Policymakers invited child development experts, professionals and parents to the Statehouse Atrium Friday for an Early Childhood Policy Forum seeking input on areas of need in the sphere of publicly funded child care and early childhood education.

Organized by members of the Legislative Children’s Caucus and attended by Reps. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville), the forum featured speakers as well as policy panels that allowed interested parties to engage with legislative staff in roundtable discussions.

Russo told Hannah News she hopes to develop legislation incorporating evidence-based strategies and best practices drawn from the day’s conversations.

“We’ve talked a lot about that within the Children’s Caucus. … Learning from the experts what is impactful, what needs to be done, what are the opportunities and then creating legislation. So my hope is, within the next two months, being able to roll out legislation that directly impacts this issue,” Russo said.

A key focus of the event’s speakers was on the science of brain development in early childhood. Laura Justice, executive director of the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research at Ohio State University, told the audience that 90 percent of the brain is developed by age five, and 70 percent of the brain is developed by age three. She emphasized that a child’s “neural plasticity” is highest in the very early years of brain development, when neuronal connections are being formed that lay the foundation for how a child perceives the world.

Justice said a child’s brain development is “experience-driven,” and a high number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in early life can lead to poor outcomes in a number of different areas, including worse educational outcomes, higher risks of developing mental health issues and higher rates of involvement with the criminal justice system.

“This is why we invest from birth to five: because this is most robust, powerful time of brain development,” Justice said.

She later added that positive early stimulation for children should include four main components: attentive, sensitive caregivers; opportunities for play and creativity; exposure to skilled peers; and engagement in intentional teaching of early language and social-emotional skills.

Parents living in poverty may not have the time or resources to provide all of these, she said, so public supports can help fill the gap of positive stimulation for poorer kids.

Also speaking at the event was LeeAnne Cornyn, Gov. Mike DeWine’s director of children’s initiatives, who said children who lack enriching experiences begin life “behind the starting line.”

“Gov. DeWine often says kids only have one chance to grow up, and we’re all aware of the brain science,” Cornyn said.

She touted the Legislature’s investment in early childhood education in this year’s biennial budget, saying public funds are being driven towards improving child care centers and rating them in the state’s Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) system. In addition, funds are being used to provide supplemental income to retain qualified staff at those centers. She said the number of child care centers participating in the SUTQ rating and improvement system has “nearly doubled” in the past 10 months.

Beyond the SUTQ system, Cornyn said future investments could include high quality prenatal care, home visiting systems and additional funds in early childhood mental health consultation programs.

Though Russo said this year’s investment was a positive start, more needs to be done.

“First and foremost, we have to expand the amount of resources we’re putting into publicly funded child care. The reality is it’s simply not enough. Even with the investment we made this General Assembly, it is not enough. It starts there. … And also we need to think about where the highest areas of need are. Here we are in Franklin County talking about this, and we have different resources in Franklin County than we do in some of our rural areas where we’re really focused less on center-based care and more on home-based care. So, how can we address those quality and cost issues as well?”

She continued, “I think the greatest challenge is really understanding the true cost of quality child care and early childhood education, and also making sure that it’s a priority.”

Given the research on early brain development indicates a high return-on-investment, Russo said there is strong bipartisan support for funding early child care and education “in concept,” but actually getting those funds is still a hurdle.

“Having new members of the General Assembly, and – I don’t want to stereotype – but also having more women in the General Assembly, I think making issues like child care a higher priority than they have been in the past is going to happen, because many of us are in the middle of experiencing those issues ourselves or we’ve recently experienced those issues. I think it’s a matter of making sure it’s a priority and making sure it’s at the forefront of the conversation.”