The Dispatch highlights a unique program supporting adolescents during their transition out of foster care in Ohio. 

Quotable & Notable

Fact of the Week

Last year, Ohio announced a temporary program to waive copayments for families using publicly funded child care, and has since spent $48 million to alleviate that financial cost. That waiver, which freed up 90,000 Ohio children and their families from paying copayments, is set to end in July.  

Policy Radar

Literacy in Ohio

New details are available about Gov. DeWine’s proposals on Ohio literacy, one of which is a planned audit of institutions of higher education and how they are training teachers to provide reading instruction – to be created through an executive order.

Federal budget

President Biden’s 2024 budget proposal for the nation includes several items proposed – but eventually removed by Congress – in the last budget. This includes more federal funds for child care, funding for “universal” preschool for four-year-olds, more funding for Head Start, and reinstatement of the expanded Child Tax Credit. As this piece articulates, passage of these proposals may be even more difficult than last time given the current Congressional makeup, but for now these policy ideas are back on the table. 

Events and Happenings

On Monday, March 27 the Bipartisan Policy Center is hosting a webinar to share findings about child care challenges, as gathered from surveys conducted of parents with young children. Register here.

The Campaign for Grade Level Reading is offering a “learning Tuesday” webinar on the importance of diverse books – this coming Tuesday, March 28. Registration is here. 

Beyond the Buckeye State

One leader from Tennessee’s state education agency shares about the state’s experience developing “homegrown” teacher training in the science of reading – a program that was affordable "both in terms of financial outlay and teacher time.” As Ohio wades into “science of reading” territory, there are many states – Tennessee included – that provide policy options related to improving reading instruction.

Lawmakers in Vermont are considering property tax exemptions of up to $10,000 for home-based child care providers or property owners renting space to center-based providers as one way to offer them financial relief. 

Research Round-Up

When federal lawmakers expanded the Child Tax Credit 2021 through the American Rescue Plan – it ushered in several significant changes. Not only did the CTC expansion raise the overall amount sent to families for each eligible child, it also sent payments periodically before tax season and was fully refundable – meaning that for families with little or no income, they could still qualify to receive the credit (this was the case for some 2 million children living in poverty in 2021). In essence, it gave cash to families – and more of it, at a time when many families were experiencing pandemic-related financial hardship. It also gave researchers and analysts many data points to study. The expanded CTC was shown to have reduced poverty rates to historic levels, improved family nutrition and financial wellbeing, and supported families in paying for basic needs and educational costs. 

A new study published in Health Affairs examined whether the expanded CTC was associated with mental health outcomes of adults (with children) in households with low incomes. Using data from the national Household Pulse Survey, researchers analyzed reported symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety, as well as two binary (yes/no) variables related to mental health care use (i.e., whether respondents had gone to mental health therapy in the last four weeks or used medications to cope with symptoms). They also examined the data by racial and ethnic subgroups. While the CTC expansion was not associated with any change in the binary outcomes – use of mental health services or prescriptions – it was associated with decreased symptoms of both depression and anxiety. And the reduction in anxiety was larger for Black and Hispanic respondents, compared to white respondents. 

The researchers note several limitations to the study, one of which is the high non-response rate for the Household Pulse Survey (and might the likelihood to respond itself be especially related to the outcomes under study – depression and anxiety?). Another important limitation is the study design itself: A cross-sectional study captures data at one point in time and is meant to be observational, not causal or relational. It cannot measure changes over time within individuals; it observes broad trends within a population. But the study does raise interesting questions about the efficacy of government policies that can improve the financial wellbeing of families, the associated effects of financial security on adult mental health and the overall home environment for children. As the researchers wrote, “The expanded CTC has the potential to improve the environments in which vulnerable low-income children grow up.” Now, what will it take for Congress to reinstate it? 

This edition written by: Jamie O'Leary