Lawmakers, business groups urge expanded childcare funding, capacity and workforce supports in House Bill 96

Chair White convened an informal hearing on House Bill 96 on budget provisions tied to childcare and early education, where business and nonprofit witnesses and county job and family services officials urged the legislature to expand eligibility and funding for childcare, increase provider payments and invest in the early childhood workforce.

Those who testified said expanding publicly funded childcare and reducing family costs are necessary to return more Ohioans to the workforce and to improve kindergarten readiness. Ohio Chamber of Commerce senior vice president Rick Carfagna told the committee the cost and scarcity of childcare “is robbing our labor force” and urged multi-pronged approaches to affordability, supply and workforce retention.

The hearing included testimony from Nikki Cooper of the Ohio Business Roundtable and Lisa Gray of Ohio Excels, both of whom supported the governor’s proposed increases to childcare eligibility and additional measures in the budget. County Job and Family Services director Roxanne Summerlot described local efforts to stabilize families and connect them with employment, while business…