Ohio

Overview

During the 2021-2022 school year, Ohio preschool enrolled 16,732 children, an increase of 1,680 from the prior year, as the program began to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. State spending totaled $66,928,000, up $1,722,262 (3%), adjusted for inflation since last year. State spending per child equaled $4,000 in 2021-2022, down $332 from 2020-2021, adjusted for inflation. Ohio met 5 of 10 quality standards benchmarks.

What's New

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) received a three-year, $16 million per year ($48 million total) Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B–5) renewal grant in December of 2022 to support and increase access to quality early childhood care and education. ODJFS is partnering with the Ohio Departments of Education; Health; Mental Health and Addiction Services; Medicaid; and Developmental Disabilities to administer the grant programs which will focus on: 

1. Increasing access and family engagement in early childhood care and education. 
2. Expanding of child care for those with special needs, English language learners, and those experiencing homelessness. 
3. Exploring long-term and sustainable local, state, and federal funding options for early childhood education programs. 
4. Expanding marketing and outreach to increase family awareness of their potential eligibility and access to child care options. 
5. Preparing early childhood care and education professionals with culturally appropriate trauma training, credentialing, and parent supports.
6. Making sure family members and other caretakers are key partners in grant activities, policy development, and new initiatives.

Background

The Ohio Public Preschool Program (PSP), established in 1990 following a four-year pilot program, strives to ensure children have access to quality programs through public preschool and publicly funded childcare. All types of programs have access to both public preschool and childcare funds. This report focuses on the Ohio Department of Education’s publicly funded Early Childhood Education (ECE) program, excluding publicly funded childcare and Head Start programs. Beginning in 2016-2017, grantees focused on serving as many 4-year-old children as possible, with a new policy that allowed 3-year-old children eligibility when spots were not filled by 4-year-old children by October 1. 

Ohio is operating its publicly funded programs under common program and child standards. All Ohio ECE programs are required to be rated at 3 or more stars on the state’s quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). 

Program sites are monitored annually for quality via desk audits, internal monitoring materials, proposal of plans, and documentation, along with annual licensing visits, classroom observations, and child assessments. Ohio began using an expanded tiered QRIS in 2013-2014 for all state programs, including public preschool and childcare programs. Programs are required to submit annual documentation of meeting or exceeding standards, including annual classroom observations of quality and regular on-site visits.

Ohio Early Childhood Education

Access

Some Head Start children may also be counted in state pre-K. Estimates children in special education not also enrolled in state pre-K or Head Start.
Total state pre-K enrollment	16,732
School districts that offer state program	57%
Income requirement	200% FPL
Minimum hours of operation	2.5 hours/day
Operating schedule	School or academic year
Special education enrollment, ages 3 and 4	15,168
Federally funded Head Start enrollment, ages 3 and 4	26,972
State-funded Head Start enrollment, ages 3 and 4	0

Resources

Pre-K programs may receive additional funds from federal or local sources that are not included in this figure. K–12 expenditures include capital spending as well as current operating expenditures. Head Start per-child spending includes funding only for 3- and 4-year-olds.