Groundwork Ohio

Ohio already faces significant challenges when it comes to child care access. Without Head Start, those challenges would grow even greater. 📊 Without Head Start, Ohio's child care gap would increase by 37%, leaving even more families without access to the care and early learning opportunities they need. During #HeadStartAwarenessMonth, we're highlighting the critical role Head Start plays in supporting Ohio's youngest children, strengthening families, and helping close gaps in access to early childhood education. Learn more about Head Start's impact in Ohio: groundworkohio.org/head-star… #HeadStart #ChildCare #GroundworkOhio

Early childhood educators shouldn't have to shoulder the cost of classroom supplies alone. 🍎 More than 90% of early childhood educators report purchasing classroom materials out of pocket, spending an average of $860 annually. The new bipartisan SEED Act takes an important step toward recognizing early childhood educators alongside K–12 teachers by expanding the federal educator expense tax deduction. Beginning with the 2026 tax year, eligible early childhood educators can deduct up to $350 in qualifying classroom expenses. Learn what this means for Ohio's early childhood workforce: groundworkohio.org/post/new-… #EarlyChildhoodEducation #SEEDAct #OhioChildCare

The scariest stories aren't always fiction. From rising child care costs and limited access to early learning programs to maternity care deserts and shortages of pediatric providers, these challenges are a reality for too many Ohio families. Throughout Groundwork Ohio's statewide Roadshow, we've heard directly from parents, early childhood professionals, and community leaders about the barriers facing young children and families—and the local efforts underway to address them. Now, we want to hear from YOU! 📣 Your experiences and perspectives can help shape our policy recommendations for Ohio's youngest children and families. 📝 Take our policy survey and make your voice heard: secure.everyaction.com/L_c13… #GroundworkOhio #GroundworkOhioRoadshow #ChildCare #MaternalHealth #EarlyChildhood

📍 On October 21, Groundwork Ohio's Roadshow visited Cuyahoga County. While one part of our team hosted a community roundtable in Cleveland alongside our co-hosts, @FirstYearCLE and @COHHIO and later went to Parma to visit Parma Preschool, another part of our team visited My Kids Childcare Inc. in Mentor and Shell's Learning Center LLC in Maple Heights with @OhioAEYC_ECE and @CHAOhio. Our conversation focused on housing affordability and availability and the connections to maternal health, infant health, and mental health. We heard from local leaders, advocates, and community members about the challenges facing families with young children and opportunities to better support them. Thank you to all the policymakers who joined us throughout the day: State Sen. Minority Leader Senate Minority Leader @nickieantonio (D-Lakewood), Brad from U.S. Rep. @RepShontelBrown's (D-OH-11) office, State Senator @KentKSmith (D-Euclid), and State Rep. Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland) (@RepBrewer) What we heard in Cuyahoga County will help inform our statewide Roadshow report and future policy recommendations for Ohio’s youngest children and families. 🔗 Read the recap: groundworkohio.org/post/grou… groundworkohio.org/roadshow #GroundworkOhioRoadshow2026 #CuyahogaCounty #EarlyChildhood #EveryStopEveryStory

📍 Groundwork Ohio Roadshow 2026: Summit County! On October 27, our Roadshow traveled to Summit County, where we joined local leaders to explore innovative solutions to Ohio's child care challenges! Our visit highlighted Greater Akron's Unified Early Learning System, a collaborative initiative focused on strengthening child care businesses, supporting educators, improving program quality, and expanding access to high-quality early learning. 🚍 With site visits coordinated by the Early Childhood Resource Center, we had the opportunity to see these efforts in action at two local @akronareaymca child care programs: 📚 Hope Early Learning and Education Center: We learned how professional development, coaching, and staff supports are improving workforce stability and reducing turnover. 🖍️ Crowned Crayons in Barberton: We saw how business supports have helped the program achieve a GOLD quality rating, strengthen staff wages, and double enrollment! We concluded the afternoon with a panel discussion featuring Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, Groundwork Ohio President & CEO Lynanne Gutierrez, Joe Luckring of PNC, Josh Gordon of Barberton Community Foundation, and Dr. David James of Summit Education Initiative. The conversation explored how local partnerships, cross-sector collaboration, and state policy can support stronger early childhood systems. A special thank you to United Way of Summit & Medina County, the Early Childhood Resource Center, the City of Akron, Mayor Shammas Malik, our host sites, panelists, and all the community partners who joined us throughout the day and continue working to strengthen early childhood systems across Summit County! What we heard in Summit County will help inform our statewide Roadshow report and future policy recommendations for Ohio's youngest children and families. #GroundworkOhio #Roadshow2026 #SummitCounty #ChildCare @AkronOhioMayor @uwsummitmedina @PNCBank

