COLUMBUS – Parents of Ohio’s 2.6 million children say they’re concerned about the childcare crisis, mental health and gun violence, among other issues, and that has prompted two nonprofits to create a Parent Advisory Board aimed at helping parents play a more active role in shaping policy changes for families.
“One of the things that the group is working on right now is advocating for the Child Tax Credit here in Ohio. It’s those ‘kitchen table issues’ that affect all families,” said Kelly Vyzral, with Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, which has joined forces with the Central Ohio Parent Leadership Training Institute to create a 20-week Parent Leadership Training program based in Central Ohio.
The first participants have graduated from the program and the board hopes to expand across the state, Vyzral said.
Board member Ugochi Akoi says she’s had many conversations with moms who’ve had to leave jobs due to lack of affordable childcare, and says the state needs better to policies in place to support families.
“Universal preschool, the ability for our kids to have free schooling, a full-day preschool opportunity, which now enables a parent to be able to join the workforce,” she said.
According to a 2022 Stanford Center on Early Childhood survey, around 39% of women with small children said they’ve quit or reduced their hours on the job since the pandemic.
Moms continue to log fewer work hours than non-parents, according to federal data, and research from the Pew Research Center shows four in 10 U.S. parents say they are “extremely or very worried” that their kids or teens are struggling with serious mental health issues.