If you’re like us, you’ve grown accustomed to seeing three American Sign Language interpreters at Gov. DeWine’s daily press conference. Read  more  about how they’ve become somewhat of a social media phenomenon.
Quotable and Notable
"Ohio seniors are some of the most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and now more than ever we need to ensure they're getting the meals they need every day...By investing in programs that feed seniors, we're ensuring older Ohioans don't have to put themselves at risk by leaving their homes in order to get their meals." 

- Sen. Sherrod Brown in a statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that Ohio would recieve $8.8 million to provide meals to seniors amidst the pandemic (article is behind a paywall)
Fact of the Week
The amount Ohio is receiving from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help communities provide meals for seniors during the coronavirus crisis. (article is behind a paywall)
Policy Radar
COVID-19 relief  
The Ohio legislature has been busy this week to bring relief to Ohioans during COVID-19. Wednesday night, the legislature passed an  emergency measure  that is, as of the writing of this, on its way to the governor for signature.

The bill: 
  • Extends the state’s income tax deadline to July 15; 
  • Moves the primary election to April 28 (mostly via in-mail voting); 
  • Codifies the governor’s executive order on unemployment compensation (waiving the first-week waiting period, and including COVID-19 related conditions in eligibility);  
  • Waives state testing requirements for K-12 schools; 
  • Prohibits disconnections in water service (and requires immediate restoration of service to any customer whose water was shut off for failure to make payment); 
  • Allows public entities to meet remotely and for virtual attendance to count for achieving a quorum or in voting;  
  • Extends the state’s deadline for publicly funded child care providers to be rated in the Step Up to Quality system, to September 1, 2020; 
  • Suspends child-staff ratio requirements and maximum group sizes at child care centers, as well as enables ODJFS to continue making payments to publicly funded child care providers during the emergency (note, pandemic child care requirements still apply); 
  • Grants news flexibilities and authority for the Director of Medicaid during the emergency, for instance to classify certain Medicaid providers as COVID-19 providers and direct Medicaid funds to them; 
  • Extends health care providers’ licenses and establishes a window for renewal after the emergency is over;  
  • Enables nursing program graduates to receive temporary certificates from the Board of Nursing to begin practicing immediately. 

These changes to Ohio law will be temporary, with the exception of one provision geared toward expanding the scope of practice for nurse anesthetists.  

The House also proposed a number of COVID-19 related bills this week, which may or may not see movement now that the Senate has passed its particular COVID-19 related bill. (And according to Gongwer News, Speaker Larry Householder indicated that this “likely represents the end of legislative action in the state for the near future.”) Those include bills aiming to: 
 
Child care  
As of yesterday, all child care providers in Ohio must be operating under a pandemic child care license (until April 30). This temporary license establishes new limits and requirements, such as six children per room (and teacher) and cleaning recommendations. It also prioritizes coverage for children of the state’s essential workers. You can find more on the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family services site  here  or, if you’re a provider with questions, call the Child Care Help Desk to speak to a child care specialist (877-302-2347). 
 
Standardized testing  
Gov. DeWine and state lawmakers have been signaling their intent to suspend standardized testing for the year. That was made official in the emergency provision (HB 197), which will waive the mandate on state exams as well as put a pause on the report card accountability system (for 2019-20). Now Ohio must apply to the feds for the exemption; the U.S. Department of Education has already said it would  waive  annual testing requirements. 
FYI
Our colleagues at the Schoenbaum Family Center and Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy are actively  creating resources  to be helpful during COVID-19, as well as developing a  curated list  of resources.  
What We're Reading
Chalkbeat  explains  the long-term threat facing child care providers across the country, many of whom have shut down because of the pandemic. Advocates are asking for (financial)  help . 
 
First Lady Fran DeWine offers tips to families, which you can read about  here  in the  Dayton Daily News . And don’t forget about the Governor’s Imagination Library program, which mails free books each month to Ohio families with young children. Sign up  here . 
 
Hechinger Report  looks at  a “new era of homeschooling” and equity concerns that inevitably come with it. Hechinger also  offers  a good read on “acts of generosity” for college students during COVID-19. 
 
Two good reads here from the 74 Million:  One  geared toward helping our youngest learners and the other offering  reviews  of 11 learning websites.  Washington Post   suggests  what to do (and not do) if you’re at home with young kids; the Brookings Institution  offers  a similar set of ideas. 
With an abundance of resources being developed and compiled and our attention spans already taxed, we want to be sure we’re offering useful information to our readers and friends. Feel free to drop us a line with ideas or input on this. What type of information would most useful to you right now?  
This edition written by: Jamie Davies O'Leary, Associate Director of Policy and Caitlin Lennon, Communications & Policy Specialist
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