Ohio Department of Children and Youth Hosts Kids Summit

“The issues impacting the lives of our children are simply too important to leave scattered throughout multiple agencies, without a member of the governor’s cabinet driving them each and every day,” -Governor Mike DeWine, 2023 State of the State Address

The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) celebrated its first birthday after being created by Governor Mike DeWine in July of 2023. In its first year of life, DCY has worked to improve the lives of children and families while bringing together programs from over six different state agencies to one central location to better provide resources, services, and supports. On Thursday, September 5, 2024, over 800 leaders, advocates, and service providers from across the state were invited to attend the first-ever Kids Summit in Columbus, Ohio hosted by DCY in collaboration with the Ohio Supreme Court.

The Summit brought together key state and local child welfare, judicial, law enforcement, education, and family advocacy leaders, all with a common goal to build stronger partnerships between state and local entities. Stronger partnerships better address the complex challenges faced by Ohio’s children and families through a strengths-based approach, where solutions are tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and community.

Governor DeWine kicked off the event and emphasized DCY's role in improving services for children and families and their commitment to child welfare. “I’ve heard it said, we can’t program our way out of some of these challenges… it’s not the about programs it’s about reaching kids and impacting each of these children’s lives,” said DeWine. DCY Director Kara Wente reiterated the Governor’s sentiments and stated the Summit’s purpose as a collaborative effort to gather meaningful data to improve outcomes for Ohio’s families. “This Summit was organized to strengthen state and local partnerships in Ohio. It focused on using a strengths-based approach to address the unique needs of each child and family in the state” commented Wente.

The event included a message from Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy about the collective responsibility to protect Ohio’s children and that they belong to all of us. A Parent Panel, facilitated by Elisha Cangelosi, Executive Director of Ohio Family and Children First, shared personal stories, reminding attendees of the real impact policies have on families. Additionally, Darneshia Allen from ZERO TO THREE delivered a keynote on the importance of early relational health, urging Ohio to prioritize attachment and caregiver connections. The afternoon featured county breakout sessions where teams from each of Ohio’s 88 counties strategized and shared best practices for supporting children and families.

Bold Goals for Ohio’s Children and Families Through a number of data-driven strategies, DCY’s goals, integrated throughout the Summit, focused on three key areas:

1.    Reducing infant mortality;

2.    Improving kindergarten readiness; and

3.    Lowering the rate of children entering the foster care system.

The agency hopes to save an additional 330 babies per year by achieving a top ten ranking in infant mortality reduction, ensuring more than 26,000 children demonstrate kindergarten readiness, and supporting families to keep over 3,300 children safe and supported in their homes.

Groundwork Ohio appreciated the opportunity to table at the Kids Summit and congratulates DCY on a momentous year of impact. Our team looks forward to being partners in advancing DCY's bold goals for Ohio kids, particularly as the state has a powerful opportunity to act in these goals through the state’s upcoming Biennial Budget process for FY26-27.

Join us at the Momentum Institute on Thursday, September 26th as we convene with leaders from across the state to engage in learning and training to prepare advocates for budget advocacy. Register Here.