In 2024, the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) allocated $85 million in discretionary funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for five competitive grant opportunities to support expansion of licensed child care programs in Ohio.
The five grant types include a start-up grant for new centers; a program expansion grant; a program repairs grant; a grant to support conversion from family child care type B (programs that care for one to six children) to type A (programs that care for seven to 12 children); and a grant to increase a program’s capacity for children with special needs. The amount a center-based program can request ranges from $50,000 to $500,000, depending on the grant type; the amount a family-based program can request ranges from $5,000 to $25,000.
Funds can be used to repair facilities or conduct minor renovations; they can also be spent on salaries or benefits as well as materials and equipment for classroom use. Construction and major renovations are not eligible.
Sources:
Wente, K. B., & Damschroder, M. (n.d.). Child Care Manual Procedure Letter No. 176. Ohio Department of Children & Youth.
Weber, K., Leffler, L., & Schulman, K. (2025). Work in Progress: State Child Care and Early Education Updates 2024. National Women’s Law Center.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
High-quality, affordable early education and care supports children’s healthy development and allows families to work, engage in their own educational pursuits, and/or participate in other aspects of community life. To support children and families in these instrumental ways, research suggests there is a need to expand the availability of early education opportunities across the mixed-delivery system.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Families rely on a range of formal (e.g., Head Start, center-based care, public pre-K) and more informal (e.g., home-based, relative care) early education settings; when choosing a setting for their child, families balance many logistical constraints and personal preferences.
- But for many families – and especially low- and middle-income families – early education choices remain tightly constrained due to issues of affordability and supply.