COLUMBUS — Child care workers are among Ohio’s lowest paid professionals.
This is despite working jobs that are physically and emotionally demanding in a field crucial to the state’s economy and the well-being of families.
It’s no surprise, then, that employee retention remains a challenge.
In 2024, 58 percent of Ohio child care programs faced staffing shortages, according to Groundwork Ohio — a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization.
The impacts of child care challenges are directly or indirectly felt by nearly everyone — even by lawmakers in the Ohio Statehouse, who recently introduced a bill that could bolster the child care workforce.
House Bill 484 was introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives on Sept. 29. It was referred to the Children and Human Services Committee two days later.
The bill would require the Department of Children and Youth “to establish the Workforce Investment Now (WIN) for Child Care pilot program to provide publicly-funded child care to child care staff members, regardless of family income,” to operate during fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
This would include employees of child care centers, type A family child care homes and licensed type B family child care homes primarily responsible for the care and supervision of children, according to a summary of HB 484 done by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission.
It would exclude employees of approved child day camps and administrators, authorized representatives or owners of child care facilities.
Publicly-funded child care is currently available to families in which parents are working or in school if their household income falls below a certain level — 145 percent of the federal poverty level for new enrollees, with a sliding scale up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
Under HB 484, county departments of job and family services would be required to exclude all of a family’s income in determining eligibility if an applicant demonstrates the child’s caretaker parent is a child care staff member who works a minimum of 20 hours per week.
Within six months of the WIN for Child Care pilot program’s conclusion, the bill requires the Department of Children and Youth “must complete a report on the information collected and findings from the pilot program” and submit it to the governor and General Assembly.
Below is an analysis of HB 484 from the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. It is also available to view on the Ohio House of Representatives website.
HB 484 would appropriate $20 million to pilot program
In total, HB 484 would appropriate $20 million in fiscal year 2026 towards the pilot program. Any amount left over after FY 2026 would be reappropriated for FY 2027, according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission.
HB 484 received proponent testimony before the House Children and Human Services Committee on Tuesday.
Heather Smith, a work and wages researcher at Policy Matters Ohio, was one of several who shared testimony. She said many child care providers operate on “razor thin margins, unable to pay the wages needed to attract and retain qualified staff.”
“While early childhood educator wages still trail the median, the WIN program can increase the desirability of these crucial jobs without putting providers out of business,” Smith said.
The $20 million investment included in HB 484 could create up to 20,000 new child care slots across the state by attracting or retaining 1,500 providers to remain in or join the child care sector, according to an analysis by Policy Matters Ohio.
“Those jobs will generate tax revenue for the state and thousands of additional child care slots for working families,” she said.
Lynanne Gutierrez, president and CEO of Groundwork Ohio, said the pilot program would create “a support structure for an industry whose workers struggle to afford their own child care costs. ”
“When child care staff can afford care for their own children, they’re more likely to stay in the field — reducing turnover, strengthening program quality, and ensuring more Ohio families have access to consistent, high-quality care,” Gutierrez said during her testimony.
While voicing her support, Gutierrez said the pilot program is only one piece of the puzzle.
“While this bill can contribute to increasing access, the proposal must be part of a larger strategy to sustain Ohio’s current child care system,” she said.