A child growing up in Ohio might not attend an all-day kindergarten and might not receive regular medical care.
These were among the issues discussed at a bipartisan forum for local candidates for the Ohio House of Representatives last night at the Athens Community Center. The forum, hosted by Groundwork Ohio, gave candidates an opportunity to discuss early childhood education.
Groundwork Ohio is a coalition of organizations across Ohio dedicated to creating an effective early childhood education system, offering full-day kindergarten to all children and improving access to primary health care.
Groundwork Ohio, which was launched in mid-September, plans to present recommendations on these issues to the state legislature in early spring, said Melody Sands, Groundwork field coordinator.
State Rep. Jimmy Stewart (R-92nd) and Democratic challenger Debbie Phillips, an Athens councilwoman, were among the participating candidates.
There are specific things we can do to level the playing field for pupils statewide, Phillips said.
Only one-half of Ohio schools have full-day kindergarten, Stewart said, adding that it would require an additional $160 million from the state to provide full-day kindergarten to all Ohio children.
Phillips said she would like Medicaid to be provided to families whose incomes are at 250 percent of the poverty level to provide care to children in Ohio who do not have health care. She offered no estimate of how much such a program would cost.
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Casey Westlake
