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GOP senators want to end Step Up to Quality child care standards. Dayton Daily News In-Depth By Jeremy P. Kelley, Staff Writer Senate Republicans proposed big changes to Ohio’s system of child care for low-income families last week, but opponents argue the plan will hurt the development of Ohio’s children. Under the Senate’s budget proposal, child care providers would no longer have to meet certain quality standards to serve children in Ohio’s publicly funded child care system. That Step Up to Quality system has been in place for years to ensure that child care providers gradually improve and meet minimum benchmarks (one star by 2020, three stars by 2025) in order to receive partial reimbursement from the state for serving low-income families. Senate President Matt Huffman last week called that system a mandate “that caused substantial damage to the child care infrastructure,” arguing that it led some child care providers to close. But a host of education, business and family advocacy groups pushed back. Lynanne Gutierrez, assistant director of the Groundwork Ohio child advocacy group, disputed Huffman’s claim about child care access. “As of last fall when all providers had to be rated, 95-96% of them did,” Gutierrez said. “And there was agreement (years ago) that it was not acceptable to continue to put public tax dollars into programs that were not meeting this very humble floor and commitment to provide quality.” To earn a one-star rating, child care providers must file documentation on employees’ education levels, ensure minimum levels of instructional time, host an onsite review, and submit a plan for future staff training and curriculum efforts. As the levels increase in the five-star system, staff education and training requirements rise, as do the documentation requirements, curriculum implementation, and the detail level of onsite reviews. Child care providers serving low-income families receive additional funding if they increase their star ratings. Jama Hardern, owner of Rainbow Years child care center in east Dayton, said Step Up to Quality requirements have led her center to go with smaller class sizes and to screen all children for developmental delays, leading to better services for children and families. But Hardern makes clear that she has to run a business, and the financial rewards for earning those stars are important. “Businesses respond to economic models that you encourage,” she said. “If you encourage a model that treats children as widgets, where you are not incentivized to provide better care … would I, as a business, choose to do those things that cost (more) money? We respond to market forces the way any business does.” Huffman said last week that the costs of Step Up to Quality would have soared in future years as more providers earned more stars. He said the Senate changes would add $10 million to the state’s budget for publicly funded child care and would make more families eligible. The $10 million comes out to a 1.4% increase, given Ohio’s $696.7 million spending on publicly funded child care in fiscal year 2019. And families would now be eligible at up to 142% of the federal poverty level, up from 138%. That means a family of three would be eligible up to $30,842 annual income, rather than $29,973. Robyn Lightcap, executive director of Dayton-Montgomery County Preschool Promise, said that increase of less than $1,000 “is not even worth talking about,” given that child care needs for a full-time worker cost up to and beyond $10,000 per year per child. But Lightcap’s larger concern was taking away the quality requirements, as she said not all child care options are the same. Advocates of the Step Up to Quality system pointed to studies showing that starrated child care programs prepare Ohio children better for kindergarten. They also cited a new University of Cincinnati report finding that high-quality child care generates a 10% annual return on public investment. “The Senate is not only throwing away money that the state has invested (in recent years), they are also jeopardizing the local investment that we have made,” Lightcap said, pointing to city and county spending on early childhood improvements, as well as tax levies that residents in Dayton, Cincinnati and other cities have approved for that purpose. “Eliminating Step Up to Quality would be a betrayal and a reckless use of federal and state funding for our children,” she said. Gutierrez also said the Senate bill would prevent new federal relief funding for child care from being used for certain staff pay and training. A child care director and a Job and Family Services official from Huffman’s district said at a news conference last week that the regulations and administrative costs of the Step Up to Quality program were overly burdensome on child care centers. At a news conference Friday, other child care providers, as well as the CEOs of both Donatos Pizza and Skyline Chili, disputed that, citing the need for high-quality child care oversight, so their employees who are parents could go to work. Last month, Dayton business leaders also testified to the Senate. Stephanie Keinath, vice president of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, called increased investment in high-quality child care “a win for our families, our businesses and Ohio’s economy.” David Melin, regional president of PNC Bank, said of Step Up to Quality, “we must adopt a long-term view, knowing we will reap the dividends of our investment for years to come.” Contact this reporter at jeremy.kelley@coxinc.com.

