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Tag: Ohio Organizing Collaborative

Ohio Child Care Providers and Parents Secure Major Changes to the Child Care & the Development Block Grant

Posted on

For Immediate Release

March 5, 2024

COLUMBUS – Ohio families can breathe a little easier thanks to the hard work of several child care providers and parents affiliated with The CEO Project, a division of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. The group submitted testimony in August 2023 on proposed rule changes to the Child Care & the Development Block Grant and outlined ways the federal government could better support children, families and child care providers. On Friday, March 1, the federal Office of Child Care responded to the testimony and granted many of the things the child care providers from Ohio sought.

The Office of Child Care specifically wanted input from child care providers in Ohio, Georgia and Colorado about the impact of proposed changes on parents and providers. The CEO Project convened 12 leaders from cities such as Cincinnati, Columbus, Lima and Youngstown for input; 5 of them shared testimony with federal officials. They also urged child care advocacy organizations in Minnesota and other places to also submit testimony.

As a result of their advocacy, the Office of Child Care agreed to:

  • Ensure equal access to child care by limiting copayment to 7%. (§ 98.45)
  • Structure payment based on enrollment not attendance. Rather than require it outright, there is qualifying language “to the extent possible” but it is a step forward. (§ 98.15)
  • Increase parental choice via the use of contracts and grants. (§ 98.30)
  • Assume presumptive eligibility for 3 months prior to establishing eligibility. At a Lead Agency’s option, a child may be considered presumptively eligible for up to three months and begin to receive child care subsidy prior to full documentation and eligibility determination.

“Every child care worker knows what its like to care for a child, only to find out months later that the parent is not eligible for subsidized care, and the provider therefore doesn’t get paid. This isn’t right and the new rule change will give the state time to determine eligibility and will help ensure providers are not working for free,” said Tamara Lunan, director of The CEO Project.

“These changes are a major win for Ohio children and families, and could not have happened without the courage of parents and providers with The CEO Project,” Lunan added. “The CEO Project is the first ever grassroots effort led by women of color childcare providers in Ohio organizing for structural change to the childcare system. In July 2023, we urged our network of child care leaders with The CEO Project and our national partners to collect comments from other providers and parents about the proposed changes. We then submitted those comments for consideration to federal officials. We wanted to highlight the true impact of the rule changes on ordinary child care providers and parents who desperately need accessible early childhood education and care. This work is the direct result of childcare providers reclaiming their power and fighting for their communities.”

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In his 2023 State of the Union Address, Advocates Want to Hear How President Biden Will Expand Voting Rights, Address Unfair and Inequitable Redistricting Maps

Posted on

For Immediate Release

Feb. 7, 2023

WASHINGTON – On the eve of President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address, advocates from Ohio, Florida, and Louisiana hope Biden will announce plans to strengthen the right to vote, and the ability of Black and brown people to elect candidates of choice. The advocates released the following statement:

“The recent attempts to restrict voting rights in America are a threat to the very foundation of our democracy,” said Anneshia Hardy, executive director of Alabama Values Progress. “Voting is a critical component of a functioning democracy, and any attempt to restrict access to it is a direct attack on the principles of equality and representation. These restrictions take many forms, such as racial gerrymandering, strict voter identification laws, purges of voter rolls, and limiting early voting. Each of these tactics disproportionately impact communities of color, elderly people, and low-income voters. In Alabama and Louisiana,  communities are fighting for fair maps and equitable representations for black voters in Milligan v Merrill and Ardoin v Robinson. It’s not enough to have the right to vote, every vote should carry equal power. The right to vote is a fundamental part of what it means to be an American. Let us not surrender it without a fight. Advocates across the country are calling on the Biden Administration to put forth and promote policies that protect and uphold voting rights, particularly for communities that have  been historically  impacted by unfair maps and discriminatory practices.”

“People across the country are hurting and Black Americans especially want President Biden to continue investing in communities of color and implementing policies that help the average person get ahead,” said Prentiss Haney, co-director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. “In Ohio, where I live, it is increasingly difficult for Black and brown people to vote, have their votes counted and elect candidates of choice. We need President Biden to continue fighting for communities like ours.”

“President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union comes at a time when Floridians are experiencing intense attack by a governor intent on discrediting, diminishing and denying people who look differently from him,” said Jasmine Burney-Clark, president of Equal Ground in Florida. “From his efforts to erase Black history, restrict discussions of race, to his campaign to make it harder for Floridians to vote, Florida is at ground zero when it comes to the attacks leveled against Black and brown people. It is imperative that President Biden continue using his authority to help not only communities in Florida, but the nation.”

“We have several major cases at the Supreme Court – including Alabama and North Carolina – that will determine Black voters’ abilities to elect candidates of choice,” said Ashley K. Shelton, president and founder of the Power Coalition in Louisiana. “We also have pending lawsuits – such as the Power Coalition’s challenge to Louisiana’s redistricting maps, which will impact Louisiana’s case once it goes to the Supreme Court. In this moment, advocates need to hear how the Biden administration will protect voting rights, not just for voters of today, but for future generations. Everything that we hold dear can be taken away without better protections, including laws that restrict gerrymandered and racially discriminatory legislative maps which is why we must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.”

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