Childcare

Ohio isn’t one of the five states where the Trump administration tried to freeze funding funding, but advocates for affordable childcare are worried.

Daycares run by Somali Americans and immigrants, at the center of the rumors, have been targeted with threats and vandalism.

The Trump administration announced the freeze earlier this week after a right-wing influencer alleged without any evidence after posting videos of Somaii-run day cares in Minnesota.

In a survey of 1,000 north central Ohio residents, nearly 80% said cost is an obstacle to accessing child care.

Advocates say the state is making it harder for families to receive child care benefits, causing further challenges to an already taxed child care work sector.

Columbus State Community College and the YMCA of Central Ohio are planning to bring a $38 million YMCA facility to Columbus State's downtown campus.

New parental expectations are different for this generation. With the rise in the cost of childcare, and both parents working, grandparents are filling the role of a childcare provider.

Many families in Ohio struggle to find affordable child care. But for families who have children with severe medical needs, childcare centers are not an option at all.

The budget appropriates $10 million to pilot a “tri-share” program, which creates cost-sharing of child care costs between workers, their work and the state government.

The American Folklife Center recently released a collection of interviews with Central Appalachian child care workers recounting their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.