Early Learning Nation provides a great visual depiction of what is meant by referring to the expiration of federal rescue dollars as the “child care cliff.”

Quotable & Notable

Fact of the Week

According to the latest State of Babies yearbook from Zero to Three, over 44% of Ohio babies live in households with low incomes – defined as less than twice the federal poverty line. Ohio’s snapshot can be found here. 

Policy Radar

State sales tax exemption

Ohio’s sale’s tax exemption on diapers and other baby-related items passed in this year’s biennial budget just went into effect (October 1). The diaper sales tax exemption is estimated to save families about $100 a year. Baby wipes, car seats, cribs, and strollers are also exempt from state sales taxes.

Child care funding

Axios looks at the expiration of federal child care funds and its possible impact on Ohio – namely the possible closure of 2,100+ programs. A fact sheet from the Century Foundation outlines other estimated impacts on the state. 

An opinion piece by Elliot Haspel in Fast Company outlines three obstacles that help explain why Congress has yet to more comprehensively fund the nation’s child care system. Despite broad bipartisan support (voters from both sides of the aisle would like to see government address child care costs and affordability) and many recent proposals in Congress, meaningful reform hasn’t been able to get across the finish line. These obstacles, according to Haspel, are that child care policy discussion have not been inclusive enough of stay-at-home parents and relative caregivers; that both political parties are “reluctant” to identify precisely how government should fund subsidized child care; and that voters have yet to take political action at the scale that has occurred around hot-button issues like gun control or abortion.

FYI

Early childhood stakeholders including Groundwork and BCDI-Ohio are conducting a survey to understand the desires of families, caregivers and community leaders when it comes to care for young children and their families.  

Events & Happenings

The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center is hosting the 2023 National Prenatal-to-3 Research to Policy Summit on Thursday, October 12. 

Beyond the Buckeye State

As NPR highlights here, Kentucky has made free child care a job benefit for those working in the child care sector. Considering the high cost of child care and the fact that many child care workers may have their own young children, it’s a smart perk to address teacher turnover.

Several states are passing legislation to help home-based childcare providers operating their businesses from their homes. For instance, Connecticut, Oklahoma, and Colorado have prohibited restrictive zoning requirements for in-home providers. Oregon recently passed a law that requires landlords to allow tenants to open home-based care if certain requirements are met. In 2020, California passed a bill preventing landlords from refusing tenants – or evicting them – because of a child care business.  

Research Round-up

A study published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that conduct problems occurring among participating kindergarteners were associated with long-term costs that researchers were able to quantify through economic analysis. These costs were borne by the individual participants as well as by society at large, and point to the long-term costs of serious behavioral challenges in early childhood programs (and relatedly, the preventative power of intervening early).

Researchers examined data from over 1,300 kindergartners from various states in the late 1980s and early 1990s; these children were participating in two longitudinal child development studies at the time. Conduct problems were measured by teacher and parent reports (according to several established screening tools) and children were then tracked over time to assess later behaviors incurring personal – and societal – costs. These long-term costs were measured through review of records (e.g., administrative court data) and self-reported data from the study participants themselves. Long-term costs included those related to adolescent crime (costs to self and to victims); medical-related costs; and other government-related costs (e.g., use of housing or food assistance). The study found that an increase in kindergarten conduct problems was associated with clear increased costs related to crime – both as adolescents and adults; medical services; and total costs to society - a measure that included criminal legal costs, offender productivity costs, victim costs, and costs from government service and medical service use. The study authors note that their research “provides evidence of the long-term costs associated with early-starting conduct problems, which is important information that can be used by policymakers to support research and programs investing in a strong start for children.” 

This edition written by: Jamie O'Leary and Janelle Williamson

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