Groundwork Ohio Roadshow 2026: Hamilton County
Congressman Greg Landsman, state and local policymakers, and community leaders discuss affordability, workforce challenges, and solutions for Ohio families.
On October 7, Groundwork Ohio's statewide Roadshow made its 21st stop in Hamilton County, bringing together policymakers, early childhood professionals, business leaders, and community advocates for a conversation about the child care challenges facing families and employers in the Cincinnati region.
Hosted in partnership with 4C for Children at Cincinnati Public Radio, the event featured remarks from Congressman Greg Landsman (D-OH), a bipartisan panel of state and local policymakers, and a second panel of professionals working directly with families, employers, and child care providers.
Throughout the afternoon, participants emphasized a shared message: Affordable, accessible child care is essential for young children's development, family economic stability, and Ohio's workforce—and addressing these challenges requires collaboration across sectors and levels of government.
Child Care Is Essential to Families and the Economy
Groundwork Ohio President and CEO Lynanne Gutierrez opened the conversation by sharing statewide data demonstrating how child care costs and limited availability affect families, businesses, and Ohio's economy.
Groundwork Ohio's research shows that 48% of small businesses report that a lack of affordable child care affects their ability to recruit and retain employees. Nearly half of working parents have reduced their work hours to accommodate child care challenges.
Dean Woodring, President and CEO of 4C for Children, reinforced the importance of investing in the early childhood workforce, describing child care educators as the workforce behind the workforce.
"We all know ... wages for providers [are] far too low to keep the child care educators ... attracted to our field," Woodring said, while emphasizing that costs remain too high for families.
Congressman Landsman Calls for Greater Investment in Young Children
Congressman Greg Landsman, who represents Ohio's First Congressional District, spoke about the increasing financial pressures facing working families.
He highlighted how rising costs for child care, housing, health care, and other essentials make it difficult for families to get ahead, even when parents are working hard.
Drawing on his experience advancing Cincinnati's preschool initiatives, Landsman emphasized that child care, preschool, and prenatal care should be treated as essential supports for families.
"Our system of public education should include prenatal care, time alone with a newborn, child care and preschool," Landsman said.
He also discussed federal legislative efforts to strengthen early childhood programs, including proposals to help family child care providers cover rising food costs and expand Head Start funding.
State and Local Policymakers Identify Opportunities for Action
A panel moderated by Gutierrez brought together Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, State Senator Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township), State Representative Karen Brownlee (D-Cincinnati), and Mary Maune of the Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls.
Although panelists brought different perspectives, they identified common challenges and opportunities for progress.
Senator Blessing emphasized the shortage of child care workers and discussed policies that would make child care more accessible for early childhood professionals themselves.
"One of the biggest challenges that we have noticed is child care workers, and there is a shortage of them," Blessing said.
He pointed to Kentucky's approach to providing child care for child care workers as one model worth considering.
Commissioner Driehaus described Hamilton County's efforts to address child care needs among its own employees, while emphasizing the importance of stronger state and local partnerships.
Reflecting on the county's examination of its own workforce needs, Driehaus recalled asking, "What are we doing for child care?" The initial answer, she explained, was that the county was doing little to address the issue. "We said we need to do better."
Representative Brownlee focused on the importance of investing in children's earliest years, including greater access to mental health supports and prevention services. She also described the difficult decisions families face when affordable child care is unavailable.
"Parents are being squeezed on all fronts," Brownlee said.
Mary Maune connected child care affordability to women's economic security, noting that many women are balancing caregiving responsibilities for both young children and older family members.
"We're the generation of women who are really strapped with caregiving for multiple generations," Maune said, emphasizing the importance of paid family leave, pay equity, and policies that support working caregivers.
Together, the discussion reinforced that child care is not simply a family issue. It is also an economic development, workforce, and community priority.
Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, State Senator Louis W. Blessing III, State Representative Karen Brownlee, and Mary Maune discuss opportunities for state and local action on child care.
Providers and Employers Share Challenges from the Front Lines
A second panel, moderated by Woodring, brought together Gladys Ahovi, Vice President of Community Impact and Investment at Ohio Valley Goodwill; Louise Brock, Associate General Counsel for Labor and Employment at the National Domestic Workers Alliance; Patricia Gleason, Chief Program Officer at Learning Grove; and Emily Graeter, Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber.
Panelists discussed the challenges families face finding affordable care, the pressures on child care providers, and the impact on employers struggling to recruit and retain workers.
Gladys Ahovi highlighted the difficulty families face navigating available assistance programs and finding resources that meet their needs. She described Ohio Valley Goodwill's partnership with 4C for Children to connect employees and clients with child care resources.
"We're also hearing a lot about the time that it is taking to figure out where the resources are right now," Ahovi said, emphasizing the importance of bringing assistance closer to the people who need it.
Louise Brock encouraged employers to listen directly to their workers, offer greater flexibility, and develop workplace policies that reflect the realities of caregiving.
"Listen to your employees and what they need," Brock urged. "You can start to implement policies that are helpful."
Patricia Gleason described the growing pressure on child care providers, particularly those serving infants and toddlers, as programs struggle with staffing shortages and the cost of providing high-quality care.
"The access to infant and toddler care is just at a crisis level," Gleason said, describing long waiting lists and the difficult decisions families face when care is unavailable.
Emily Graeter emphasized the impact of child care challenges on Cincinnati-area businesses, particularly their ability to recruit and retain employees. She also discussed the need for businesses to better understand available child care supports and become more active in advocating for solutions.
"They hear it from their employees and they hear it in recruitment, as well as retention," Graeter said.
Across the discussion, panelists emphasized that meaningful progress will require parents, providers, employers, community organizations, and policymakers working together.
Representatives from Ohio Valley Goodwill, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Learning Grove, and the Cincinnati Regional Chamber share perspectives on child care access, affordability, and workforce challenges.
Taking Hamilton County's Voices Beyond the Roadshow
The Hamilton County stop also provided a special opportunity to capture local perspectives beyond the day's panel discussions.
While at Cincinnati Public Radio, Groundwork Ohio made use of the station's sound booth to record a special episode of our podcast, inviting participants to share their thoughts on what families with young children need to thrive.
These recordings will help bring the voices and experiences of Hamilton County residents to a broader audience. Stay tuned for the special podcast episode!
Turning Community Conversations into Statewide Action
The Hamilton County conversation was part of Groundwork Ohio's statewide Roadshow, which is visiting communities across all 33 Ohio Senate districts to hear directly from families, professionals, community leaders, and policymakers.
The insights gathered will help inform Groundwork Ohio's policy recommendations for Ohio's next governor and General Assembly.
As the Cincinnati conversation demonstrated, there is broad recognition that Ohio's child care challenges affect everyone—from parents trying to make ends meet to employers working to build a strong workforce.
The next step is turning that shared understanding into meaningful action so every young child in Ohio has the opportunity to thrive.
Learn More
Explore Groundwork Ohio’s county fact sheets to learn more about the data behind this Roadshow stop.
