PRE4CLE, a Cleveland initiative to boost high-quality preschool, is raising concerns about last-minute changes approved to an appropriations bill Wednesday night in the lame-duck session of the legislature, arguing it will undermine Ohio’s childcare system.
PRE4CLE Executive Director Katie Kelly said the amendment to HB 45 removes important accountability measures for some preschool locations, removing them from needing to participate in a state rating program called Step Up to Quality.
The amendment – added by Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman - also removes incentives previously put in place for preschools to score well on that systems, Kelly says.
"In addition to this being the wrong direction for the system overall, it's also coming at a time when we have a system that is already experiencing a severe level of disruption because of COVID-19, the severe displacement of a childcare and early learning workforce, and children who have missed out on years of opportunity to participate in that system,” Kelly said.
High-quality preschool programs often have trained teachers and research-based curriculum that make a big difference for child development and kindergarten readiness, she said. And research shows those programs have a significant impact on literacy rates, which are stubbornly low in Ohio’s big urban school districts like Cleveland and Akron.
The changes as approved by the legislature do the following things, according to a release from PRE4CLE.
- Exempt child-care programs from the Step Up To Quality ratings program if 25% or less of their students are receiving a child-care subsidy from the state.
- Exempt home-based child-care providers from participating in the program.
- Remove the requirement that programs need to maintain their quality rating to maintain their state reimbursement rate.
Kelly says that last provision is an important one.
“Currently, providers are rewarded for achieving higher levels of quality and also reimbursed more for their quality because it costs more to have trained teachers and lower teacher-child ratios and all the things we know make such a big difference for children,” she said.
The Step Up to Quality rating system essentially allows parents to identify good preschool programs for their children, and the standard is based on national research that backs up what a good curriculum should look like, according to the rating system's website.
She says she hopes Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Legislature revisit the changes when they look to work on the state budget for next year.
The appropriations bill does release almost $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to Ohio’s childcare system, which Kelly said is desperately needed. The bill still needs to be signed by the governor.
