Director Matt Smedo presented the Office of Education’s 2025 operating request and summarized program outcomes for Early Start Columbus, the Hilltop Early Learning Center, after‑school grants and a new middle‑school after‑school collaborative.

Smedo said Early Start Columbus — the office’s early‑learning initiative — served 1,178 children during the 2024–25 school year with support from 42 providers and a fiscal cost of a little over $6 million. He emphasized kindergarten‑readiness assessment (KRA) data: Early Start children outperformed Franklin County and Ohio averages on readiness measures, and Smedo said the office is using mid‑year assessments to identify and intervene earlier for children in the lowest readiness band.

Smedo described the Hilltop Early Learning Center as entering its second year with 11 classrooms serving about 180 children and two new infant/toddler classrooms planned with three providers; Nationwide Children’s Hospital operates an on‑site medical suite, which Smedo said completed 451 primary care appointments and 259 dental treatments over the recent period and allows immediate referral and intervention when screenings show developmental or health needs.

The office reported a restructured after‑school strategy that aims to build a collaborative of middle‑school providers across Franklin County to share data, professional development and evidence of outcomes so the network can attract sustainability funding. Smedo said the summer early‑start expansion served 562 children in the prior summer with 34 providers and thanked council for funding those slots.

Smedo said the office’s 2025 operating budget request is $13.6 million, an increase of 0.84% (about $113,000) from the prior year, with no new funding requests. He framed early learning and after‑school programming as investments in long‑term workforce and economic outcomes, citing research linking high‑quality early education to higher graduation rates, employment and lifetime earnings.