(Ohio) – The Ohio Children’s Budget Coalition recently released reports pushing for major needs they see within the state designed to support children.

The coalition is made up of groups from the children‘s services, economic stability, and education equity fields. They’ve come together to send a letter to Governor Mike DeWine calling on him to commit to further investment in Ohio’s children.

Tracy Najera, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund of Ohio wrote the letter on behalf of the coalition. The coalition includes more than 18 state organizations. The main areas the letter outlined included child health; quality childcare, and K-12 education; children’s services; economic stability, a critical broadband infrastructure; and youth justice.

Officials noted that access to the internet, for example, is one of several shortcomings the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront. They also cited economic instability and food insecurity as being underlying issues that have also always impacted the success of children.

The coalition made several recommendations with these areas in mind such as further supporting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), establishing a better-funding child protection services and foster care recruitment approach, and continued funding for wraparound services for non0academic needs regarding the pandemic, among other areas.

There’s been no information regarding the Governor’s stance on the issues at hand.