Below please find the letter I wrote on behalf of my organization which was published on Cleveland.com on May 29th. Hope others join in the discussion!

State leaders must provide adequate funding for child care programs

In the mid-biennium review, the Legislature included legislation that would improve the way Ohio’s child care programs support school readiness and working families. But the House and Senate bills released this week did not include the $16 million in funding needed to support these changes.

Currently, families receiving child care subsidies that have a temporary change in work or school schedules have to take their child out of child care/preschool.

This legislation would give parents up to three months to secure new employment, allowing their children to remain in the program. Forcing a family to pull their child out of a program has serious consequences.  Families lose access to the reliable child care necessary to seek long-term employment. Meanwhile, children lose access to critical early learning services which prepare them for kindergarten and life.

 Even a three-month gap can put a child at a disadvantage they will struggle to overcome.

Continuity of care can prevent a host of future issues, many of which often result in the need for expensive intervention services. The legislation in the MBR is a great start, but our state House and Senate leaders must insert the $16 million to ensure that these policies can be implemented.

 Here is a link to the original post.