The Step Up to Quality (SUTQ) Study Committee adopted an "interim" report Wednesday designed to answer some basic questions about the program and publicly funded child care (PFCC) in Ohio. The committee also heard from several regional experts on the challenges facing child care providers and families.

The study committee was formed out of late-stage budget negotiations on the SUTQ program, and is charged with issuing by the end of the year a final report containing recommendations for the quality rating system and for increasing access to child care across the state.

The committee's first two meetings were spent establishing a baseline of understanding of Ohio's current child care system, and the interim report contains much of the information the committee received in those initial meetings, including a history of the SUTQ program and data on the number of families receiving publicly funded child care.

According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in October 2021 116,170 children were authorized to receive publicly funded child care through various state options. A total of 86,489 children actually utilized PFCC that month.

Also in October of last year, ODJFS licensed 6,301 child care programs, including 4,256 that were star-rated under SUTQ. A breakdown of those ratings is as follows:

- One star: 2,349 programs

- Two stars: 208 programs

- Three stars: 644 programs

- Four stars: 329 programs

- Five stars: 726 programs

The report also contains details on various PFCC funding sources, eligibility levels, and the administrative burden of obtaining and maintaining quality ratings.

During the committee's third meeting Wednesday, members heard invited testimony from early childhood professionals and medical professionals who cited research and data and discussed their own personal experiences in the child care industry. The witnesses focused on a few major points, explaining how experiences in early childhood affect brain development -- in both positive and negative ways -- and discussing how consequential the early years of a person's life are for their future success.

Also up for the discussion was the ongoing workforce crisis among child care providers, which the witnesses unanimously agreed was due to years of low wages for strenuous work. Additionally, they discussed the role child care access plays in the labor market, noting parents can't go to work without some type of child care. They also emphasized that children are the "workforce of the future," and said that child care should not be viewed as an expanse, but instead, an investment. Many also noted the high cost of not investing in these services, saying the state is already paying for them on the "back end" in the form of juvenile detention centers and prisons.

Dr. Judy Romano, a clinician in rural Southeast Ohio and past president of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, described how medical advancements and greater knowledge of how young children develop have shaped how pediatricians think about early childhood.

She also told the committee how critical quality child care access is in areas deeply affected by the opioid epidemic, such as her own.

"I live in Belmont County and have taken care of many families suffering from substance use disorders. The challenges these infants and young children face are overwhelming and a good example of how quality services, including child care, are needed for both the parents and the babies. When care is consistent, developmentally appropriate, and emotionally supportive while the environment is healthy and safe, there is a positive effect on children and their families,” she said.

Witnesses who worked in the early childhood education space, such as Katie Kelly with PRE4CLE in Cleveland and Chara Fisher Jackson with Cincinnati Preschool Promise discussed the differences in outcomes for children attending five-star rated facilities versus one-star or unrated facilities. Throughout the meeting, committee Co-Chair Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) emphasized that while the committee wanted to look at quality, they had been charged with focusing on access and availability, potentially even at the low-end of the spectrum.

Robyn Lightcap of Preschool Promise in Montgomery County reacted to this, opening her testimony with a story about her experience with a one-star-rated child care center in which the teacher, who she said was just out of high school, would "bark orders" at the young children and was totally unequipped for her role.

"That is what our low-end of the spectrum promotes is exactly that type of setting, and I guess what I would like to understand is when you say that 'our goal is to create more low-end of the spectrum child care spaces' is that the kind of environment that you're looking to create?" she asked.

Cirino called this a "fair question," and said he wants greater access without sacrificing quality.

Lightcap went on to say that three- to five-star-rated centers are not the "pinnacle" of quality.

"I think sometimes we get this notion that a three- to five-star is like a luxury vehicle. It is not a luxury vehicle. It is what I think should be our baseline," she said.

This point was emphasized by Kelly, who discussed additional quality standards PRE4CLE has in place that go beyond what is required for even five-star facilities.

Committee Co-Chair Rep. Andrea White (R-Kettering) said future meetings will focus on public input and will eventually be focused on discussing single issues within the child care space.

Other presenters included Angel Rhodes of Future Ready Columbus and Kimberly Tice of the Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children. Find the report and all written testimony at www.hannah.com > Important Documents & Notices > Library.