Policy Priorities
Ohio Kids First aims to directly influence the policy making process to increase investment in young children.
We build and secure relationships with elected officials and policy makers who are inclined to work on behalf of our policy priorities. We directly lobby on behalf of critical legislation and spending for young children. We amplify the voices of those who support young children, using resources to serve as an ally and, ultimately, to hold them accountable.
Below are some of the policy and issue areas that are top priorities of Ohio Kids First.
Our Priorities:
Ohio is facing a child care crisis >
View Childcare Prices by Age of Children and Care Setting:
www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/topics/childcare/price-by-age-care-setting
Children who have access to quality healthcare services and early diagnosis and treatment of health issues and developmental delays have better physical, emotional, and mental health throughout their lives.
Fewer than 60% of Ohio children enrolled in a Medicaid managed care plan received the recommended number of well-child visits in their first 15 months of life. Robust, high-quality, preventative pediatric health care visits are critical to support a young child’s growth and development, to diagnose, monitor and screen for developmental or behavioral health concerns and to provide treatment or referral services that meet a child’s unique health needs. Comprehensive screening and connection programs like HealthySteps can support and enhance these critical services.
Data suggests that many of Ohio’s babies and young children at high risk for experiencing developmental delays are not getting the early intervention services they may need. Early intervention provides family members and caregivers with the services and resources they need to support and enhance their child’s learning, development, and growth.
Ohio Kids First supports HB 7, The Strong Foundations Act
​Ohio ranks among the worst for infant mortality outcomes. | ​Ohio ranks 32nd worst for infant maltreatment. | Half of Ohio infants and toddlers live in poverty. |
The early years of development lay the foundation for all learning that happens later in life. When children have access to high-quality learning experiences in the earliest years, they have better long-term health, education, and economic outcomes.
Quality child care is essential to supporting the workforce of today and the workforce of tomorrow. A statewide poll of Ohio parents with children under the age of 5 commissioned by Groundwork Ohio found that:
Nearly 60% of non-working or part-time working moms in Ohio say they would go back to work or work more hours if they had access to quality child care for their child.
More than 4 in 10 working parents have had to cut back on work hours to care for their children in the past few months
About 80% of Ohio parents believe child care is expensive where they live.
Young children with access to high-quality early learning experiences within their first five years of life are more likely to be kindergarten ready, graduate from high school, and have better health and economic outcomes later in life. Quality early learning for preschool-aged children happens in a multitude of settings across Ohio’s private choice system, including within community-based child care and in schools.
Perhaps the most important foundation of quality early learning experiences is the quality of the interactions between young children and their adult professional educator. These professionals need to be highly skilled and fairly compensated—a key driver of cost of and access to care. Among all ages served by Ohio’s system, infants and toddlers are the least likely to be served in quality care and capacity for serving Ohio’s infants and toddlers has decreased over the course of the pandemic. One of the reasons for this disparate gap is because of inadequate funding. For example, the monthly reimbursement rate for infants based on the 2018 market rate survey was only $910 where the estimated cost of providing this high-quality care was $2,031, leaving a $1,121 per child deficit for providers to absorb and resulting in disparate options in care for this critical age group.
USA Fact: Who is missing work due to childcare issues?
​Less than 1 in 5 Ohio babies from families with low income have access to any early learning program.
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Nearly 1 in 4 pregnant moms do NOT
have access to prenatal care during
their first trimester.
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
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Q: Do you consider quality child care a workforce issue?
A: Answer here
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Q: Do you support more state government action to eliminate barriers for parents to work, including through increased access to affordable, high-quality child care options for families with infants, toddlers and young children?
A: Support or Oppose / Optional Explanation
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Q: Do you support more state government action to improve Ohio's kindergarten readiness scores from 65% of all children not being ready to enter the K12 system?
A: Support or Oppose / Optional Explanation
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Q: Do you support more state investment for high quality learning experiences for all children ages 0-5 to address the lack of affordable and accessible options in Ohio?
A: Support or Oppose / Optional Explanation
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Q: During Ohio’s last Biennial Budget, Governor DeWine proposed an increase for publicly funded child care eligibility. How would you support a proposed increase in state investment so that all young children 0-5 can benefit?
A: Answer here
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Q: In Ohio, 6.9 babies per 1000 do not survive until their first birthday. Do you consider infant and maternal mortality an issue that needs to be addressed by the state legislature?
A: Answer here
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Q: Tell us more about your support for Ohio’s mothers, babies, toddlers and young children and ideas you have for improving outcomes for these populations.
A: Answer here
Families are the first and most important teachers and caregivers in a child’s life. A family’s economic and environmental stability plays a critical role in a child’s early development. When families have the resources and supports to provide adequate care and enrichment during the earliest years, children can grow and thrive.
Voluntary home visiting and family skills training programs are evidence-informed interventions that empower parents and caregivers to be their child’s first and best teacher. These interventions also support the development of secure, nurturing relationships between a parent or caregiver and child.
Nearly 1 in 5 of Ohio’s children have been exposed to two or more severe and traumatic events (adverse childhood experiences or ACEs) by age 5, like abuse and neglect. Research tells us that exposure to these adverse events has both immediate and long-term negative impacts on health and readiness to learn.
Almost half (44.5%) of children in protective custody in Ohio are younger than age 6. To safeguard the health and wellbeing of our youngest Ohioans, the state must support and stabilize families so that there are fewer young children engaged within the child welfare system. In addition, the state should ensure that young children in state custody and those living in foster or kinship placements experience a coordinated, continuum of care and supported transitions.
Health and education are inextricably linked, especially in the earliest years of a child’s development. Poor health can hinder educational attainment and educational attainment creates better health. Both health and education are further embedded in and impacted by a child’s family and environment.
High-quality comprehensive early childhood services provided by Early Head Start and Head Start programs are uniquely designed to address all these needs and promote school readiness for low-income children. Among these services include regular home visits, authentic parent engagement, linkage to other community services, quality early learning, healthy meals and snacks, and access to partnerships that provide free medical and dental care services. The rigor of these programs helps every child succeed including those with special needs.