Haven't voted yet? You still have options! Early in-person voting continues through November 1. Find your location and hours and make a plan that works for you: ohiosos.gov/directories/earl… #VoteBabyVote #ReadyToVoteOhio

This week on The Morning Meeting, we’ll hear from Parent and Youth Ambassadors working as part of a statewide initiative of the @OhioDCY. Parent & Youth Ambassadors provide a single, in-person resource that helps families quickly access needed supports. PYAs all have lived experience in social systems and respond to inquiries with connections to concrete supports, service referrals, and benefit navigation. 📅Thursday, October 29 | 9:30 am 🔗Register here: lnkd.in/gzfHVVwW

Did you know? Title V MCH programs reached 61 million people in 2024 — including 92% of pregnant women and 99% of infants. Title V remains one of the nation’s most effective and flexible tools for supporting the health and well-being of families. Title V funding allows states and jurisdictions to: ● Provide screenings, referrals, and essential public health services. ● Strengthen community-based support for families. ● Address maternal and infant health needs unique to each state. ● Improve systems of care for children and youth. As part of MCHAA’s MCH Funding Week of Action, we’re highlighting why strong, sustained investments in the #MaternalChildHealth system matter. These programs reach nearly every family in the country — and continued funding ensures this support remains strong. Join us in raising awareness about the importance of #MCH programs. Learn about MCHAA at mchappropriations.org. #MCHAAWeekOfAction #FundMCHNow @DC_AMCHP

TODAY is the deadline to request an absentee ballot for Ohio’s November 3 General Election. If voting absentee is part of your plan, take action today: bit.ly/4qZCtjZ Already have your ballot? Make a plan to complete and return it according to Ohio's requirements. #VoteBabyVote #ReadyToVoteOhio

Today, October 26, we visited St. John’s Westminster Early Learning Center in Hamilton County alongside State Rep. Mike Odioso (R-Green Township), where we had the opportunity to meet the children, staff, and even an axolotl! During our visit, we learned how Ms. Virginia goes above and beyond to support her staff, from driving them to medical appointments to securing items for a free pantry, all while providing high-quality early learning for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Thank you to State Rep. Mike Odioso for joining us and to the team at St. John’s Westminster Early Learning Center for welcoming us and sharing the important work you’re doing to support young children, families, and early childhood educators! #GroundworkOhioRoadshow2026 #HamiltonCounty #EarlyChildhood #ChildCare @MikeOdioso @OHRGOPCaucus

Groundwork Ohio is joining the Maternal & Child Health Appropriations Alliance (MCHAA) for the 2026 edition of its MCH Funding Week of Action, from October 25 – 31. We're calling on Congress to pass the FY27 Labor–HHS and Agriculture bills with full, sustained funding for ALL #MaternalChildHealth (MCH) programs. When you pull one thread out of the #MCH system, the entire system unravels — families, states, and communities all feel the impact. Join us all week in advocating for the programs that save lives. Learn about MCHAA at mchappropriations.org. #MCHAAWeekOfAction #FundMCHNow @DC_AMCHP