With fees and interest, debt can balloon by nearly a third in several months in some states From The Hechinger Report By Meredith Kolodner Richard Fishburn never imagined he’d one day be facing down debt collectors — all because he decided to return to college. An Army veteran who had worked his whole life, Fishburn enrolled at Cleveland State University in Ohio in 2016. But in his third semester, when the back injury he sustained in the Army flared up, his advisers encouraged him to take time to heal so he wasn’t in excruciating pain sitting in lecture halls. That decision proved costly. Although he withdrew from classes, Fishburn said he still received a bill for tuition without any explanation as to why he still owed money. When he tried to reenroll, he was told he needed to pay in full. Cleveland State had added $600 in collection and late fees and eventually, as required by state law, had passed the debt on to the state attorney general’s office, which then sent it to a for-profit debt collection company and then to a private law firm. At each step along the way, interest was tacked on. His original bill of $2,447 ballooned to more than $4,250. Fishburn, 34, can’t imagine when he’ll have the money to pay off his debt, and until he does, he can’t go back to college. He has been unemployed since his last job in television and film ended and the pandemic began. His wife is working, but with three young children and a mortgage, they have nothing left over to chip away at a debt that is now 74 percent more than what he originally owed. To the surprise of many students and parents, public colleges in every state in the country except Louisiana use for-profit debt collection agencies to retrieve overdue tuition, library fees and even parking fines. (Louisiana, like several other states, sends students’ debts to the attorney general’s office, which can charge fees as high as 33 percent of the original bill.) Many universities add late fees to students’ bills, and when debt collectors add another 30 or 40 percent, students can end up owing thousands of dollars more than they did originally. As tuition has risen astronomically, one child care or medical crisis can push students over the edge and force them to choose between household bills and tuition payments. The extra fees and interest can make it impossible for them to get back on track, ruining their credit and imperiling their financial futures. Public colleges have sent hundreds of thousands of students around the country to private debt collection agencies, and the spiraling debt held there now totals more than half a billion dollars, a Hechinger Report investigation has found through more than 60 inquiries with agencies in every state and more than 120 inquiries with individual institutions. For many students, the financial burden makes it impossible for them to return to college and earn degrees that could get them good jobs. State officials often bemoan a lack of college-educated workers for their economies, yet very few states track this problem. Most states cannot provide figures on how often their colleges use these companies, how many students are affected or how much in additional fees and interest is being charged. More than 36 million adults in the United States have earned some college credits but haven’t finished their degree, and experts say the barrier is often financial. “Think about when you’re 18 years old and what you don’t know about managing debt. We had a lot of students who owed us these past balances … but they’re caught. They can’t enroll until they pay the debt, and they can’t get aid until they enroll.” –Dawn Medley, associate vice president of enrollment management, Wayne State University “It’s overwhelmingly low-income students who are disproportionately being caught up in this vicious cycle,”said Juana H. Sánchez, senior associate at the public policy group HCM Strategists. “I don’t know that anyone is winning. The third-party collection agencies that are expanding their client base, they may be the only winners here.” University administrators say they’re in a tough position. They say that with states regularly cutting education funding, they need the private agencies to retrieve as much money as they can. But there is also evidence that public colleges can do better financially if they keep students out of the hands of debt collection agencies; setting up payment plans, for example, means students are better able to pay what they owe and stay enrolled, which means tuition dollars keep flowing. Administrators and government leaders pushing for reform also note that the stated mission of public universities is to provide an affordable education. If tuition were affordable, they say, students wouldn’t be stuck in the vise of debt collection agencies in the first place. Some argue that private companies shouldn’t be able to profit off students’ financial woes. Debt collection written into state law In some states, the law requires that public colleges use collection agencies if a debt goes unpaid for too long. In Ohio, public universities are required by law to send student debts to the state attorney general’s office after 45 days if the accounts are overdue. The state can then add a 10 percent fee. If a student cannot begin paying back the debt within four months — regardless of the reason, such as a job loss or a medical crisis — it usually goes to private debt collection agencies, which can increase the bill by another 21 percent. If the debt goes unpaid for 18 more months, a student could be charged as much as 35 percent more than the original debt. The law was meant to ensure that public universities, and other state institutions, were collecting money owed and not passing on the costs to other taxpayers and students. Officials now say an unintended consequence is that the law has kept some low-income students from earning degrees. In Ohio, more than 157,000 former public college students, who altogether owe $418 million, have debts that have been sent to private collection agencies or outside law firms More than 157,000 former public college students in Ohio, who altogether owe $418 million, have debts that have been sent to private collection agencies or outside law firms and are struggling to pay back those debts. With few exceptions, they cannot reenroll in college or obtain their transcripts until they pay the entire amount. Recognizing the depth of the problem, Ohio’s higher education chancellor, Randy Gardner, an appointee of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, earlier this month issued new guidance allowing colleges and universities to slow down the debt collection process. The new approach also clarifies that colleges may offer debt forgiveness to students who reenroll, a practice several colleges in Ohio have already adopted. It’s unclear how many students will be affected by this new debt forgiveness pathway. Because the original law hasn’t been changed, students at colleges and universities that want to maintain the status quo can still end up with debt collectors pursuing them and with bills far beyond their original amount. Someone like Jenny Jones, who found herself facing debt collectors last year when her daughter was set to graduate from Ohio State University, could have benefited from