Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: childcare

  • Child Care Crisis a Barrier to Economic Mobility for Ohio Families

    Child Care Crisis a Barrier to Economic Mobility for Ohio Families

    From Public News Service

    Ohio ranks 29th among states in overall child well-being, according to the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book.

    Child care continues to pose challenges for working parents, and the new data showed average child care costs for one child in 2021 topped $10,000 per year.

    Kelly Vyzral, senior health policy associate for the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, said women are five to eight times more likely than men to experience negative employment consequences related to caregiving. Lack of affordable child care also disproportionately affects families of color and immigrant families.

    “We can’t expect parents — and many times this is especially relevant for single moms — we can’t expect them to go back to work, if they don’t have a safe place to leave their children,” Vyzral asserted.

    In 2021, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows Ohio hit a twenty-year low in the number of child care workers, with around 12,000 across 88 counties. According to the report, the nation’s already insufficient child care workforce dropped by more than a third in just two months at the beginning of the pandemic, and has since rebounded to 996,000 workers by April 2023, still far below pre-pandemic levels.

    An executive order issued by President Biden this year aims to expand child care access by lowering costs and raising worker wages.

    Vyzral acknowledged it is a start, and pointed out state lawmakers should continue to implement policies aimed at addressing the crisis.

    “There’s money in the budget for those publicly funded child care centers,” Vyzral argued. “And there’s also scholarships for spots within those child care centers for workers. So for the people that are working in these day care centers, to send their children to day care, because they often in order to work, have to have some place to put their children.”

    Nationwide, the average salary for a child care worker was around $29,000 per year or around $14 an hour in 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    author Eric Tegethoff, Producer

    Disclosure: The Annie E. Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children’s Issues, Education, Juvenile Justice, and Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
  • Join the new child abuse awareness campaign – Safe and Sound @ Home Cincinnati

    Join the new child abuse awareness campaign – Safe and Sound @ Home Cincinnati

    Hamilton County Job & Family Services has been working for several months with people from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Cincinnati Public Schools on some new ways to bring attention to the stress a lot of families are feeling these days – and to some things everyone can do to help. The new campaign is called Safe and Sound @ Home Cincinnati.

    Please take a look at these new public service announcement videos – there’s a 30-second version and a 60-second one – and share them.

    During a press conference announcing the collaboration, Interim Director Tim McCartney had this to say: 

    “Child abuse is already under-reported in normal times. During the shutdown, Children’s Services saw a 40% drop in calls about abuse and neglect. While reporting has increased since then, calls are still down from normal levels. Given the stress, anxiety and hardships surrounding the pandemic, we want to offer a collaborative approach to families by letting them know that we are here for them.” 

    To read more about the announcement, below is the text of a press release sent out announcing the work:

    With the school year underway, parents are facing many challenges. It is natural for them to feel stress. Maintaining routines, having fun and using positive language can be helpful. For parents who start to feel anxious, taking a deep breath and talking to trusted family members or friends are great first steps. But if the situation becomes overwhelming, there are resources to help.

    To better protect vulnerable children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Hamilton County Job & Family Services and Cincinnati Public Schools are collaborating on a new campaign called Safe and Sound @ Home Cincinnati. The goal is to raise awareness about parenting support and resources available to those in the community who may be struggling.

    Support systems are available that can provide help with a variety of services, including food, medical assistance, childcare, housing, utilities, employment, cash and legal aid. However, experts have found some parents have difficulty asking for public benefits.

    “Many people find themselves asking for help for the first time ever, and it can feel confusing and uncomfortable,” said Carley Riley, MD, attending physician in the division of Critical Care Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s. “There is no right or wrong way to feel when navigating your way through public assistance. We want to stress there’s no shame in asking for help. Taking care of your family is courageous. It shows strength and resilience.”

    Resource guides on who to call for help have been available for the last several months at Cincinnati Public Schools food distribution sites. Public service announcements for Safe and Sound @ Home Cincinnati have also been released recently.

    “This collaboration further solidifies the investment we all have in the health and well-being of children,” said Carrie Bunger, PhD, Director of Positive School Culture & Safety at Cincinnati Public Schools. “By working together to support vulnerable families, we can increase the community safety net—especially for those at risk during these challenging times.”

    CCHMC also keeps a comprehensive list of resources available for parents and children.

    Hope Restored is centrally located in the West Loveland Historic District in Loveland, Ohio

    Local Help for Parents and Children

    To better protect vulnerable children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cincinnati Children’s, Hamilton County Job & Family Services and Cincinnati Public Schools are collaborating on a campaign called Safe and Sound @ Home Cincinnati. The goal is to raise awareness about parenting support and resources available to those in the community who may be struggling.

    • Child abuse and domestic violence are under-reported in normal times. During these stressful times, children and their caregivers are at greater risk. 

