Groundwork Ohio hosted a Wednesday morning roundtable on early childhood education at the Auglaize County Educational Service Center in Wapakoneta. School, state and provider representatives took part.
Those listed as attending included St. Marys superintendent Bill Ruane and state Sen. Susan Manchester, R-Waynesfield, along with early childhood education providers.
Groundwork Ohio president Lyanne Gutierrez said many advocacy organizations' priorities track their funding or how close they sit to where children live, such as large urban areas, and she called it rewarding to hear from communities elsewhere because state policy applies statewide.
Cost, shared responsibility and the stigma tied to subsidized childcare dominated the conversation. Participants described families that can get government financial help while fostering but not after adoption, and they described a balancing act: staff weighing student loan debt against wages, and parents juggling bills and work shifts that do not match typical daycare schedules.
Deb Zwez, executive director of the United Way of Auglaize County, said people who move quickly through specialized training into jobs and start families early may find no one available to teach their children. Trades programs in schools and their effect on demand came up as well.
A staffer from Jim Jordan's office suggested revitalizing faith-based childcare locally. Ohio awards grants to faith-based childcare organizations; some workers praised churches' efforts while saying those settings often have few qualified staff.
Worker-child ratios drew attention, with providers saying limited childcare access widens the gap. A proposal in August from the Trump administration would raise child-to-worker ratios at federally funded Head Start programs. Attendees said area pediatricians help cover some needs but only part of them.