Saturday Stats
Posted March 09, 2024 in eNews
Numeric news from Policy Matters
23: Number of year it took Ohio to restore the jobs lost in the 2001 recession after our previous peak in May 2000. That growth was slowed by austerity policies that cut government spending in the Great Recession, instead of helping the Ohioans who needed it. When Congress did the opposite, growth was boosted: Historic levels of government spending — scaled to the size of the problem — sped our recovery from the COVID recession. Check out this finding and more in the latest JobWatch, which includes the annual benchmark to 2023 data.
$13.15: Median hourly wage for Ohio child care workers. You may already know that figure—Budget and Health Researcher Kathryn Poe cited it in their recent op-ed for Crain’s Cleveland. A finding from our not-yet-released study of Ohio’s child care landscape casts that number in a new light…
$10.52: Amount of every hour’s wages a parent who is working full-time year-round would spend on child care for one infant and one toddler at an average-cost child care center in Ohio.
$105.20: Amount of money left over each week (not counting public supports) if the median child care worker worked full-time year-round while their infant and toddler attended an average-cost child care center. Try stretching that amount to cover rent, utilities, transportation, food, medical care, diapers and other necessities. It simply won’t work. In other words, we don’t pay the people who take care of our children enough to take care of their own. It's high time we change that. Learn how you can help by joining the Care Economy Organizing Project for a “Day Without Child Care.”
850: Number of laws and rules on the books that limit job opportunities for Ohioans with convictions on their record — making it more likely that they will be imprisoned again. (That’s from this 2018 report on the cost of excluding Ohioans with a record from work, by economist Michael Shields.) SB 198 would not solve that problem, but it would make things a little easier for people returning from prison by providing them with a government ID and other documents they need to navigate post-prison life. Last month, Michael testified in support of the bill, and recommended some improvements.
100+: Number of cities nationwide that are piloting guaranteed basic income programs, giving families $500-$1,000 a month— no strings attached. The new film, It’s Basic, documents the impact of these programs on families around the country. We’re proud to be a community partner for a screening of It’s Basic at the 48th annual Cleveland International Film Festival. Join us at the Mimi Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square on Tuesday, April 9 at 7:40 PM. Tickets go on sale at 11 AM on Friday, March 22 — use the code POLICY for $1 off each ticket. (Can't make it to Cleveland? It's Basic will be available to stream from April 14-21.) Stay tuned for more details...
Action items
Listen to episode 2 of the new season of What’s Good Ohio?!: “What’s Good with Trans Activism,” with Mallory Golski from Kaleidoscope Youth Center and Cam Ogden from Equality Ohio and Trans Allies of Ohio.
Head to the Statehouse to support child care providers as they demand funding for a 21st century child care system in Ohio. Join the Day Without Child Care on Monday, May 13th! RSVP here.
Pour yourself a drink (hard or soft) and join us for a virtual cocktail hour — hosted by our friends at ACLU Ohio — to discuss civic engagement and the power of progressive prosecution in Cuyahoga County. Friday, March 15th at 5:00 PM. Registration required.
