support legislation that allows adequate and equal maternity/paternity leave; and that extends Kindergarten to eliminate the need for costly private childcare. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: We already have two systems of healthcare in place that work well: Medicaid and Medicare. I support extending Medicaid services to all children, regardless of parental resources. And I support extending either Medicaid or Medicare to all women during pregnancy and for one year postpartum. We must provide basic health services for our people. Ohio has one of the worst maternal death rates in the nation, and it is actually getting worse. Ohio is 29th in the nation in terms of maternal mortality rate, with 20.3 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies. We have the resources to change those statistics. And we must act to protect our children. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: One of the ways to help, in addition to providing healthcare for children and pregnant mothers, is to provide a way for both mothers and fathers to stay home with their children for a meaningful maternity and paternity leave. In a recent trip to Norway, I was struck by their policy of requiring fathers to take at least three months of leave during the first year of a child's life, and each mother and father has a paid leave up to one year. Then, Kindergarten begins at one year, and there is no cost for childcare. I would support initiatives that move in the direction of providing healthcare for families and children, and childcare in the form of school, with paid leave for parents during the first year. In this way, the child can develop a normal attachment with one or both parents and the financial strain of having a child will ease the burden on all Ohio families. If we started with just three months of paid leave, and expanded Kindergarten to start at age 4, that would be a move in the right direction. We cannot fix our system overnight, but we must take steps to address the early learning experiences for our children and the ability of families to provide for them. Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: In my work as a lawyer, I have represented parents and children caught in the foster system. Most of the families are struggling with poverty and lack the education and resources to care for their children. The cycle starts again early as young teens become pregnant. And with Ohio's current stance on denying abortion healthcare to its people, the cycle will only worsen, as we've seen with the recent 10-year-old pregnant child who was forced to go to Indiana to save her life. I support policies that increase a family's access to education, healthcare, and resources so that they can provide for their children. It seems absurd that a child born into poverty has no way of accessing healthcare and education to allow that child to someday overcome his or her station. That is not the system we should perpetuate. Our systems of healthcare and education need to be reworked to provide an opportunity for people so that they can participate in a safe, healthy community and have some hope for their future and for the future of their children. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: As an attorney over the past 25 years, I have listened to the stories of my clients. I listen to their needs and wants and I craft a strategy tailored to suit them. Now, as a State Representative, I am looking forward to crafting a strategy for all of the people, not only in my district, but also across Ohio. We need to be listening to the people in the trenches, so to speak. The mothers and fathers struggling to manage in a system where success is not only not guaranteed, but often impossible to achieve. We have the power to change this system to help our people and our state's children. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I became a Big Sister in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program in approx. 1992, before I entered law school. In 1996, I received the W.E. Richardson award for my service in that regard. My Little, who was 9 years old when I became her Big, is now in her 40s. We have maintained a relationship all these years. I had the opportunity to observe her home, her family, her school, and later, her children. I have watched her struggle and I have watched how the system has kept her and her family in a state of crisis most of their lives. I have seen the scowls on perfectly nice people's faces when I took her to a fast food restaurant. People absolutely treated her differently than they did other people. And the only thing that was different was her race. Because of the color of her skin, I was also treated differently. Racism is real. It is silent and it is painful, but it is absolutely real. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: The pandemic was a difficult time for everyone. In some ways, Ohio did better than some areas, but we didn't get everything right. In trying to keep our people safe, we inadvertently caused a lot of hardship when everything shut down. We have learned a lot now about how the disease is transmitted, and of course we have the vaccine now. I would support an approach that allows children to remain in class, with precautions, if we had to go through it again. And I would support additional mental health services in terms of helping those who have struggled in the pandemic emotionally and mentally.

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Q: Why are you running as a candidate for the Ohio House or Senate and what are the top three issues that you hope to lead on if elected? A: I am committed to doing all I can to grow jobs in Ohio and improve our business climate. I have and will work to lower taxes, reduce regulations, improve workforce training and education. ––––––– Healthcare Access & Early Intervention Q: I will work to ensure that every mom and baby has high-quality prenatal and postpartum health coverage. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will work to ensure coverage and access to high-quality health care for every young child in Ohio. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to early intervention services and supports to parents of children under the age of three at risk for experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of access to health care and early intervention services for Ohio’s babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children: A: As a parent and grandfather, I know the importance of those early years of a child’s life. I have supported these policies. Quality Early Learning Q: I believe quality child care is a workforce issue. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support eliminating barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and preschool aged children and increased state investment in Ohio’s quality child care system. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support expanded access to quality preschool for three- and four-year-old children in communities and schools. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support quality improvement in early learning programs including responsive and individualized caregiving and high-quality instruction to drive positive education and health outcomes for young children and their families that meets the unique needs of every child. A: Support ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of quality early learning for Ohio’s babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children: A: Strong Families & Safe, Stable Environments Q: I will support increased access to voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services and other parenting programs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I am committed to learning about how exposure to ACEs impact children and families through the life course and identifying ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of ACEs. A: Yes ––––––– Q: I will support increased access to parenting and family support programs and systems designed to prevent and mitigate the impacts of adversity and trauma, treat behavioral and emotional issues, and build resilience in our youngest Ohioans by putting increased state investments to evidence-based strategies that prevent or mitigate trauma or build resilience in young children and their families. A: Support ––––––– Q: I will support stabilizing families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. A: Yes ––––––– Q: Ohio does not supplement its federal Early Head Start funding at the state level. At current funding levels, only approximately 6.3% of income-eligible infants and toddlers have access to Early Head Start programs in Ohio, which puts Ohio in the bottom half of all states on this indicator. Do you believe the legislature should leverage federal funding with state dollars to increase Early Head Start participation to at least 8.5% (national median)? A: ––––––– Q: Tell us more about your support of strong families and safe, stable environments for young children: A: I believe all of Ohio’s policies should encourage support of strong families and safe stable environments for young children. Family Voice Q: What is your commitment to listening to the voices of families and how will it inform the policy decisions you make? A: I believe parents (whenever possible) should make decisions for their children. Equity Q: Do you believe that every young child in Ohio deserves to reach their full potential? A: Yes ––––––– Q: To what extent have you witnessed place (i.e., where a child lives), race and/or other social factors impact a child’s opportunities over the course of their life? A: I represent Appalachia. I see everyday the struggles of poverty. Mental Health Q: What is a top priority for you that will support the mental and emotional health of Ohio’s youngest children? A: Parents that have a job and are economically safe are better able to provide for and support their children (if child care is available).

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