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Department of Children and Youth highlights infant-vitality, childcare expansion and wellness campuses
Summary
Department of Children and Youth Director Carol Wendt told the Senate Finance Committee the agency's priorities are reducing infant mortality, expanding access to affordable childcare and keeping children safely at home.
Carol Wendt, director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY), told the Senate Finance Committee the agency's work is guided by three goals: reduce infant mortality, expand access to affordable, quality childcare to improve kindergarten readiness, and keep more children safely at home.
"Remember that behind every policy is a person," Wendt said, urging the committee to view data and budgets through the lived experience of families. Wendt said the agency has consolidated programs from five prior agencies and is focusing on efficiency: staff were reduced from 674 positions to about 600 and central intake was expanded from birth-to-3 to birth-to-5 to help families identify services earlier.
Wendt cited preliminary 2024 data showing Ohio's…
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