Posts filed under ‘Public Policy’
The Democratic Process – Hearing from the People
Two nights ago I spent more than three hours at a public hearing for the City of Cincinnati’s 2010 budget. The Council has an impossible task on its hands – cut $51 million from an already tight budget. Well over 100 citizens spoke about a wide variety of City services. The folks dressed in green to support recycling and environmental issues were the most visible. The parents with their children with special needs advocating to retain therapeutic recreation programs were the most moving.
I was there to support human services: homeless shelters, services for victims of domestic violence, food for those who cannot afford food this holiday season or any season, and of course child care so that working parents can get and keep jobs.
What struck me on Tuesday was how respectful the members of Council were. They sat through testimony which was, at turns, boring, thoughtful, repetitive, moving, rude and respectful right back. While our current Council is extremely divided (four of the nine members are declining to participate in the negotiations) at least most of the members seemed to believe in the value of hearing from citizens.
I wish them the best in getting to a balanced budget with the least harm to the City. I also wish that they will fund human services at a time that people are most in need.
Anywhere and Anytime
Ohio’s Center for Community Solutions has a terrific workshop about state tax and budget policy, and the impact on human services, education and health care. The workshop was given in Cincinnati yesterday. After hearing all the dreary news about our structural problems, we are given three rules for advocating:
- Relationships matter – don’t wait until you need something to begin,
- ID your targets – determine who the decision-makers are and where they sit on the issue, and
- Be prepared – be ready with your points anywhere and anytime.
Here’s my story to illustrate the importance of that last point. Most mornings on the way to work, I stop at the nearby UDF to get my mega-decaf coffee (what can I say?) One morning during the height of the budgeting process, I ran into Senator Eric Kearney in the UDF, at the end of his morning run, dressed in his sweats. Right then and there, we had a chance to talk about the major changes impacting families and child care. He asked me to follow up with a meeting, where we could get more specific about what he could do to help.
Later that same day, as I was getting gas, at the pump opposite me, was state Representative Tyrone Yates. And of course, we had the same conversation – “here are the main state budget issues related to early care and education – and here’s where I need your help.” I knew he did not sit on any of the key committees, but he is thoughtful, wise and caring, and it would not hurt to bend his ear a bit. Eventually bills come to the House or Senate floor so every advocate helps.
No matter where we live – big city or small town – state legislators live and work there too. The chances of chance encounters are high, and if you are prepared with you issues, and have done a bit of homework on your legislators (at least to know what they look like!) you’ll be ready.
The photo is of 4C staffers Annetta Rutland, Stephannie Kennedy and Janet Keller en route to Columbus for an advocacy day.
Child Care Licensing Dead in Cincinnati – for Now
For 41 years the City of Cincinnati has licensed child care centers. The City adopted regulations long before the State of Ohio began its oversight function, and City leaders regularly renewed their commitment to higher standards – particularly when it came to class size.
Effective October 31, 2009, the City regulations are off the books, and inspections have ended. The reason is, like so much in this time of economic strain, the City cannot afford to subsidize this protection for children. A second concern is that state law does not “give permission” to localities to create child care regulations. This has been the case for the full 41 years, but with this legal opinion, combined with budget constraints, the regulations were doomed.
4C has convened a group of child care providers and advocates to determine if the child protections are salvageable. Our first step will be to get language in the state law that permits cities to have regulations which exceed the state’s. Such language currently exists for nursing homes, and we hope to mirror that language. If we succeed in this first step , we will then propose a plan in which fees cover all expenses. I’ll keep blogging on this issue, so stay tuned.
The Devil is in the Details
A number of highly dedicated early childhood professionals are hard at work designing Ohio’s new Center for Early Childhood Development. This far-reaching endeavor is designed to create a single administrative structure with the authority and responsibility to implement and coordinate state funded or administered early childhood programs and services for children prenatally until entry into kindergarten. See the Build Ohio website for more information. www.build-ohio.org
This planning is based on Governor Ted Strickland vision stated in his 2009 State of the State Address: “To better serve our youngest learners and help them thrive in school and in life, we will unite all of our early childhood development programs and resources into the Department of Education. This comprehensive early childhood system will focus on the whole child and provide quality early learning and care while improving our efficiency and effectiveness.”
It sounds ideal – and even more important now that the state is struggling with drastic reductions in funding to important efforts like early childhood. But the devil is in the details. Early Childhood leaders enter this effort with distrust all around. This distrust is borne out of years of the different departments (Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Ohio Department of Education, in particular) establishing programs and services which they truly believe are in the very best interest of children. To this end Ohio has two sets of licensing procedures and standards, two entirely different professional development standards and infrastructures, two different approaches to higher education.
The two departments start from entirely different places. ODE is focused on education regardless of a family’s work status or income. And the underlying purpose of ODJFS to ensure quality settings for children whose parents work in low-wage jobs. On the personal level (for don’t most things come down to the personal level), there is a long history of personnel from one department showing disrespect and misunderstanding toward the others’ systems and goals.
