An infusion of federal funds is coming to Ohio, targeted at improving kindergarten readiness.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is set to receive a total of $48 million over three years as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Preschool Development Grant, according to an announcement from Gov. Mike DeWine’s office.
ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder said plans for the grant are “expansive,” and will include “culturally appropriate trauma training, credentialing and parent supports,” along with “creating long-term and sustainable local, state and federal funding for early childhood education programs.”
Through a partnership with the state departments of education, health, mental health and addiction, Medicaid and developmental disabilities, the grant will also be used to expand child care for special needs, homeless and English language learners.
To sign up and receive a free book every month mailed to your child, visit the Clermont County Public Library’s website, www.Clermontlibrary.org.
Clermont County, Ohio – A program connected to County-singing superstar Dolly Parton launches today in Clermont County with a goal of providing free books to more than 2,000 local preschoolers.
The Clermont County Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library will soon mail age-appropriate books to 2,400 children age 0-5 before the 2020-2021 school year begins.
To sign up and receive a free book mailed to your child, visit the Clermont County Public Library’s website, www.Clermontlibrary.org.
United Way of Greater Cincinnati and the Clermont County Public Library formed the partnership to bring the program to Clermont County.
It is an extension of the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program started in 1995 to mail free, high-quality books to preschool children. The first books were distributed in Sevier County, TN, where Parton grew up, but word spread, the program went national, and by 2003, had distributed more than 1 million books. It is now a world-wide program.
United Way’s Eastern Area Center brought together the Dollywood Foundation, Clermont County Public Library, the Ohio Governor’s Office and others to initiate the program to Clermont County.
“This program aligns well with our focus on quality education and our Success by Six initiatives of promoting early literacy and kindergarten readiness as well as encouraging parent-child interaction,” said Moira Weir, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Cincinnati. “We know early reading is a foundation for a lifetime of academic success and we’re happy to bring this program to Clermont County. United is the way to quality education.”
Parents who sign their children up will receive a free book delivered to their home every month. If the program hits its goal of 2,400, it will serve about 12 percent of the eligible population in Clermont County.
“That would be a great start to reaching all children in Clermont County by the end of 2021,” said Erika Yingling, director of United Way’s Eastern Area Center. “We hope others will join together to support this expansion and ensure children start off with the reading material they need to super-charge their imagination.”
Making the public library the focal point of the program will spur increased reading engagement, Yingling said. She added that the program was supported by more than $8,500 in funds, including grants from Duke Energy Foundation and Connect Clermont.
About United Way
For more than 100 years, United Way of Greater Cincinnati has developed, supported and strengthened social systems that improve lives in Greater Cincinnati communities. UWGC provides relief for families in crisis, supports families as they establish stronger foundations, and revitalizes systems of support for long-term economic resiliency. United Way is uniquely positioned to bring together and harness the collective power of social service agencies, governments, businesses, donors and more to tackle ingrained, persistent, community-wide problems in a coordinated, comprehensive way that maximizes donor dollars. The generosity of our community, combined with our more than 100 years of experience bringing people together, enables us to support families in a 10-county area across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Additional information about our community impact is available at UWGC.org #LiveUnited
Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has released recommendations from the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Home Visitation about how to increase the state’s investment in proven home visitation programs and announced a new pilot program to expand home visiting programs.
“Evidence-based home visiting programs help give children the best possible start in life and increasing participation can help lower infant mortality rates, increase kindergarten readiness and improve parenting skills,” said Governor DeWine. “Strong children grow into strong adults, so an investment in these proven programs is an investment in our state’s future.”
The advisory committee, formed the day after Governor DeWine took office, is made up of leaders from the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, home visiting programs, and area health officials. The group met six times to form this collaborative report that makes 20 recommendations aimed at tripling the number of families served through evidence-based home visiting.
The recommendations include:
Make race and ethnicity foundational elements of the state’s infant mortality efforts.
Expand and streamline eligibility requirements so more at-risk families can be served.
Create a central point of intake for all home visiting programs.
Create a central data warehouse for all home visiting programs.
Promote collaboration among healthcare payers, children’s hospitals, birthing hospitals, and other community-based providers.
Leverage the Medicaid program to reimburse for eligible services in a more cost-effective manner.
Align the Department of Medicaid infant mortality reduction funds to complement the Help Me Grow program.
Increase the frequency of the Ohio Department of Health incentive payments.
To implement these recommendations, Governor DeWine will be asking the legislature to double the funding of Ohio’s home visiting programs, investing an additional $50 million over the biennium into evidence-based home visiting programs, bringing the total state funding for home visiting to $90 million over two years.
To help triple participation in home visiting programs, Governor DeWine also announced the formation of a pilot program, Pay for Success, a public-private partnership aimed at increasing the availability of, and participation in, home visiting programs.
Participating communities fundraise to contribute the upfront capital for the programs and then receive incentive payments from the Ohio Department of Health based on a custom Outcomes Rate Card, to be released in the coming weeks, every time a participating family meets a performance metric. Once communities reach goals set by the Ohio Department of Health, they will receive enhanced payments for their success.
“This innovative approach is one way to encourage expansion of these programs. Working together communities can invest in their own success.” said Governor DeWine. “By leveraging private dollars, we can work to address some of our most pressing health needs.”