the relief program. Jones’s daughter had taken summer classes in 2018 at the University of Cincinnati, near home, to make sure she could graduate in four years. Jones thought she could use Parent Plus loans (federal loans parents can take out to cover college costs for their children) to pay the tuition. She found out belatedly that the loans couldn’t be used for summer classes at the university. Her principal balance of $2,712 grew to more than $4,600 by December of 2019. Jones’s own student loan payments are more than her mortgage, and with three kids to support, she was stuck. Public colleges have sent hundreds of thousands of students around the country to private debt collection agencies, and the spiraling debt held there now totals more than half a billion dollars. “I just felt this panic, like, oh, God, I don’t have that much money,” she said. To top it off, just weeks before graduation, Jones, who is now 46, was told that her daughter couldn’t receive her degree, because the University of Cincinnati wouldn’t release an official transcript until Jones paid the debt. Frantically, she tried to negotiate a payment plan but couldn’t. In the end, she put the remaining balance on a credit card, which she is still paying off. “I don’t dispute that I owed UC the tuition,” Jones said. “What I took exception to was the fact that these different agencies can almost double the amount that I’m supposed to pay.” The university said it could not comment on specific students but said that it provides payment plans. ‘I really regret going back to college now’ Most states don’t have a timeline for repayment inscribed in law as Ohio does, but many public colleges impose their own deadlines along with additional fees and interest. Missouri State University in Springfield, for example, sends about 1,100 students’ debt to collection agencies every year; the current total is about 7,300. At Hillsborough Community College in Florida, about 3,990 students are involved with debt collection agencies. Florida allows universities to use debt collection agencies that charge an additional 20 to 25 percent on top of the original bill. Debt collection agencies that contract with community colleges in California can add 39 percent. At some Kentucky public universities, the bill can grow by upward of 40 percent. Sam Houston State University in Texas sends overdue accounts to private debt collection companies after about six months, according to the university’s public information officer. Currently, more than 2,200 students owe a total of roughly $5 million. These students cannot reenroll until their debts are fully paid. Brendan Mullican, a former student at Sam Houston State, served in the Navy for four years, including in the Middle East during the 2003 Iraq War. The first in his family to go to college, he used the GI Bill to pay for classes that earned him a bachelor’s degree in 2013. Mullican got a job, but his employer said he needed additional accounting courses if he wanted to move up in the company. Determined to get a better-paying job, Mullican continued taking classes while he was working. He kept track of his bills, which showed a zero balance after three semesters, when he stopped taking classes. A year later, he got a bill from the university for $9,760. After he disputed the bill in an email exchange with university administrators, communication ceased, he said, and Mullican assumed the situation was resolved. Instead, the university referred the debt to a collection agency without telling him, he said. He got a bill from the agency in 2017 informing him he owed $12,689. Mullican, 36, says there’s no way he can pay that amount, but until he does, the college won’t let him reenroll and won’t release his transcript for the three semesters he completed. “It just seems unethical,” said Mullican. “I really regret going back to college now. I can’t believe they would treat me that way. They say they do things to help vets, but it seems like it’s just a lie.” A spokeswoman for Sam Houston State said she could not comment on individual students because of federal privacy law, but said that in general, students are responsible for all tuition and fees. Some institutions, such as Northeastern Illinois University, the University of North Dakota and Gwinnett Technical College in Georgia, have decided not to charge students any extra fees, even when they send overdue balances to debt collection companies. Administrators say keeping the bill at its original amount makes it easier for students to set up payment plans and reenroll. In Ohio, some state legislators, both Democrat and Republican, are working to ensure that students don’t end up with extra fees. But the proposals have met with opposition from some conservatives in the Republican-controlled state legislature. Some public university leaders oppose the change, too. And private debt collection agencies stand to lose millions of dollars if collection efforts are kept in house at the colleges. Currently, six collection agencies in Ohio have contracts with the attorney general’s office. The largest is National Enterprise Systems Inc., which this year had 40,000 students and more than $95 million to collect, according to the Ohio attorney general’s office, potentially bringing up to $20 million in revenue to the company. Between 2019 and the first quarter of 2021, state records showed that the company’s lobbyists met several times with the attorney general’s office about what was listed in public records as “collection decisions.” Margie Brickner is the CEO of Reliant Capital Solutions LLC, which stands to make up to $3.5 million from student debt this year, based on figures obtained from the attorney general’s office. She donated $95,000 to the state Republican candidate fund between 2017 and 2020, according to public records kept by the Ohio secretary of state. She also contributed $4,000 to a candidate committee for Dave Yost, the current attorney general, in the lead-up to his election in 2018. National Enterprise Systems did not respond to several requests for comment. A representative for Margie Brickner and Reliant said they declined to comment. The attorney general’s office itself also receives significant revenue when student debts are sent to its staff for collection, even before they go to the private agencies. The law allows a 10 percent additional fee, and as of this spring, there were about 385,000 students whose debts totaled more than $740 million. On average, the office collects about $50 million each year, according to a report by Piet van Lier of Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit research institute; that could mean $5 million in revenue. Debts sent to the attorney general’s office disproportionately came from campuses with a higher percentage of Black and Latino students, according to the report. As in other states, efforts to reform this system in Ohio have been fueled by concerns about population decline and job losses. About 1.3 million Ohioans have completed some college but haven’t gotten a degree. State officials worry that businesses will shy away from the state without an increase in the number of college graduates. “I don’t know that anyone is winning. The third-party collection agencies that are expanding their client base, they may