Six in 10 Ohio mothers of young children would return to full-time work if they had reliable, affordable child care. But most families struggle to find a quality option in the Buckeye State, according to a new poll released by Groundwork Ohio.
And parents say the problem is getting worse.
Two-thirds of families had trouble accessing high-quality child care in December, up from 56% in February 2023, according to the poll of 800 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.95 percentage points.
Part of the problem is the price: The average annual cost for an infant is $11,438 at a child care center or $8,919 for a home-based provider, according to a review by Policy Matters Ohio, a left-leaning think tank. The numbers are slightly lower for preschoolers, between $8,580 at a center and $7,977 at a home-based provider. That’s in part because the ratio of teachers to children is larger.
Inflation has increased the cost of food, diapers and rent, which hit child care providers. And Ohio has the lowest eligibility level for publicly funded child care in the nation.
The other problem is access: Childcare workers make near minimum wage, which means turnover is often high. And some parents have limited options, especially if they work second- or third-shift.
“We know for a fact that costs have gone up and we hear from our folks in the provider space that their staffing challenges have increased,” said Brittany Boulton, managing director of advocacy and engagement at Groundwork Ohio, which advocates for child care access solutions.
Child care crisis is a workforce crisis, poll says
More and more, businesses view Ohio’s lack of child care as a workforce crisis.
Half of those polled said child care access issues played a role in Ohio’s labor shortages and 86% said increasing access to high-quality, affordable child care would strengthen Ohio’s economy.
That’s because parents without child care options, don’t return to work or they face challenges when they do.
About 87% of parents reported missing at least one day of work because of a lack of child care; 41% had missed at least five days of work, according to the poll.
Republicans, Democrats support spending more on child care
The poll found nearly seven in 10 Ohioans support state funding for child care. About 84% support a child care or child tax credit, a concept that both President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed during the 2024 election.
That support was across partisan lines with 83% of Republicans, 78% of independents and 94% of Democrats backing an Ohio child tax credit, according to the poll.
“In this day and age to see more than three-quarters of independents, Republicans and Democrats agreeing on anything It’s pretty unprecedented,” said Jarrett Lewis, the pollster with Public Opinion Strategies.
Gov. Mike DeWine proposed a $2,500 annual tax deduction for people with kids in 2023, but lawmakers removed it from the final budget. Later, Ohio lawmakers considered an income tax credit for some child care expenses, but that didn’t pass before the end of the year.
Vice President JD Vance, a former Ohio senator, has called for a $5,000 per child tax credit nationwide. The federal credit is currently between $2,000 to $3,600 for qualifying children under age 6 and $3,000 for other qualifying children under age 18.
At the federal level, there is the child and dependent care tax credit, which reduces how much parents owe in taxes by an average of $500 to $600. However, the credit hasn’t been updated since the early 2000s even though child care costs have increased 223% over that time, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C. think tank.
What are some solutions?
Groundwork Ohio highlighted other ways to improve child care in Ohio. They include:
- Increasing eligibility for publicly funded childcare to 200% of the federal poverty level, which is about $64,300 for a family of four. Ohio’s eligibility is currently the lowest in the nation at 145% with some vouchers available at 200%.
- Limiting copays to no more than 7% of a family’s income.
- Improving teacher pay, which is often near minimum wage.
Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
In a rare moment of bipartisanship, both Republicans and Democrats in Ohio are calling for increased investment in child care services. The state currently ranks 30th in the nation for access to quality child care, leaving many families struggling to find affordable and reliable options for their children.
Republicans argue that investing in child care is essential for supporting working families and growing the economy. They believe that by providing better access to child care, more parents will be able to enter the workforce and contribute to the state’s economic prosperity.
Democrats, on the other hand, emphasize the importance of investing in early childhood education as a way to address inequality and give all children a fair start in life. They argue that high-quality child care can help close the achievement gap and improve outcomes for children from low-income families.
Despite their differing reasons for supporting increased funding for child care, both Republicans and Democrats agree that Ohio needs to do more to support working families and ensure that all children have access to high-quality care. As discussions continue, it remains to be seen how the state will address this critical issue.
Tags:
Ohio child care funding, Ohio Republicans, Ohio Democrats, child care spending, Ohio budget, early childhood education, Ohio legislature, bipartisan support, child care advocacy
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