This week, the Administration for Children and Families posted a request for information on improving access to affordable, high-quality child care in the US. We encourage you to share your experience, expertise, and knowledge of the challenges in your communities to help inform future action by ACF and work toward improving our child care system for Ohio's children and families.
Improving Access to Affordable, High-Quality Child Care As part of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) commitment to supporting working families and promoting the healthy development and well-being of children, ACF is seeking input from the public and interested stakeholders on strategies to improve access to high quality, affordable child care in the U.S. Child care is one of the biggest expenses a family faces and can be a barrier to work. The average cost of center-based infant child care in 28 states is more than college tuition. At the same time, child care settings are a place of learning and education for children from the time they are infants and toddlers through their school-age years. Access to high-quality learning opportunities lays the foundation for children’s development and, ultimately, their success in school and in life. Unfortunately, many families do not have access to the affordable, high-quality child care their children need. This Request for Information seeks public comment on:
Identifying emerging and innovative practices to improve access to high-quality child care
Identifying regulatory and other policies that unnecessarily drive up the cost of care or limit parents’ choice of different child care options
Identifying ways to improve funding of child care and other related early education programs to support quality and create a more streamlined, equitable, and sustainable financing framework for future generations.
Information collected through this request may be used by ACF in the development of future rulemaking and technical assistance, formation of legislative proposals and research agendas, and/or strategic planning.
Comments can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal here by December 2, 2019.
Groundwork is hosting a webinar series this fall focused on Early Childhood Mental Health. Join us to learn more about early childhood mental health and expand your understanding of your role in elevating this critical work!
The third webinar of the series, "Ohio Early Childhood Mental Health: Perspectives from the Field," will be held this Wednesday, October 9, 2019 from 1-2 PM with the Ohio Association for Infant Mental Health.
Weren't able to join us for the first two webinars of the series on Developmental Milestones and Public Policy? Access the slideshows and recordings of the webinars on our website!
Join the Groundwork Ohio Advisory Committee
Groundwork Ohio is seeking applications for our 2020-2021 Advisory Committee. Members of the Advisory Committee are trusted to provide insights on the needs of young children and families in Ohio and advance Groundwork’s mission to champion high-quality early learning and healthy development strategies. We are committed to ensuring committee membership reflects the diversity of race, geography, gender, age, experience, expertise, and more that exists within Ohio’s child-serving systems. Members of the Groundwork Ohio Advisory Committee:
Provide valuable field input and expertise to help inform Groundwork’s understanding of policy implications
Serve as a resource for Groundwork research projects and advocacy efforts based on field and systems experience in the early childhood sector
Support Groundwork by promoting engagement opportunities, attending events, and facilitating connections with other child advocates
Participate in quarterly in-person meetings
Contribute organizational time and resources to Groundwork and support efforts to advance our mission.
We hope you will consider applying to serve on the Advisory Committee and share your valuable insights with our team! Applications are due by November 1, 2019.
Groundwork Team Dives In at ZERO TO THREE Annual Conference
The Groundwork staff traveled down to sunny Florida this week to participate in ZERO TO THREE's annual conference and dive into the vast and ever-expanding world of early childhood development. We've spent two days with experts from around the country in early childhood policy and advocacy and are looking forward to spending today networking, soaking in information, and sharing our own experience integrating equity into early childhood advocacy here in Ohio!
State Initiatives to Increase Child Lead Screenings
Groundwork Ohio’s Policy Associate Vanessa Butler moderated a session on “State Initiatives to Increase Child Lead Screenings” at the 2019 Ohio Healthy Homes Network Fall Forum, featuring a presentation from Chris Alexander, Health Planning Administrator of the Ohio Department of Health.
"Segregated from the Start"
A new study released this week from the Urban Institute found that infants and toddlers participating in early childhood education face far more racial and ethnic segregation in their classrooms than children participating in kindergarten and first grade classrooms. The study explains that early childhood classrooms are twice as likely to be 100 percent black or Hispanic and have greater participation by black children than other racial and ethnic groups. Additionally, the study found that among all of the various types of early childhood education programs, home-based programs are 30 percent more likely to be segregated than center-based programs. The results of the study demonstrate that in order to achieve quality and equity, early childhood programs must begin with ensuring classrooms are racially and ethnically diverse.