be the only winners here.” –Juana H. Sánchez, senior associate at the public policy group HCM Strategists “Some people are saying that’s the problem with our country — people want something for nothing,” said Thomas Lasley, CEO emeritus of the advocacy group Learn to Earn Dayton and a former dean at the University of Dayton. “It seems to me to be ludicrous that we make students who are struggling to finish their degrees incur even more charges and late fees and debt.” Lasley said he was pleased with the new guidance from Gardner, Ohio’s higher education chancellor. Rep. Tom Young, a Republican, also sees that announcement as a good first step. He wants to make sure students have incentives to finish college and remain in Ohio, to build up the workforce. He emphasizes that his goal is not debt forgiveness but scaling up the programs that allow students to go back to school and earn their degrees. “We want Ohio to be a place that can attract and keep businesses. The challenge we have is that sometimes life happens to people,” he said. “They leave school for some reason, and the debt continues to increase.” Some argue that the new guidance will help only a small minority of students and that more sweeping change is needed. “I don’t dispute that I owed UC the tuition. What I took exception to was the fact that these different agencies can almost double the amount that I’m supposed to pay.” –Jenny Jones, mother of a student who took classes at the University of Cincinnati “Ohio is one of the worst states in terms of college affordability, and that is a connected component and why this particular policy and practice is egregious,” said Prentiss Haney, a co-executive director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a grassroots community organization. “There’s an incentive for the debt collection agency to lobby and make sure those debts are referred to them, instead of an incentive for university to keep debt,” Haney added. The search for solutions Even as several universities have expressed concerns behind the scenes about losing revenue, some say using collection agencies isn’t necessarily more effective than other ways to collect the money. For example, in the fall of 2018, Wayne State University in Detroit started a program called Warrior Way Back. Former students who owe up to $1,500 are allowed to reenroll, and for each semester they complete, one-third of their debt is forgiven. University administrators say the program has actually helped financially: Wayne State has gained $1.5 million in tuition from these students, after taking into account the debt it forgave. “Think about when you’re 18 years old and what you don’t know about managing debt,” said Dawn Medley, the associate vice president of enrollment management at Wayne State, who created the program. “We had a lot of students who owed us these past balances — they may have had veterans’ benefits or remaining federal aid money, but they’re caught. They can’t enroll until they pay the debt, and they can’t get aid until they enroll.” The program, and similar ones at institutions like Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, requires extensive financial counseling and academic guidance to ensure that students can pay going forward and are on viable career paths. Even before Ohio announced the new guidance, Cleveland State University had started forgiving up to $5,000 in exchange for reenrollment and course completion. Administrators there say they hope the forgiveness program can keep students from being sent to the attorney general’s office in the first place, so that fees and interest don’t pile up. “Our program helps,” said Dean of Admissions Jonathan Wehner, Cleveland State University’s vice president of enrollment management and student success, “but really the dialogue we need to have is about affordability, and how we make sure that every student who could benefit from a four-year degree can get a four-year degree.” Wehner and other university officials say they try to accommodate students as best they can, given the constraints of the law. But even though Cleveland State has one of the most generous debt forgiveness programs in the state, it doesn’t help Fishburn. Students like him whose debts have already been sent to collection agencies are not eligible for the program. So for now, he is still in limbo. “The fact that they’re passing this debt around just makes no sense to me,” Fishburn said. “Someone’s profiting on it, for sure. It just seems like a giant scam to me.” This story about debt collection was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for their higher education newsletter.

From the Dayton Business Journal By Caleb Stephens The Dayton Foundation launched in 1921, during the last days of the Woodrow Wilson administration and a few short years after the end of World War I. It hit the 100-year milestone in April and now embarks on its next steps toward $1 billion in assets. The Dayton Foundation — the region’s largest community foundation — assists people and organizations across the Miami Valley. This includes coming to action after the region was battered by tornadoes in 2019, and then following The Oregon District mass shooting, and also assisting during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year alone, it provided $66 million in grants, marking the most in a single year in its history. In addition it received $74 million in new contributions and now has $653 million in assets. “As The Dayton Foundation embarks on its second century of service to the Greater Dayton community, we remain committed to making our region stronger for the next generation,” said Michael Parks, foundation president. “Beyond perpetuating the foundation’s role as the region’s leader for charitable giving, we are focused continuing to turn the dialog of diversity and inclusion into action so that all individuals have equal opportunities for civic, social and economic success. It’s imperative that we work together to make Greater Dayton a better place for everyone to live, work and play.” Here’s a breakdown of some of its accomplishments: The foundation ranks No. 2 among nearly 800 community foundations nationwide in the number of charitable funds under management and the number of grants awarded – more than community foundations in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. Currently the foundation has nearly 4,000 charitable funds under management. In the most recent ranking of community foundations nationwide, The Dayton Foundation ranked 41st in the U.S. in grants (total dollars) and 30th for new gifts received. 37th in market value of assets. $1.08 billion awarded in grants since 1921 (397,282 grants). “The Dayton Foundation has been an anchor for stabilizing the community during times of crisis and energizing the region during times of change,” said Tom Lasley, CEO Emeritus at Learn to Earn Dayton. “It acts as a ballast for the work that all the different community groups engage in, with its broader vision to help a wide variety of stakeholders to leverage their efforts to build a stronger and more robust community. Learn to Earn Dayton is but one example of how the Dayton Foundation has been able to foster a stronger community by support-ing and partnering with a non-profit stakeholder group.”

