Ohio, Child Care Help Is On The Way!

Ohio, Child Care Help Is On The Way! Gov. Mike DeWine made one of the best announcements that will help working families here in Ohio find suitable child care for their littles! Learn more right here at Newsymom!

Governor Mike DeWine announced a major additional help to working families all throughout Ohio. $650 million will be pumped into child care programs in Ohio as an addition to the $150 million allocated in December already.

Parents Are Struggling Without Child Care

Increasing costs, fuel and energy spikes, and slow-rising wages are a few of the things working families deal with on a day-to-day basis… However, the main need parents face right now poses the question, “Who’s going to watch the kids?”

At last, we’ve got an answer! These additional funds will help to stabilize the crises that the pandemic wreaked on child care businesses and can be used to bring back full staffing, supplies, and any tools that facilities need to maintain a wonderful education for Ohio children.

What Areas Will The Grant Cover?

Here are some of the areas of child care the $650 million benefit will cover:

Operating Costs/New Pandemic Costs

These allocated funds will help with any costs that the pandemic incurred on businesses! The required sanitizers, shields/dividers, face masks, cleaning supplies, etc. are all covered in this subgrant.

Workforce Recruitment & Retention

Funds here will go directly to hiring and keeping employees in the field, and also create substitute pools.

Access Development

All of those closed classrooms can now reopen with this subgrant! The goal is to be able to serve additional children, new age groups, and a more diverse array of children.

Mental Health Workforce and Family Support

For all children and employees in the field, funds here will be dispersed for mental health support and well-being

Qualifying Care Centers

These grants are available for:

• ODJFS-regulated child care centers
• Family child care (FCC) type A & type B homes
• In-home aides (IHA)
• Approved day camps
• Ohio Department of Education (ODE) licensed preschool (PS) and school-age (SA) programs [ones approved to provide publicly funded child care (PFCC)] 

For more information on guidance and requirements, visit the OCCRRA website.

Melissa Klatt

Reporting