    Steps to Take | Spanish

    • There are places in the Cincinnati area that provide help with food or medical assistance, child care, housing and utilities, cash and employment and legal aid.

    Look for Help | Spanish

    • It’s natural for parents to feel stress, anxiety and worry right now. 

    Get Parenting Tips | Spanish

    Take care of your mental health during COVID-19 quarantine.

    Coping with COVID-19

    Social distance greeting during COVID-19.

    Practicing Self-Care

    • Keeping Your Distance to Stay Safe: A guide from the American Psychological Association (APA) to engaging in physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Coping with Stressful News: Seven crucial research findings that can help people deal with COVID-19, from the American Psychological Association, a translation of psychological science on coping with stressful news, and how that can help people to deal with COVID-19.
    • Sleep Hygiene: Tips and tricks for getting quality sleep from the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

    Practice self-nurturing during COVID-19.

    Taking Care of Your Mental Health: Coping with Anxiety & Depression

    Tips for parenting during COVID-19 to help family's mental health.

    Parenting during the Pandemic

    Where to call for a coronavirus emergency.

    Hotlines / Emergency

  • Brown, colleagues urge administration to help victims and survivors of domestic violence during coronavirus pandemic

    Brown, colleagues urge administration to help victims and survivors of domestic violence during coronavirus pandemic

    Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined 23 of his Senate colleagues in writing a letter expressing concern for the wellbeing of families who face an increased risk of domestic violence during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and urged the administration to ensure service providers have the flexibility and resources to help victims and survivors of domestic violence. 

    Click image or call 1-800-799-7233 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) -En Español

    “We write to express our concern for the wellbeing of families who face an increased risk of domestic violence during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We also ask that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) ensure that the organizations that help victims and survivors of domestic violence have the resources and information needed to continue to provide these critical services during the pandemic. The senators wrote:

    Dear Assistant Secretary Johnson and Acting-Director Rogers:

    We write to express our concern for the wellbeing of families who face an increased risk of domestic violence during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We also ask that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) ensure that the organizations that help victims and survivors of domestic violence have the flexibility, resources, and information needed to continue to provide these critical services during the pandemic.

    In recent weeks, states and cities across the country have taken a variety of steps to mitigate the spread of the virus, including closing schools, limiting access to public spaces and restaurants, and instructing people to shelter in place. Many people are now working from home, while others have been required to take unpaid leave or have lost their jobs.

    An unintended but foreseeable consequence of these drastic measures will be increased stress at home, which in turn creates a greater risk for domestic violence. According to one recent article, emergency situations have “historically led to increased reports of domestic abuse” to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. In addition, domestic violence service providers expect an increase in the need for emergency childcare and domestic violence shelters, as well as for supplies to keep centers and program sites safe and secure.

    Many of these programs are administered by your offices and funded through grants authorized by the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act and the Violence Against Women Act. It is critical that your agencies ensure that victims and survivors of domestic violence continue to have access to these vital services. Accordingly, we request answers to the following questions, as well as a telephonic briefing with members of our staff, regarding actions ACF and OVW are taking no later than March 31, 2020:

    1. Have the domestic violence programs that ACF and OVW administer seen an increase in need over the past 60 days, as a result of the COVID-19 mitigation efforts in place at the local, state, and federal level? If so, please provide detail, to the extent possible, broken down by state or territory.

    2. How have the domestic violence programs administered by your offices been strained as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?

    3. What steps have ACF and OVW taken to prepare for a potential rise in the need for domestic violence programs or services?

    4. What will ACF and OVW do to provide organizations an opportunity to request additional financial support to respond to an increased demand for services?

    5. What steps has ACF and OVW taken to ensure that survivors continue to have to access to judicial proceedings, including the opportunity to seek a protective order?

    6. What steps will ACF and OVW take to provide greater flexibility for service providers who may be required to alter their programs without risking their eligibility for funding?

    7. If programs have to close or suspend services due to COVID-19, will ACF and OVW offer grantees flexibility to continue to support the programs’ employees?

    8. What information or resources have you made available to domestic violence organizations, particularly with regard to ensuring the safety of front line employees?

    9. Have ACF and OVW provided guidance about how organizations should alter their operations in order to maintain services while providing for the safety of staff, including remote or mobile operations?

    10. What additional guidance or resources are ACF and OVW providing domestic violence organizations that serve American Indians / Alaska Natives, rural, and underserved communities?

    Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We urge you to take immediate action to prepare for a potential increase in incidents of domestic violence and look forward to your prompt response.

    Sincerely,

    Along with Sen. Brown, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), joined in signing the letter.

    When survivors are forced to stay in the home or in proximity to their abuser, it can create circumstances where their safety is compromised, and they may need to alter their safety plan.

    For any victims and survivors who need support, we are here for you, 24/7.

    Call 1-800-799-7233 or if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto the hotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522