CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio is failing to meet the needs of its children, and one of the reasons is a lack of affordable child care, according to a report released Wednesday from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The 2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book report analyzes state by state how children and families are faring in terms of social and economic factors that affect child well-being. In terms of the best states for children, the report ranks Ohio in the bottom half - 29th overall.
A deeper dive into the data reveals some troubling statistics.
For example, 57% of 3- and 4-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool, 65% of fourth-graders do not meet proficiency standards in reading, and 71% of eighth-graders are not proficient in math, according to the study.
In addition, 16% of Ohio students do not graduate from high school. Those numbers are behind both neighboring West Virginia and Kentucky in which only 10% fail to graduate.
“Ohio has a long way to go when it comes to ensuring the well-being of its children. The state’s rank of 29th in child well-being is a call to action,” said Kelly Vyzral, senior health policy associate of Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, Ohio’s member of the KIDS COUNT network. “We must do more to invest in our children and families by investing in early childhood education, providing quality affordable healthcare, and creating safe and supportive communities.”
One of the reasons why Ohio children are failing to thrive has to do with the economic circumstances of their families. The report shows that many families are struggling — 19% of children are living in poverty, 22% lack affordable housing, and 30% have parents who lack secure employment.
In our Rethinking Child Care series, cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer in 2023 are examining the struggle of finding quality, affordable childcare and proposing solutions to share families’ burdens and help the economy. Follow the coverage at this link.
Some of these economic stressors can be traced back to issues of child care, the report said.
Many parents cannot secure child care that is compatible with work schedules and commutes the report found. Data from 2020-21 showed that 13% of Ohio children under age 6 lived in families in which someone quit, changed, or refused a job because of problems with child care. Compare that to neighboring Indiana where only 9% of parents had to do the same.
And when child care is available, it is frequently unaffordable for many families. The state’s average cost of center-based child care for a toddler is $11,302. That’s 11% of the median income of a married couple and 40% of the income of a single mother.
Compounding the problem is the low pay of childcare workers. Ohio child care workers are paid worse than 98% of professions. The median pay of $13.71 an hour is less than the $14.26 median wage in retail or $18.16 in customer service jobs.
The release of the report comes amid a debate in Columbus over the upcoming state budget.
Groundwork Ohio, a early-child care advocacy group, noted Tuesday that according to the state, the latest Kindergarten Readiness Assessment results from the Ohio Department of Education indicate that two-thirds of all Ohio kindergarteners do not demonstrate readiness to learn. In kindergartners from families with low incomes, this number increases to 79%.
Groundwork Ohio was critical of Ohio Senate for eliminating a $366 million proposed to increase access to quality child care for children from families with low incomes.
“These scores are a clarion call to state policymakers to restore the thoughtful and strategic investments made by Gov. DeWine and the Ohio House of Representatives in the state’s FY24-25 budget,” said Shannon Jones, President and CEO of Groundwork Ohio. “Policymakers must respond urgently to the grim reality that our youngest children are being left behind, impacting both the workforce of today and the workforce of tomorrow.”
According to a February 2023 ReadyNation study, Ohio loses $3.9 billion a year in lost earnings, productivity and tax revenue by failing to provide adequate affordable child care. That cost is $122 billion nationally.
“I am disappointed to see Ohio in the bottom half of the nation regarding some of the most important areas for our children. We have a lot of work to do, but I do believe there is hope for the future,” said Democratic State Rep. Jessica Miranda from the Cincinnati suburb of Forest Park. “If we want Ohio to grow and be an economic leader, we need to put people first with a strong child care system that supports our work force and our families.”