Readiness Summit talks early childhood education
Ohio lawmakers must adopt a new two-year state budget in the next few months, and Gov. Mike DeWine is advocating for important new investments for families with young children. He’s proposing:
■ Funding to increase support for Ohio’s Publicly Funded Child Care program, allowing more families to participate;
■ Improving reimbursement rates for child care providers that serve working families who can’t possibly pay market-rate for child care;
■ Expanding home visiting for pregnant women and new mothers;
■ Increasing funding for infant and toddler child care. Ohio has an extreme shortage of infant and toddler child care options.
We’re sharing information with legislators about the importance of these funding requests and inviting families, educators and community partners to share their needs with state senators and representatives. Visit www.legislature.ohio.gov if you’d like help reaching out to lawmakers. Now is the time!
To learn about exciting things happening in the world of early learning, join us at the 14th annual Readiness Summit on Friday, March 3 at Sinclair College. We’re so happy to be meeting in person once again, to continue our community’s efforts to give all our youngest children the opportunity to succeed.
Our theme this year, The Power of Joy and Belonging, is fitting in the wake of the disruptions of the past three years. But it also reminds us of what connects all of us — our children, educators, families, administrators, community, political and business leaders.
When we know we are part of something larger — a family, a school, a community —we have a foundation for building successful lives. This free event is open to all who are passionate about early education — children from birth through Grade 3. To register and for more information, visit PreschoolPromise.org/ReadinessSummit.