We are following through on changes made late last year to Ohio’s publicly funded childcare program.
Advocates said it’s a system in crisis that continues to be underfunded, hurting enrollment, families, and providers.
Policymakers said it’s about spending dollars wisely for the best outcomes.
But as we have learned through our reporting, longtime providers say they’re being pushed to the brink, and families are worried.
I recently met with five full-time working moms.
They are juggling a lot, including rising costs that are cutting into budgets already strained by child care.
"Daycare should not be a burden for a parent," said Jelisa Tipton. "It should not be, 'I cannot afford daycare so I won’t go to work,' or 'I cannot afford daycare so I cannot buy groceries or necessities for my child.'"
While economic pressures are a concern, one thing in particular had these mothers taking time out of their workday to meet up and talk with me – because they said it was that critical to them.
"Who can you really trust to pour into your child the way that you do as a mom?" said Tipton.
She is talking about the relief of finding an affordable, accessible, and high-quality childcare center that many parents and their children trust and love.
"It gives you peace of mind," said Amanda Munford. "You have so much on your plate as a mom."
They’re speaking in support of their childcare provider upon learning of the financial difficulties she and others are facing.
"The children are our future, and the fact that Kiddie City takes that so seriously and from the heart is so rare in times such as these," said Crystal Perry.
"It's less stress that you have to deal with," said Kali Harris.
For years, these mothers have brought their babies, toddlers, and preschoolers to Kiddie City Childcare Community in Euclid at the old Lincoln Elementary School building. The nonprofit center also offers before- and after-school care for kindergarten through eighth grade and summer camps through its Faithful Scholars program.
Tipton shared that her daughter has autism and said she left several providers before finding the right fit at Kiddie City.
"She has been shown so much love, attention, and affection and her needs have been met since day one," said Tipton.
Munford has three children at Kiddie City and said she appreciates the wraparound services they provide.
"They work with occupational therapy, I don’t have to take him," she said. "Speech therapy, dental, all of this is all included!”
The moms said they also lean on the connection with each other, the friendship among the kids, and said it feels more like a family.
"I had a hardship at my house where my entire kitchen flooded from the apartment above," said Gemma McNeil, who has a 3-year-old daughter and now works at the center. "They gave me from the Giving Room, all of the stuff for me to have back in my kitchen so I didn’t have to pay for it myself.”
Dayna White, executive director of Kiddie City, said the women who started the nonprofit 20 years ago wanted to make it community-centered.
"What do you need at home? What do you need on the weekend? What do you need right now?" she said. "We are a community here inside the school and we want to build that outside these walls too."
White has worked at Kiddie City since 2010. Her friend was the director at the time, and White was getting her degree in early childhood while having her last child. White became the executive director in 2019.
"I'm literally living the dream I saw when I was 18 years old,” she said.
But she said the dream has started to feel more like a nightmare due to funding.
"But I love this, I love them, and I’m never going to give up," she said.
White said it’s been building for about a decade: reduced dollars, resources, lost grant funding, barriers to access, delayed application processing and payments, and the recent changes by the state legislature to the Publicly Funded Childcare Program were a final blow.
"It really makes it hard to continue to operate,” she said.
And she's making difficult decisions to pay utilities and staff.
"I've held my salary and lived off my savings for over six months,” said White.
She reached out to me for help, and she’s not alone.
News 5 anchor Tiffany Tarpley has spoken with other Northeast Ohio childcare providers who are feeling the same squeeze right now.
RELATED: Northeast Ohio day care owners say funding changes could force closures
We took their concerns to the director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth.
"Publicly funded childcare is an extreme necessity for our working families or those going to school," said Kara Wente, director of The Ohio Dept. of Children and Youth.
She said the state’s goal is to make sure the money is used responsibly and sustainably, especially as they project a deficit in this space in 2028 and ’29.
"So, we’re trying to really listen just as you are to our providers to say, ‘What’s working, what’s not, and what would make this more manageable,’” said Wente.
Wente said changes could happen, but providers like White tell us they need help now.
"If you could speak to lawmakers, what would you tell them?" I asked White.
"Come see us," she said. "We need help. I'm hoping that they understand that investing in children at a young age is extremely important.”
In the meantime, White is working to increase enrollment and has partnered with the Charity Bridge Fund, a platform that connects nonprofits with donors to try to recover from funding losses.
"You know let’s build together, let’s network together," she said in a call out to potential donors.
"There needs to be more places that are like this, not just in Euclid, but other cities," she said. "Families are desperate for community, love, and support."
The moms tell me they hope that by speaking together, they can bring attention to their facility and the need for affordable, accessible, and high-quality childcare everywhere.
"How are we supposed to change the outcomes for the future if we don’t start here and now?" said Tipton.
Katie Ussin is the Lake County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @KatieUssin, on Facebook KatieUssin, Instagram Katie_Ussin_wews or email her at Katie.Ussin@wews.com.
