Saturday Stats
Posted April 06, 2024 in eNews
Numeric news from Policy Matters
$9,697: Average annual cost of child care for one infant in Ohio.
$138,528: Minimum annual household income required to make that amount “affordable” according to benchmarks set by the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.
$65,720: Median annual household income in Ohio. That means the typical Ohio household makes less than half of what it would need to afford child care for one infant.
High prices are just one part of Ohio’s child care crisis. Our new report from Kathryn Poe and Ali Smith explains how policymakers have failed kids, parents, child care providers, and workers.
$800M+: Amount of funding the federal government sends to Ohio each year to support our child care system. As a condition of that funding the feds recently told Ohio to increase our lowest-in-the-nation reimbursement rates for child care providers. In response, the legislature did…well, nothing. They left the departments responsible for that funding to figure out how to shift around the same too-small amount so we can technically meet federal requirements. The resulting proposals will harm many Ohio providers. We delivered two separate public comments about why they should be scrapped.
If some or all of the above makes you want to take to the streets, then head to Columbus on May 13th for the Care Economy Organizing Project’s Day Without Child Care rally! (Click here to learn more and RSVP.)
90%: Approximate share of incidents responded to by Cleveland’s Crisis Intervention Team officers that involved someone with mental health symptoms — yet the city still dispatches police officers instead of mental health care specialists. PMO’s Bree Easterling has been leading our work with the Care4CLE coalition to change this practice and bring a Care Response model to Cleveland. That’s part of why the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) named Bree their Social Justice Advocate of the Year.
Check out NEOCH’s annual report for the full rundown of all the ways Bree earned this award — and the many reasons you should support NEOCH’s work to eliminate the root causes of homelessness.
1 in 8: Share of Ohio adults who have been diagnosed with diabetes. (The number who actually have diabetes is likely much larger, since it often goes undiagnosed.) Although it’s eminently treatable, diabetes is a leading cause of death in our state, largely because insulin is too often unaffordable or otherwise inaccessible. Kathryn Poe joined advocates at the Statehouse to advance legislation that will cap the cost of insulin and related supplies.
Check out Kathryn’s latest blog post to learn more.
One: Number of times the new film, It’s Basic, will screen at the Cleveland International Film Festival. That’s Tuesday, April 9th, at 7:40! After the screening, stick around for a panel conversation featuring our own Executive Director Hannah Halbert! Get your tickets here, and use the code POLICY for $1 off each ticket. (Can't make it in person? It's Basic will be available to stream from April 14-21. You can pre-order streaming access here.)
[Over 400: Number of words we’ve gone in this email without mentioning Monday’s solar eclipse...]
124 miles: Estimated width of the path of totality as it passes through Ohio. Whether you’re planning to travel or watching from home, remember to wear your eclipse glasses — and then, unless you plan to save them for re-use in 75 years when the next total eclipse is visible here, recycle them! PMO’s Climate & Sustainability Researcher Molly Bryden compiled a list of some locations where you can drop them off:
Cuyahoga County | Central Ohio | Geauga-Trumbull | Ottawa, Sandusky, & Seneca Counties | Lucas County | Any Warby Parker Store.
5.2%: Record low for the national child poverty rate, reached in 2021, in large part due to the expanded federal Child Tax Credit (CTC). Our friends at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks are looking for quotes, stories, and testimonials from Ohioans who benefitted from the CTC, to share on social media as part of a Tax Day action to advocate for more tax policy that helps families in our state. You can share your experience here! (They’re also looking to hear from folks who may have not been eligible for the federal expanded CTC in 2021 but would be now.)
In memoriam
We are saddened by the passing and grateful for the life of C.J. Prentiss. In addition to her groundbreaking work as an organizer, activist, politician and lawmaker, C.J. helped found Policy Matters. The lives of working people of all races, and Black Ohioans in particular, are better because of her work. You can read about her remarkable life in this remembrance from the Zinn Education Project, whose Prentiss Charney Fellowship honors C.J. and her husband Michael Charney, another old friend. If you have the means to do so, we hope you will contribute in her memory.
Action items
Listen to the new episode of What’s Good Ohio?!: “What’s Good with Workers Rights.” Hosts Sarah & James talk with Isbel Alvarado and PMO board member Claudia Cortez from Central Ohio Worker Center.
Get your tickets to It’s Basic at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Use the code POLICY for $1 off each ticket. (It's Basic will also be available to stream from April 14-21. You can pre-order streaming access here.)
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.
Apply to be Honesty for Ohio Education’s Communications and Programs Director!