Ohio preschoolers stand to benefit from policies backed by Governor-elect Mike DeWine (R), who campaigned on a platform that included early childhood education as a top priority.

Governor-elect DeWine pledged to invest in elevating the quality of all of Ohio’s publicly funded child care centers and to raise the income eligibility level for publicly funded early childhood programs for working families.

“PRE4CLE is excited about Governor-elect DeWine’s proposed policies,” said Katie Kelly, PRE4CLE Executive Director. “In Cleveland, we’ve seen our children benefit from increased access to high-quality programs, and all Ohio children should have the same opportunities for early learning.”

DeWine told the Vote for Ohio Kids campaign: “High-quality early childhood education is proven to improve long-term outcomes for children. Yet, only 20% of centers are high-quality rated. The DeWine-Husted administration will first invest in elevating all of Ohio’s publicly-funded child care centers to high quality. Second, we will raise the eligibility level for publicly funded early childhood programs for working families from 130% of the federal poverty level to 150% of the federal poverty level, which will expand access to at least 20,000 more children. To accomplish this, the DeWine Husted Administration will invest $150 million over our first biennial budget. Not only will this financial investment help children, but it will also encourage more parental participation in the workforce.”

PRE4CLE is Cleveland’s plan to expand access to high-quality preschool to all 3- and 4-year-olds. Decades of research prove that when children have the opportunity to attend high-quality preschool they are more likely to read on grade level by third grade, four times more likely to graduate from college, and 50 percent more likely to have consistent employment as adults.

Kelly said PRE4CLE looks forward to working with Governor-elect DeWine to bring these solutions to bear across Ohio. “Ohio needs strong leadership for early learning to ensure that we are preparing our children to be successful in school and in life.  Right now, only 40 percent of Ohio’s children are entering kindergarten prepared to succeed.  Governor-elect DeWine laid out a solid plan to dramatically increase that benchmark, and we look forward to partnering with his administration to support quality early education for all of Ohio’s children.”