The Dayton Daily News By Allison Brace Jump to Misty Grow's story... Jump to Makynzie Lowery's story... The COVID-19 pandemic has simultaneously accelerated demand for workers with education after high school and caused economic uncertainty for working families. Cost should never stop anyone from going to college. Pell Grants have been the cornerstone of financial aid for students from low-income backgrounds pursuing higher education since its creation in 1972, and 45% of Ohio high school seniors qualify for Pell Grant aid. At its peak, the maximum Pell Grant covered nearly 75% of the average cost of attending a public four-year university. Today, the maximum Pell Grant covers less than 50% of the cost of attendance at these same public colleges. In Ohio, the situation is even more concerning. According to the National College Attainment Network, only 76% of two-year colleges and 6% of four-year colleges in Ohio are affordable for Pell Grant recipients. Doubling the maximum Pell Grant would protect its purchasing power and cover 50% of a public four-year institution’s cost. This year, Learn to Earn Dayton partnered with the National College Attainment Network and asked two experts – students who rely on Pell Grants to pay for college – to engage in national policy discussions. Student Advocacy Fellows Misty Grow and Makynzie Lowery met with Congressional offices. They told their stories and talked about why doubling the Pell Grant will ease the student loan burden, help students meet their basic needs and expand financial aid to more students. Misty Grow I am a senior studying social work. I know firsthand how something can change and make college almost impossible to get through financially. I graduated from Brookville High School, attended Sinclair Community College and transferred to Wright State University. Because I was on free and reduced lunch during eighth grade, I could apply for the Montgomery County College Promise. This scholarship closed the gap between my financial aid and tuition at both Sinclair and Wright State. I also had a mentor who helped me prepare for college and transition to Sinclair smoothly. At the end of my freshman year at Sinclair Community College, I had a falling out with my parents. I had to move into an apartment off-campus, because Sinclair does not have housing. I was going to school full-time, working full-time at Chipotle and working as a part-time tutor at Sinclair. Even with the Montgomery County College Promise’s support, I could not afford my living expenses, books, and other things that were necessary for me to be successful in college. I went from the Dean’s List to getting a failing grade because of this financial turmoil. While I am now in a much better position, many college students go through what I did without help from a scholarship program. The Pell Grant needs to be doubled, because it is not enough to support many of the nation’s college students. The Pell Grant covers less than half of the cost of attendance at most public fouryear institutions, and students struggle to create a better future for themselves and their families. Without the help of the Montgomery County College Promise, I would be in crippling school debt, as many students are. I hope that my work can bring awareness to this issue that affects so many students all over the country. Makynzie Lowery I am a junior at the University of Dayton studying education with a concentration in intervention specialty. As a first-generation college student, I wouldn’t have expected to see myself where I am now. Since no one in my family attended college, it didn’t seem realistic for me to go. I didn’t have anyone to guide and support me, and affording college seemed impossible. When I started at Kettering-Fairmont High School, I was not sure what I wanted to do as a career. I found out that my high school offered a career tech program in allied health, which I found interesting. Through this program, I discovered my passion for advocating and working with students with exceptionalities. The career tech program also offered a scholarship to Sinclair Community College. That scholarship opportunity gave me the push I needed to go to college and achieve my goal of working with students with special needs. Transitioning between high school to college was a major challenge, and I had no clue where to start or how to get support. I tried to adapt to the rigor of college while working two jobs, one with the City of Moraine and the other in retail. Since my family did not have experience with the higher education system, I was on my own to navigate through financial aid applications and college affordability. Sinclair offered a program called Summer Bridge that helped me tremendously. I had a mentor who helped me find out about financial aid offerings, courses, and more. I had advisors and professors who were all a tremendous help in directing me towards the right resources and support services. Thanks to them, I overcame many obstacles in my college attainment journey. While at Sinclair, I was introduced to the UD Sinclair Academy to make continuing my education a little more accessible and affordable. Completing my FASFA applications and deciding what courses to take was hard. Through all of my struggles with college attainment and affordability, I have developed a great passion for helping other people who have struggles. As an advocacy fellow, I really want to make a difference in other students’ lives by advocating for a doubled Pell Grant. Many students like me must juggle school, work, home life, and keeping their GPA up. A doubled Pell Grant, to cover at least half of the cost of a public four-year institution, would make a major impact on many students’ ability to get an advanced degree without having to take on crippling debt. Allison Brace is a junior studying communications and marketing at the University of Dayton. She participates in the Semester of Service program through the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community.