📬Voting absentee? Don't miss this deadline. Tomorrow, October 27, is the deadline to request an absentee ballot in Ohio. Get the official information you need today: bit.ly/4qZCtjZ #VoteBabyVote #ReadyToVoteOhio

🌟 Early Childhood Leadership Fellowship Spotlight: Meet Tionna from Fairfield County! As a Pre-K educator, Tionna is passionate about supporting early childhood educators and bringing firsthand classroom experience into conversations about policy and advocacy. Through Groundwork Ohio's Early Childhood Leadership Fellowship, she's working to strengthen her leadership skills, elevate educator voices, and help shape decisions that impact young children and families across Ohio. 🔗 Read Tionna's Spotlight: groundworkohio.org/post/earl… #EarlyChildhoodLeadership #GroundworkOhio #FairfieldCounty #EarlyChildhoodEducation

Want to vote from home? Absentee voting may be an option for you—but don't wait until the last minute to get started. Ohio's deadline to request an absentee ballot is this Tuesday, October 27. Find official information about requesting and returning an absentee ballot: bit.ly/4qZCtjZ #VoteBabyVote #ReadyToVoteOhio

Child care is essential to Ohio's economic growth. As Ohio works to maintain its recent @CNBCnow #1 ranking for business, @OhioChamber President & CEO @stevestivers points to "child care deserts" as a barrier to workforce participation in this recent @daytondailynews article. In Ohio, more than half of Ohio families live in a child care desert. Affordable, accessible child care is critical to supporting working families and strengthening Ohio's workforce. #childcareworks #childcare #ohio Read the article👇

🤖 If Sulayman could vote, he’d vote for Transformers! 🚗 We love seeing the creativity and imagination of Ohio’s youngest voices through our #VoteBabyVote coloring page! A big thank you to Sulayman for sharing his pick! 🎨 What would the little ones in your life vote for? Download our coloring page, invite your child to draw or write their answer, and email a photo of their masterpiece to [email protected]. We may feature it on our social media, too! 🔗 Get your coloring page: groundworkohio.org/votebabyv… Young children can’t vote—but their voices matter! #VoteBabyVote #groundworkohio

📍 Groundwork Ohio Roadshow 2026: Cuyahoga County! While one part of our team hosted a community roundtable in Cleveland, another continued our Roadshow visits with stops at MY KIDS CHILDCARE in Mentor and Shells Childcare and Learning Center in Maple Heights! During these site visits, we had the opportunity to hear directly from early childhood educators and providers about their work supporting young children and families, the challenges facing child care programs, and opportunities to strengthen Ohio's early childhood system. Thank you to State Sen. @KentKSmith (D-Euclid), State Rep. Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland) (@RepBrewer) and Qianna Tidmore from the @OhioAEYC_ECE for joining us, and to both child care programs for welcoming our team! 🔗 Learn more about Roadshow 2026: groundworkohio.org/roadshow #GroundworkOhioRoadshow2026 #CuyahogaCounty #EarlyChildhood #EveryStopEveryStory

📍 Groundwork Ohio Roadshow 2026: Cuyahoga County! On October 21, we were in Cleveland for a community roundtable alongside our co-hosts, @FirstYearCLE and @COHHIO. Our conversation focused on housing affordability and availability and the connections to maternal health, infant health, and mental health. We heard from local leaders, advocates, and community members about the challenges facing families with young children and opportunities to better support them. In the afternoon, we visited Parma Preschool to learn more about its early childhood programs and how they support young children and families in the community. A special thank you to Senate Minority Leader @nickieantonio (D-Lakewood) and Brad from U.S. Rep. @RepShontelBrown's (D-OH-11) office for joining us, and to all our participants and Parma Preschool for welcoming us! What we heard in Cuyahoga County will help inform our statewide Roadshow report and future policy recommendations for Ohio’s youngest children and families. 🔗 Learn more about Roadshow 2026: groundworkohio.org/roadshow #GroundworkOhioRoadshow2026 #CuyahogaCounty #EarlyChildhood #EveryStopEveryStory