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The Early Childhood Resource Center (ECRC), a state-appointed child care resource and referral agency, has recently compiled county data sheets featuring information that focuses on three critical areas: the cost of child care, the child care workforce, and kindergarten readiness.
These data sheets cover the six counties in our Service Delivery Area—Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, and Trumbull—and seek to emphasize the importance of high quality care and education: Investing in high-quality care and education boosts economic growth, increases workforce participation, enhances earnings, improves business productivity, and leads to better child outcomes.
Key findings across the six counties in our service area:
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High-quality rated programs: Between 25-49% of the total licensed child care programs in each county are highly rated, based on the state's Step Up to Quality rating system.
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Children under age 5 living in poverty: This ranges from 10-36%, depending on county.
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Child Care Workforce Mean Wage: The mean wage for child care workers across the state of Ohio is $13.95 per hour.
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Percentage of income spent on child care (two-child family): Between 37-63%, depending on county.
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Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) results: The KRA is a tool used by the state to measure children's preparedness for kindergarten based on foundational skills and behaviors outlined in Ohio’s kindergarten standards. Findings show that 44-64% of children, depending on county, are not demonstrating readiness and are not on track.
View each of county's individual data sheet on our website.
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