Per the order of the governor, Ohio has announced changes to the state’s quality-rating system, Step Up to Quality, specifically geared toward reducing paperwork for child care providers.  
Quotable & Notable
“Parents simply must recognize that although we differ in many ways, we are united by sleepless nights, the depth of our love and an overwhelming desire to do right by our children. We have the potential to be the largest special interest group in the country. In recent months, we’ve seen the political power of parents in action, as groups of moms and dads rally in response to K-12 policies they (often) disagree with. But parents should not wait until children are in school to galvanize. The first five years are simply too critical.” 
Fact of the Week
The Ohio Department of Education's first-ever prevention services survey found that at least 70% of Ohio’s K-12 schools offered behavioral prevention programs in the 2019-20 school year.  
Policy Radar
Ohio 
A bill signed by Gov. DeWine last month made temporary changes to the state’s third-grade reading guarantee for the 2021-22 school year. As the Ohio Department of Education describes in its guidance, students’ scores on the third-grade reading exam alone are not enough to justify retention. Teachers and principals wishing to retain students must consult parents/guardians and make a recommendation for retention. 
• • • • • • •
Federal 
Child tax credit 
Monthly child tax credit payments in the latter half of 2021, which lifted an estimated 4.1 million children out of poverty, expired in December. Families who received the payments must file a tax return this year in order to receive the remaining credit. Here are a few other reads on the expiration of the CTC: 

Build Back Better 
As the bill still awaits action in the U.S. Senate, this article argues that historical devaluation of women and “women’s work” is part of the reason it has not been passed yet. 
 
Here’s another read on the status of the bill, which “isn’t dead” but is apparently still being discussed behind the scenes. 
Events & Happenings
The Ohio Legislative Children’s Caucus is hosting a webinar on January 24th at 2 pm to discuss access to affordable, high-quality child care as an economic issue. Experts will share about the child care industry’s strong ties to Ohio’s workforce and economy and attendees will learn about innovative ways Ohio can use federal funds to address these issues. Register here. 
What We're Reading
An article in Bloomberg.com calls for a payroll tax on employers to fund child care. Writer Elliot Haspel draws a parallel to K-12 education, reminding readers that it’s paid in part through property taxes paid by companies and calling for businesses to help pay for the child care system in similar fashion. 
 
This article synthesizes highlights from a new IES report and toolkit that provides research-based information and resources for schools wanting to use texting programs to engage parents and reduce student absenteeism.  
 
A report from FutureEd at Georgetown University examines the “information crisis in early education,” specifically the “systematic lack of reliable information about the nation’s youngest learners” and lack of alignment between early care and education and the K-12 system. It calls on states to invest in data infrastructure, quality, and training as well as data-sharing agreements among partners. 
 
This piece in The 74 Million explains that while a record number of Americans quit their jobs in 2021, this isn’t happening in public education. The author makes it clear that while the turnover rates in K-12 are looking normal, especially compared to the private sector, this doesn’t mean public education isn’t experiencing labor challenges. 
Research Round Up
Education Week explores new research published in the JAMA Pediatrics Journal on the pandemic’s impact on student mental health - particularly the impact from school closures. Unfortunately, researchers found significant instances of distress, depression, and anxiety, and wrote that “These immediate, visible consequences of school closures are harbingers of long-term outcomes, including decreased life expectancy for U.S. schoolchildren... Children are resilient, but this resiliency requires individual support, systemic scaffolding, societal investment, and scientific research into the short-, medium-, and long-term impacts of the pandemic on children.” 
This edition written by: Jamie O'Leary, Associate Director of Policy and Caitlin Lennon, Communications & Policy Specialist
• • • • • • •
If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend! Subscribe here.
• • • • • • •