This week marks Black Maternal Health Week. CelebrateOne’s executive director has written an important piece about the disparities impacting Black mothers.

The Tuned In newsletter takes a break next week and returns April 26.

QUOTABLE & NOTABLE

FACT OF THE WEEK

In his State of the State address, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a new program to help families earning less than 200% of the federal poverty level afford child care. This new program is estimated to support some 8,000 children in the state.

State of the State address 

In his annual address to the state, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made children’s issues center stage – discussing child care, early literacy, and childhood health and mental health among several state priorities. During the speech, several new investments and programs were announced, including a child care voucher program to help support families earning 200% or less of the federal poverty level in accessing child care; $85 million toward improving child care facilities; a pilot nurse visitation program for new mothers (“Family Connects” pilot program); a new partnership between the Department of Medicaid, Ohio’s children’s hospitals, and Medicaid managed care plans which aims to improve the coordination and delivery of children’s health care (“Outcomes Acceleration for Kids Learning Network”); and a statewide expansion of the state’s mobile response services to assist families whose children may be in crisis. 

To read more about Gov. DeWine’s address, here is coverage from around the state: 

• “DeWine takes on childcare, social media and marijuana laws in State of the State address” — Crain’s Cleveland Business 
• “STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS: Dewine calls for focus on Ohio children” — The Vindicator 
• “DeWine vows ‘this will be Ohio's finest hour’” — The Blade 
• “DeWine announces child care vouchers in State of the State address” — The Columbus Dispatch 
• “Gov. DeWine announces voucher program to help more families pay for child care” — Cleveland.com 
• “‘The future is not our own.’ Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine centers children in State of the State address” — Ohio Capital Journal

Start Early is hosting a webinar April 23 at 1 p.m. EDT titled “Moving the Needle: How States Can Support More Inclusive Early Childhood Systems.”

This past year the Crane Center partnered with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce on Read Together, Grow Together — a campaign to share reading tips with Ohio families. Most recently we enhanced the content with videos and the research behind our reading tips — as well as a link to free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio.

Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are cited as model examples for replacing lead-based water service lines to reduce lead exposure in young children and communities experiencing low income.

A brief from the Learning Policy Institute describes Tennessee’s teacher apprenticeship program, as well as considerations for other states looking to develop a similar program. While the brief focuses on apprenticeships for K-12 teachers, similar efforts are underway to build stronger pathways for early childhood teachers.

Early Learning Nation showcases efforts to support the child care sector in five states — Michigan, Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon, and New Mexico — and strategies worth learning from.

WHAT WE'RE READING

The federal Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation has published a series of briefs on building and sustaining the early childhood workforce. The briefs come from a broad literature review of research on the early childhood workforce, an environmental scan based on what states are doing to recruit and retain early educators, and a conceptual model to help guide researchers and policymakers.

Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center has several great resources related to paid family and medical leave programs — including a research brief that builds the “business case” for such programs and a summary of the evidence supporting its impact for children, families, and the workforce.

A recent post in the Child & Family Blog summarizes research and real-life examples of supporting Latine children’s ethnic identity and development. The authors note that children who have a strong sense of ethnic identity (connection to their heritage) tend to be healthier. Additionally, the Latine concept of a tight-knit family, known as familismo, has shown to support children’s development. Caregivers can support Latine children by incorporating activities that celebrate their heritage — like making traditional meals and celebrating Latine holidays. Communities can also support Latine children by creating policies and programs that acknowledge and include their ethnic identity.

This edition was written by Jamie O’Leary and Janelle Williamson.

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