The Dayton Daily News By Hope Vuto What if we could transform our community with fun spaces for young children that encourage their curiosity and promote early learning? What if families in all our neighborhoods had play areas where they could build their young children’s early math, science, language and reading skills? What if these opportunities for play were in the places families go every day, from grocery stores to bus stops to laundromats? All young children, regardless of their race, gender, zip code or socioeconomic status learn best through play, and play doesn’t just happen at a park or playground. Families can turn every day moments into playful ones and use them to spark conversations. Even though they may not understand everything that we say or explain, children learn from hearing words. Conversation with children promotes connection and healthy brain development. That’s why Montgomery County’s Birth-to-3 Collaborative and Learn to Earn Dayton are creating “Play on Purpose” — or POP — Spots to encourage learning and play in everyday life. We’re incredibly excited about a POP Spot coming to the new Gem City Market on Salem Avenue in Northwest Dayton. The outside market plaza will have several on-purpose experiences. A local artist designed and fabricated a wrought-iron artwork with more than 30 hidden images in the sculpted metal. There will also be a life-sized Jump Ruler, which children can use to practice measuring and other numeracy skills – and have fun - by seeing how far they can jump. Bold signage will ask questions like: How far can you jump? How many steps does it take to get from one end to the other? Finally, on rainy days, fun pictures will magically appear on the sidewalk, thanks to images created with hydrophobic paint that will only be visible when the pavement is wet. Just a few blocks away, another POP Spot will be completed early this summer. A 400-square-foot mosaic will be installed at the future Hope Center for Families at 1800 Harvard Blvd. Learn to Earn Dayton, Omega CDC, Omega Baptist Church and the Mosaic Institute of Dayton are working with community partners to build a playful mosaic titled Together We Rise. Embedded in the mosaic are letter and word games created from tiny, shiny pieces of tile. While we’re excited about these POP Spots, the Play on Purpose initiative isn’t just about creating new playful learning experiences. We’re also eager to brand and link all the creative POP Spots that already exist throughout Montgomery County. Watch for new signage to go up at other locations with fun questions and ideas for how families can play and learn together A Play on Purpose planning committee of over 35 organizations has come together with countless community members. Will you to share your ideas and bring a POP Spot to your business, neighborhood or community space? Visit learntoearndayton.org/pop to learn more. Hope Vuto is the Birth-to-5 Program Manager for Learn to Earn Dayton. Fund your “POP” Spot Apply for a grant and receive technical assistance from early childhood development experts and fabricators. Already have a playful learning experience? Let us help with signage so families know you’re part of Play on Purpose. Learn more at www.Learn-ToEarnDayton.org/pop.

By Hope Vuto While everyone has felt the fallout from COVID-19, babies and toddlers aren’t getting much attention in debates about whom to help. Make no mistake — they’ve been impacted by the pandemic. When parents lose their jobs, when families go without food, when moms and dads are stressed, their young children suffer, too. Sadly, young children’s early learning and development are too often afterthoughts for policy makers. But now with every sector asking for help to get to the other side of this health crisis, these needs are even more likely to get short shrift. We can’t let that happen. In Montgomery County, nearly half of children are born into families experiencing poverty. On average over the last 5 years, babies born to black mothers in Montgomery County were about three times as likely to die during their first year of life than babies born to white women. In order to create a community where every child has an opportunity to reach his or her full potential, the Montgomery County Birth to 3 Collaborative works to find and replicate high-quality programs for young children. Learn to Earn Dayton convenes more than 30 organizations from across our community and is helping to eliminate health and early learning disparities for young children starting at birth. The J.B. Pritzker Foundation recently recognized Montgomery County’s work with a highly-competitive Community Innovation Grant award. Over the next three years, we can invest nearly $400,000 to expand services for infants and toddlers and support local organizations serving pregnant women. Specifically, the funds will go toward improving access to high quality child care, home visiting, care coordination and parenting supports. In addition, we’ll work together to re-imagine how we reach more families experiencing poverty and historically marginalized populations. Among the reasons we were selected as a Pritzker Community Innovation Partner is the leadership shown by our local government officials. Evaluators were impressed by the depth of commitment to advancing young children’s well-being by Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, Montgomery County Commissioners Carolyn Rice, Debbie Lieberman and Judy Dodge, and other community partners. These leaders understand that when new moms are supported by trained professionals during their pregnancy, and after, they become new parents, and when children get high quality early learning opportunities and receive early intervention for developmental delays, they will be healthier. Importantly, they will then go on to be more successful in school. The new funds coming to our community will help better coordinate these services. The Birth to 3 Collaborative is adamant about making it easy for families to access support when they need help and in the way they want it. We’re also looking for new ways of doing business so that providers can stretch their dollars even further. Consider child care. Even before COVID -19, our community had a severe shortage of child care for infants and toddlers. Waiting lists are even longer now because of the pandemic. While finding affordable, quality child care is hard for all families, families in poverty struggle the most. With this challenge in mind, our Collaborative is looking to find a new way of paying for child care. We’re investigating outcomes-based financing, an innovative funding strategy= that provides child care programs upfront resources to serve more babies and toddlers in exchange for achieving strong and measurable outcomes. This approach can ensure that limited resources go further. We also are pursuing shared-service arrangements to free up money at center-based and family child care programs so they can offer better salary and benefits to their woefully underpaid staff. We won’t have high-quality child care if we don’t pay these essential workers a living wage and recognize the true value of their important work. Expanding child care is just one way to support families. The Collaborative has more big and bold plans, and we’re eager to have others join us. For more information about joining in this work, contact Hope.Vuto@ LearnToEarnDayton.org. By investing in the next generation, we are building a foundation for community and economic development. Capable children are the foundation of a prosperous society. That investment has to start before birth, when children’s brains develop fastest and connections that will last a lifetime are being made. Hope Vuto is Learn to Earn Dayton’s Birth to 5 Program Manager.