The plan is to join staff from education, health, mental health, family support, special needs and early intervention under one roof, and one leadership – and to create a great team on a playing field which, prior to this consolidation, was (is) littered with silos. I’m rooting for a winner, where children and families can be better served with fewer resources, and I hope that Ohio can create a model for other states. However, there is a long way to go, and it is going to take respect and compromise that has yet to surface.
I think, however, that it can be done. I’m rooting for the team – and for the children.
City Child Care Licensing Round II
A few weeks ago I wrote about the value of Cincinnati’s child care licensing law – and a proposal to preserve only a few of the provisions. I testified before the Board of Health and followed up with letters to the Commissioner, the Chairman and two City elected officials. Last night the Board of Health met again and eliminated the entire ordinance without a word about alternative plans. The ordinance is officially dead and gone after 41 years of protecting children.`
HOWEVER, I am pushing hard for a task force to consider our proposal to have child-to-staff ratios and square footage re-introduced. Among some former supporters of the City law there is some ambivalence because of the tough economic situation and because there are some flaws in the law as it was. However, those same (former) supporters have expressed a desire to restore the best of the law. While I haven’t heard back from anyone at the Health Department, I approached their public information officer last evening at the meeting and learned that Commissioner Noble Maseru has referred the issue to their attorney. We know from past experience that the attorney will warn against licensing, but we have had it for more than 40 years with no law suits or even threats, so I’m not buying that as a barrier. As you can see, there is still fight in me for this – particularly for the infant ratios!
Loss of the City standards adds an extra burden on our community’s voluntary efforts to increase school readiness. I hope you will join 4C in the effort to restore some of the standards. If you know anyone at the Board of Health or the Mayor, you might make a call!
Two federal bills that might help
I’m often asked if there is anything new coming out of Congress that will advance early care and education. With all the drastic state cuts, early childhood advocates are looking for ways to fill the budget gaps and sustain the gains of recent years. The stimulus bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – ARRA) has already provided some relief – expansion of Head Start and early Head Start, for example, and general funding for states. Ohio has plugged a big child care budget shortfall with these temporary funds, and there is a lot of anxiety about what will happen when those dollars run out.
There are currently many bills wending their way through the system in Washington. Most of these are unlikely to ever see the light of day, but there are two that could find their way to Ohio and Kentucky. The first is called Race to the Top, and it is part of ARRA. This is a competitive grant program to reward states (and their local school districts) for education reform that increases student achievement. And of course, having children ready for kindergarten is a critical component. We hope Ohio and Kentucky are among the recipients of this $4.3 billion fund.
The second is called the Early Learning Challenge Grant and is part of HR 3221 – the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. This legislation is specifically designed to increase the number of children from low-income families enrolled in high-quality early learning settings, and to improve school readiness for all children. This also would be a competitive grant for which our Oho and Kentucky would have to apply. The proposed amount is $1 billion per year for seven years. Ohio is already positioning itself to be one of the selected states.
We will be tracking the progress of this legislation, and I’ll let you know what happens.
Save City Child Care Licensing…Again
Last night I had the opportunity to testify before the Cincinnati Board of Health about the City’s Child Care Licensing Ordinance. The City has regulated child care centers since 1968 and is now proposing to eliminate this protection for children. You might be surprised to know that I support this proposal…up to a point.
Much of the City’s regulation duplicates the State of Ohio’s regulation, and in this era of severe budget cuts, it is hard to justify any duplication at all. Yet, there are three provisions very much worth retaining in order to protect children, align with community goals of school readiness and distinguish Cincinnati by having us closer to national quality goals. Those standards are:
- Room size – The City requires that for each infant there are 50 square feet to allow for cribs, high chairs, rockers and floor space for children to crawl and walk. The state only requires 35 square feet.
- Adult-to-Child Ratio – The City requires one adult for four infants while the state permits two adults to care for 12 infants (1:4 vs. 1:6).
- Group Size – Since the City’s adult-to-child ratios are lower, the total number of children permitted in a classroom is also lower.
The City license is expensive for the 105 programs that are currently licensed ($8 per child per year), so any effort to save them money would be important as well. A coalition of child care center operators and supporters propose that the City eliminate the current ordinance and replace it with a much streamlined approach, to include only room size, ratio and group size. This plan has the benefits of:
- Continuing the basic standards for young children in care.
- Eliminating a staff position at the Health Department by transferring room size verification to the Building Department and allowing a desk review of staffing plans.
- Saving the high cost of licensing for City businesses by significantly reducing the licensing fee.
- Ensuring that all duplication between City and state licensing is eliminated. Anyone care to join in this effort to protect kids and improve efficiency at the same time? We need to influence the members of the Board of Health and the members of Cincinnati City Council. Let me know!
