Monday, March 13, 11:30am-12:30pm, Ohio Statehouse

Parents, child care providers, and child care advocates recently announced coast-to-coast events coinciding with the Day Without Child Care (DWOCC). The DWOCC will be held on May 13, and is designed to build support for fully funded, quality early childhood education and care.

In Ohio, The CEO [Care Economy Organizing] Project, a division of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, will bring about 500 providers to the Ohio Statehouse. The advocates released the following statement:

“The work of caring for children and families is critical,” said Tami Lunan, director of The CEO Project. “Affordable, quality child care makes it possible for parents to go to work, knowing that the most precious people in our lives are in good hands. Yet it’s some of the most invisible and undervalued work. It’s time to invest in expanding affordable, quality child care with living wages for the hardworking child care providers who care for and nurture our children.”

Who:

• The CEO Project

• Parents, child care providers, advocates

• Additional speakers

What:

• Rally and Press Conference

When:

• Monday, May 13, from 11:30am-12:30pm

Where:

• Ohio Statehouse (West Plaza)

The purpose of the rally is to demand a public investment for:

• An equitable childcare system built on racial and gender justice

We need culturally appropriate, accessible care in our communities, where all people who take care of our children are paid living wages. We must do away with eligibility requirements that impede access and disproportionately affect low wage workers, women, and people of color, such as work requirements and intrusive application processes.

• Living thriving wages for child care providers

All child care providers should be paid a living wage and compensation on par with K-12 teachers to early care and education workers, who are disproportionately Black and brown women.

• Affordable childcare for all families

We need to guarantee child care for every family who needs it, whether Black, white, or brown and that it is not at the expense of the early educators who do this work.

The CEO Project and advocates demand that Ohio’s 2025 Budget reflect the following:

• Move from a Market Rate Survey model to a Cost of Care model for evaluating the child care market in Ohio.

• Move toward investing in a new system that aligns with the real cost of high-quality care for the littlest Ohioans.

• Raise eligibility for families to 300% of the federal poverty level. Ohio’s current eligibility limit is the lowest in the nation. More families need access to affordable childcare.

• Increase reimbursement rates for providers to the 75th percentile. The Federal Office of Child Care considers reimbursement rates at the 75th percentile or above to be the benchmark of equal access.

• Provide adequate revenue for childcare programs. Boost the Department of Children and Youth’s budget with state money by increasing the amount of general revenue fund allocation.

• Enact a State Child Tax Credit

• Provide a refundable tax credit for families with children under the age of 18 and earning up to $85,000.

• Enact a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

• Expand Ohio’s current 30% non-refundable EITC [Earned Income Tax Credit] to include a 10% refundable option.

Hosted by The CEO [Care Economy Organizing] Project.