In September, Learn to Earn Dayton welcomed Kristina Scott as its new CEO. Scott, who relocated to Dayton from Birmingham, Alabama, sat down with Makayla Curington, an Anytown alumnae and sophomore at the Stivers School for the Arts. Their discussion was condensed and edited for clarity. Makayla: What is your goal for Learn to Earn Dayton? Scott: I want every student in Montgomery County to have every opportunity to have a career, the education they need for that career and a support system to achieve their goals. Makayla: Have you taken steps to learn the community that you plan to contribute to? Scott: I want to get out and meet with community partners. I want to see where they work. I’m trying to figure out how I can listen to people and meet them where they are while also respecting that we’re in a pandemic. Where do you think I should go? Makayla: Visit our high schools, especially Dayton Public Schools, and speak with students. What pushed you to have such a passion for helping certain communities? Scott: My mom is a retired teacher and she taught in schools that served low-income children. Listening to her stories and understanding the needs of her students lit the fire in me. Then I majored in history in college and went to law school. That continued to stoke my fire for justice. If you could wave a magic wand and take away one of the systems that support racism, what would you do? Makayla: I wish I could make people stop thinking that they can’t see color. People say “I don’t see color” or “I don’t judge people in that way.” If you don’t see my color, then you do not see issues the way that I look at them. There are issues that come with being Black. If you’re not seeing that I’m Black and you’re just saying, “Everyone is the same to me,” you’re saying that we’re all being treated the same. That is not the case. Scott: Thank you for giving voice to that. Makayla: I have been thinking about what people like my grandparents will think when they read this. It can be hard to see how a white person in power will help Black children. Black people may see you as a white person with a savior complex. What’s false about that narrative? Scott: I’m going to keep showing up. I’m going to be consistent in what I say and do. I’m going to listen. This is your community. For me to do right in my work, I have to do right by the people I am serving. What do you suggest I do to build trust? Makayla: The best thing to do is to get down and be in it. Listen to us. Be around, and don’t just be around because you think it will look good. Sit with us, have a conversation, even if sometimes it’ll seem like you are hearing the most outrageous thing you’ve heard in your life. Just sit there, listen and be patient. What is the best way for Dayton to contribute to Learn to Earn Dayton? Scott: I think about it as give, advocate, volunteer. This work wouldn’t happen without the generosity of donors in Dayton. We need people to say to students, “You can afford to go to college. Fill out the FAFSA, and you’ll get enough money to go to Sinclair.” Then there’s also policy advocacy to make college more affordable. Finally, everyone can show up and volunteer. We can all be the public in public education. Makayla: How can families learn about resources from Learn to Earn Dayton? Scott: The best way to learn about our resources is through nonprofits and schools. That’s what our role is: to be a connector. I heard a good analogy for this. It’s about making sure that the pipes fit together. We’re the pipe fitter who makes sure that the systems work together. There are too many off-ramps for students and families; it’s too easy to get the runaround. We need to make sure that students and families are at the center of our work. That’s my job — making sure that we’re always advocating for the needs of students and families. Learn more about Learn to Earn at LearnToEarnDayton.org or follow them on Facebook and Twitter @ LtoED.

