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Invest in Children says proposed cuts will affect UPK and early‑childhood services; workforce shortages persist
Summary
Invest in Children told council that proposed cuts were made strategically to protect the early‑childhood service continuum but that 12 of 14 contracts would see reductions. The office cited workforce shortages, UPK underspending and plans to reconvene a Partnership Council to strengthen the system.
Invest in Children — the county office that coordinates early‑childhood programs — told county council on Oct. 28 that proposed 2026 budget reductions were allocated to protect the overall continuum but would reduce funding in most contracts.
Alyssa Swiatek, interim director, said Invest in Children has about 10 full‑time staff and that 4 of those positions are new in the last two years. She said the majority of Invest in Children’s budget is contracted to lead partner agencies delivering services from prenatal support through kindergarten. "These difficult cuts proposed have been made strategically across our contracted programs to protect the continuum of early childhood supports with limited resources," Swiatek said.
The nut graf: the office proposed an 11% cut to the universal pre‑kindergarten (UPK) contract cycle based on underspending and enrollment uncertainty in new UPK sites; overall, 12 of 14 Invest in Children contracts would see proposed reductions. Swiatek said workforce shortages across early‑childhood programs persist after the pandemic, affecting availability of seats and home‑visiting capacity.
Swiatek highlighted a planned reconvening of Invest in Children’s Partnership Council, a multi‑sector body last convened before 2020, to coordinate public and private partners on workforce and system strategy. She also described a three‑year infant and early‑childhood mental‑health workforce implementation plan underway with the Center for Community Solutions and the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio.
Ending: Invest in Children said it will work with lead partners to identify efficiencies and safeguard direct services to families; council did not adopt changes during the hearing but will consider them as part of the budget process.
