A $220,000 donation is keeping the West Ohio Community Action Partnership’s (WOCAP) Head Start programs open temporarily after the government shutdown halted funding.

August 19, 2024, Press Release from the Findlay YMCA: FINDLAY, Ohio – Can we build it? YES, WE WILL! To celebrate the start of construction on our state-of-the-art Early Learning Center (ELC), the Findlay Family YMCA will host a public groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. The 10 a.m. event will take place on the greenspace behind the Downtown Branch at 300 E. Lincoln St. Some of the Y’s youngest members will don hard hats and turn dirt alongside YMCA employees, elected officials, and other community leaders in anticipation of much-needed additional and affordable facility and educational offerings to serve the region’s youth. The ELC represents the first phase of a transformative two-phase Stronger Together Capital Campaign centered on community partnerships, growth, and enhanced well-being. The $10 million, 20,500-square-foot center is expected to open by early fall, 2025. This project will be followed by Phase II, which will feature a reconstructed downtown branch for enhanced health, wellness, and gathering/learning spaces, along with East Branch enhancements.

Teaching children healthy lifestyle choices early in life will help them as they grow. That is Activate Allen County's goal as they start the "Activate Child Care Challenge." They are looking for licensed childcare providers to apply for up to a $1,000 grant to help them make their environment healthier. They will be asked to do an assessment and develop an improvement plan along with a budget to make improvements.

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. 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.

The City of Lima will be hosting a regional roundtable event focusing on early childhood education and development. Groundwork Ohio, a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization, will be in town next week for a "Roadshow Listening Tour" at the Lima Public Library. Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith and Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn will be hosting the event, where they want to hear from daycare providers, parents, and anyone who is involved in the early development of children from birth to 5 years of age.

Mercy Health recognize the Perry family for their impact on the community and on St. Ritas.

Ohio Means Jobs Allen County offered an informational session on Thursday to people interested in becoming licensed child care providers. Over the past few years, the demand for child care has increased, while the number of available child care centers has declined.

This program helps people become licensed to provide child care from their own homes so they can make an income and still be at home with their own children. If approved, they would also be able to set their own work schedules. The goal is to fill gaps in the times of the day that people aren't able to find child care services. 

At her weekly briefing, Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith stated that she has given the okay to bring the police department up to full strength at 84 officers. They are looking to hire 9 more officers. The recent gun violence has taken a life and left two others injured. One being a 10-year-old girl whom the mayor says showed great bravery.

It is aimed at supporting healthy behaviors in local childcare facilities. They are looking to give out six $500 grants to agencies that want to make changes to become more active and healthier for their small clients. To apply you need to provide an improvement plan and how you will implement it along with a self-assessment.

At the St. Marys K9-to-5 Doggy Day care, they believe that everything is better with a dog. That’s why they have started the “Anything is Pawsible” program, where they raise and train dogs to be service animals for those who don’t have the means to do it themselves.