A Cincinnati area school district has a new travelling “lunch bus” to serve meals to children over the summer.
Quotable & Notable
“Yet, just like in 1971, opponents of Biden’s plan are using the same old political playbook and continue to attack federal investment in quality care by wielding false rhetoric and outdated statistics. For example, in their recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, J.D. Vance and Jenet Erickson argued erroneously that the plan — one that would offer the opportunity for additional education and to offset the high costs of child care for working families — would be “a bad deal for American children.” The authors collected data nearly 30 years ago, then selectively cited only the findings that supported their politically motivated argument that young children are better off not enrolled in child care in almost all circumstances. This conclusion flies against the wealth of current peer-reviewed research (including the overall research using the dataset Vance and Erickson cited) that shows over and over again that high-quality earlycare and education provides tremendous benefits for children and their families — even as the high costs of quality early care and education make it inaccessible for millions of American families.”
This week, Gov. DeWine signed a bill directing federal COVID relief funds to Ohio schools. One of four such bills proposed, it directs $787.3 million to schools, $173 million for the Department of Health and $7 million for the Adjutant General. According to Gongwer News (which has a paywall), “the money can be used to support the unique needs of low-income children, children with disabilities and other vulnerable populations, and to expand mental health services, support remote learning technology and purchase cleaning supplies.”
This week, the Ohio Senate released its version of the biennial budget. Among proposed changes was an increase to the state income tax (greater than what the House proposed), significant changes to school funding, and a move that would make the Step Up to Quality (SUTQ) star-rating system for child care providers optional. (It would also bump up the eligibility for publicly funded child care assistance to 142% of the federal poverty line.) Groundwork responded to the SUTQ change here, and is calling on individuals to contact legislators in order to restore it.
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Federal policy
Education Week outlines a current debate underway among federal lawmakers about school lunch regulations. Relaxed restrictions during the pandemic enabled districts to provide universal free lunch, a move that some advocates want to make permanent.
Here’s a look at Pres. Biden’s plans to increase school funding, specifically geared toward improving teacher pay as well as funding equity within states. He’s proposing a historic increase to the federal Title 1 program, which serves student who come from economically disadvantaged homes.
Beyond the Buckeye State
Several states and school districts nationwide are implementing “thank you” payments to teachers to recognize educators’ work through the pandemic and to encourage teachers to remain in the profession. While the payments are meant to boost morale, researchers have raised concerns that these payments aren’t likely to improve retention and whether or not these payments are a good use of federal stimulus funds.
Louisiana students have made steady gains in math; this writeup describes how a learning app called “Zearn” has been a key part of the trend.
What We're Reading
New America lays out a strong case for paying child care providers based on children’s enrollment, not attendance. 19 states opted to fund this way during the pandemic with CARES Act money and analyses proved it had a stabilizing impact for care providers. New America further suggests through cost modeling that “making the change permanent is viable with additional resources.”
This piece outlines decades-long efforts by a group of child care providers to reduce preschoolers’ suspensions, including some in Ohio. The initiative has been grounded in building parent resiliency, social emotional supports, and empathy, and aims to integrate factors that can be protective for children – positive childhood experiences – to buffer against and mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Research on the initiative demonstrates that the efforts are paying off.
An article in Bloomberg “CityLab” examines the current supply shock hitting the child care industry. It points out staffing shortages across the country (including in Columbus, Ohio) as well as the changing geographic needs and capacity of programs in metro versus suburban markets.
This edition written by: Jamie Davies O'Leary, Associate Director of Policy and Caitlin Lennon, Communications & Policy Specialist
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