A state-wide advocacy group working to improve the well-being of young children for the future of Ohio is making a stop in Lima.
LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A state-wide advocacy group working to improve the well-being of young children for the future of Ohio is making a stop in Lima.
They have been gathering input from community leaders and those professionals who provide care for children from birth to 5 years of age.
It was the 14th and last stop for Groundwork Ohio this summer in their Roadshow Listening Tour. They have been gathering input from community leaders and those professionals who provide care for children from birth to 5 years of age. Mayor Sharetta Smith and Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn were on hand to share their concerns about poverty and early childhood education.
Groundwork officials say they have heard a variety of concerns around the state, with one standing out.
Mayor Sharetta Smith and Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn were on hand to share their concerns about poverty and early childhood education.
"One of the primary barriers we've talked a lot about across the state is access to childcare. Our state and nation is in a childcare crisis, and so understanding hard-working families wanting to get back to work and be able to provide for their families and not having access to quality childcare that's affordable for them and meets their needs is a number learning for us," explained Lynanne Gutierrez, president and CEO of Groundwork Ohio.
Access to health care and preventing infant and maternal mortality along with quality early childhood education were also major concerns. Their job now is to go through all the information they gathered, develop a policy agenda, and present it in hopes of funding through the governor's executive budget in 2025.
