Advocates press Senate to expand childcare eligibility and fund home‑visiting, preschool readiness programs in HB 96

A coalition of early‑childhood advocates, school‑based health groups and home‑visiting nurses told the Senate Health Committee that HB 96 should expand access to affordable childcare, maintain proposed funding for school‑based health centers, and restore the governor’s requested funding for evidence‑based home visiting (Family Connects Ohio).

Childcare and preschool: Pre For CLE and Future Ready 5 representatives said high‑quality preschool increases kindergarten readiness and third‑grade reading outcomes. Pre For CLE asked senators to restore a proposed expansion of publicly funded childcare initial eligibility to 160 percent of the federal poverty level and to replace $25,000,000 the House removed from child care choice vouchers. Future Ready 5 requested a $2,000,000 amendment to scale a model that assesses early literacy growth and supports coaching to move more children to kindergarten readiness.

School‑based health centers and data hub: Reem Alley (testimony identified the speaker as Rheem Veil) of the Ohio School‑Based Health Alliance supported $20,000,000 in proposed funding for school‑based health centers across the biennium and requested an additional $1,000,000 to build a statewide data hub to measure reach and effectiveness and guide resource allocation.

Home visiting and Help Me Grow: Public health nurses delivering Family Connects home visits told the committee that early in‑home nurse visits reduce emergency visits and postpartum anxiety and provide timely screening for postpartum depression. Emily Hosington, a public‑health nurse and Family Connects pilot site director, urged restoration of the governor’s full funding for Family Connects Ohio so the program can expand to additional local health departments and reduce ER visits.

Why it matters: Witnesses framed these investments as two‑generation strategies: they help parents work and remain employed while supporting children’s development, which advocates said yields long‑term educational and economic benefits.

Ending: Advocates asked the Senate to restore funding levels or add targeted amendments so that statewide expansion of home visiting, school‑based health centers and affordable childcare can proceed as the Legislature finalizes the biennial budget.