Donna Gibson, owner of a licensed child-care center in Boardman, told the Mahoning County commissioners on Oct. 9 that recent administrative changes and unclear notifications are harming care providers and the families they serve.

Gibson said centers often admit children while parents finalize paperwork because families must start work. She told commissioners that centers used to receive direct notice from county offices when a family's subsidized care eligibility was terminated, but now providers often learn only from parents. "When we call down here, you say we can't discuss it," Gibson said, explaining that confidentiality rules have left providers unaware when a child's subsidy is rejected or terminated. She added that, after the county took responsibility for part of the early-childhood program (ECE) last year, centers experienced repeated application rejections from child- and youth-services staff and lost a grant that had supported their operations.

Gibson asked the board for clearer communication, a path to appeal rejections, and a county contact who can help centers determine a child's status. County staff and a commissioner asked Gibson to provide contact information and confirmed the executive director would follow up after the meeting; the transcript records an instruction to "talk to Eric" and an agreement to coordinate with the executive director.

No formal motion or funding decision was made at the meeting. Commissioners instructed staff to follow up with the commenter and suggested the county will review program intake and notice procedures. Gibson said other child-care providers face the same problems and that the issue affects program stability for children whose parents rely on subsidized care.

Clarifying details from Gibson and the exchange: centers sometimes accept children pending paperwork; providers previously received direct mailed notice about terminations but now often do not; the county recently assumed administration of a program referenced by Gibson as ECE and some centers reported application rejections during the transition; Gibson said there is no clear appeal route for centers that lose grant support due to administrative rejections.

The commissioners did not set a deadline for staff follow-up at the Oct. 9 meeting but acknowledged the need to address provider notification and appeals.