Low wages. Lack of access. Skyrocketing costs. All of these contribute to what has become a child care crisis. Not just in Ohio, but nationwide. Since June, our solutions series, It Takes A Village, has chronicled the stories of parents, child care providers, and educators who are grappling with the realities of child care and […]
Solutions
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Ohio PROMISE helps child care providers open doors for children with special needs
MANSFIELD — When a child struggles to speak, it can cause them to grow restless and frustrated when they’re unable to communicate their needs. Situations like that are common in preschool settings, but at Madison Early Childhood Learning Center, staff are learning new strategies to help children express themselves. “We have posters up with sign […]
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Could high school students help the child care workforce shortage?
In 2024, 58 percent of Ohio child care programs faced staffing shortages, according to Groundwork Ohio, a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization.
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Foundations Community Childcare: How one nonprofit addressed affordable child care needs for its residents
ASHLAND — Nearly a year and a half after Foundations Community Childcare opened its doors, staff cut the ribbon on a brand new outdoor playground. The playground was paid for using a $300,000 federal Transportation, Housing and Urban Development grant. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, parents and community stakeholders ogled at the sandy areas decorated with […]
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Do unto others: Why one Knox County church is getting into the child care business
MOUNT VERNON — Since 1887, the Salvation Army has worked to meet the needs of the community in Mount Vernon. Their latest effort to do so? Launching a new, $6.2 million child care facility. The Learning Lighthouse is a 13,270-square-foot facility is set to open in January. Located on Howard Street, it takes up a […]
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Here’s how Kentucky is tackling the issue of child care worker turnover
Berea, KY — For years, Christy Johnson spent almost her entire paycheck on child care. Johnson is a preschool teacher at the Child Development Lab, a child care center that’s part of the Child and Family Studies program at Berea College in Kentucky. She and her husband have three children. Their youngest son attends the […]
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Ohio lawmakers introduce bill to make child care free for child care workers
In 2024, 58 percent of Ohio child care programs reported severe staffing shortages, according to Groundwork Ohio.
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Rewarding, exhausting: Stay-at-home parents reflect on the realities of care
MANSFIELD — There was a time when Tiffany Montgomery never dreamed she’d be a stay-at-home mom. It’s what her mother and grandmother had done, but it wasn’t what she envisioned for herself. “I never really saw the value of what my mom was doing until years and years later,” Montgomery said. “I kind of looked down […]
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Build a Better Village: Source Media event creates space for community, connection
MANSFIELD — Misty Brackett brought her 5-year-old granddaughter to Buckeye Imagination Museum in hopes of finding some information on child care. “She just turned 5 in October, so she misses that cut-off for kindergarten, but she’s too big for some preschools,” said Brackett, who is raising her granddaughter as a kinship caregiver. “While I’d like to […]
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Prison Opossums: How Richland Correctional Institution is rehabilitating animals and incarcerated persons
Editor’s note: Incarcerated persons’ full names will not be used to protect them and any individuals who may have been impacted by their crimes. MANSFIELD — Richland Correctional Institution is home to roughly 2,500 incarcerated persons and, at times, dozens of squirrels and opossums. Beyond the gray walls topped with barbed wire, there’s a courtyard […]