Montgomery County commissioners on Tuesday approved pandemic relief grants totaling $18.71 million for schools and other programs that support education and put an additional $10 million toward helping impacted county residents pay their utilities. Much of the educational funding is going to help thousands of students bridge a digital divide made starker by the pandemic, said Montgomery County Commission President Judy Dodge. “We can’t be having a division with poor children not being able to learn just as well as a child that lives in a home that can afford Wi-Fi,” she said. “This is so important to put everybody on the same step, on the same page, so they can all learn at the same rate.” Commissioners approved 21 educational grants, including three for the Montgomery County Educational Service Center (ESC) totaling $5 million. The ESC’s funding will be used to provide Wi-Fi hotspots, Chromebook devices and help “upskill” teachers, said Shannon Cox, superintendent of the ESC. “This has been a very huge blessing to the educational system,” she said. “That helps leverage it across the county versus making the school districts compete with one another.” Cox said a study conducted between March and May found thousands of students lacking internet connectivity, and schools surveys revealed more than 24,000 devices were needed. The ESC supports 16 public school districts in the county as well as other charter and private schools. A grant of $1.1 million will help reimburse the ESC for about 4,500 Wi-Fi hotspots and 22 extenders already provided to county students. Another grant of $2.1 million will allow for the purchase of 6,883 devices. About 900 have already been purchased in an effort spearheaded by Learn to Earn Dayton, but the total remains well short of 24,000. “We knew that that was going to be quite a lofty task, but we decided to just kind of chip away at it,” Cox said. A third grant of $1.8 million will provide teachers special training for remote instruction, Cox said. “There’s a lot of teaching skill that has to happen in that remote environment to have one-on-one check-ins or small groups,” she said. “It’s way beyond just being able to turn on a computer or use a certain program.” Other grants are going directly to districts to help defray unforeseen pandemic expenses. To date, the Montgomery County Office of CARES Act has approved 32 educational grants, including those for private and charter schools, although the balance is awaiting formal approval by county commissioners. Montgomery County has put aside just over $25 million of its initial $92.77 million federal CARES Act allocation toward educational grants, according to the county. Dayton Public Schools received $3 million, support Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli called “invaluable.” “The grant was extremely helpful in providing support for technology purchases and important PPE supplies during the pandemic,” said Lolli. A grant of $2 million approved for Centerville City Schools will help with the unexpected costs of the pandemic, but also a potential reduction in state funding, said Sarah Swan, a district spokeswoman.  “This particular grant will help us offset expenses related to technology purchases, supplies and equipment for cleaning and disinfecting, personal protective equipment, as well as teacher planning and preparation,” Swan said. Cox said technological investments made using the grants will outlast the coronavirus. “This is transforming education — and not all for the bad. Some of it is very good,” she said. “We want to make sure that we’re really equipping teachers to be able to teach in the 21st century, and schools to educate in the 21st century and beyond the pandemic.” Help with utility bills County commissioners also approved a new utilities payment program Tuesday to electric and natural gas customers who are struggling to cover bills due to the coronavirus pandemic. The $10 million program split evenly between DP&L and Vectren will allow customers to receive a bill credit for qualifying past due balances. Credits will cover any amount more than 30 days past due for any service billed on or after March 1, 2020. The maximum benefit is $10,000 per account. Customers can apply for bill credits on their DP&L bill, Vectren bill, or both, according to the county. “This one-time benefit will bring relief to residential customers during a time when it is needed most,” said Richard Leger, vice president of regional operations for Vectren, a CenterPoint Energy company. Lisa Krueger, the U.S. strategic business unit president for DP&L’s parent company, said the program provides a simple way for customers impacted by the pandemic to avoid having service disconnected for nonpayment. “We encourage those who need assistance to apply so they can continue receiving safe, uninterrupted electric service,” she said. Requirements for these bill credits include: ■ Must be a residential customer of DP&L and/or Vectren (business accounts are not eligible) ■ Applicant must reside in Montgomery County ■ The property’s service address must be in Montgomery County ■ Have a balance at least 30 days past due with either or both utility companies ■ Credits will only cover charges billed on or after March 1, 2020 Anyone who has applied for utility assistance through other local entities are eligible for these grants provided they still have an amount at least 30 days past due. No applications will be accepted after Nov. 30. More information on the program and a link to the online application are available at www.mcohiocares. org. Customers can also text the word “Power” to 937- 496-7969 to receive a link to the application on a mobile phone. Montgomery County has additional pandemic relief programs available including mortgage and rental assistance for individuals and families as well as grants for small businesses, nonprofits, healthcare institutions, agriculture businesses, daycares and preschools. For more information and how to apply, visit www.mcohiocares.org.

By the Dayton Daily News Editorial Board We can debate the merits of a whole host of topics as Americans. Racial equality and the need for it is not one of them. It is a matter of justice that not only impacts the lives of those oppressed through one system or another but also those on all rungs of the ladder. The Dayton Daily News has partnered with a group that includes Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, University of Dayton, DATV, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, Learn to Earn Dayton, the Dayton Metro Library and Premier Health on “The Roots of Racism,” a three-part series that premiered Wednesday on our Facebook page. The first part covers the 1700s through the 1800s and can be replayed on our Facebook page and our website. The next event explores the community’s racial history in the early 1900s and will premiere at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21. The final presentation, the midto late 1900s, will debut at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. Each includes voices from community elders impacted by racism. Racial disparities and the notion of systematic racism were thrust into the limelight around the nation this past spring following the death of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer in Minneapolis. We agreed to join the “Roots of Racism” project because racism hinders and shortens lives here — in our community. Consider this: ■ Black babies die at a rate four times higher than white babies, according to the 2019 community health assessment by Public Health Dayton-Montgomery County. ■ Blacks are often raised in neighborhoods that lack access to the same opportunities as white residents. More than 65% of Black children in our metropolitan area are being raised in very low opportunity neighborhoods that lack resources that would give them the same opportunities to succeed as white children, according to a recent study by Brandeis University says. Those resources include educational opportunities, parks and playgrounds, access to healthy food, health care and safe housing. ■ Data shows that the Dayton region fares poorer than most other large metropolitan areas when it comes to racial segregation as well as the difference between what blacks earn and what whites earn. Add to that the fact that studies have found that Blacks face a widening income gap compared to white residents and frequently die younger. Whites on average earn more, and between 2008 and 2018, the gap in annual median income between blacks and whites grew by $4,309. Black Ohioans represent 14% of the state’s population but make up 17% of the positive COVID-19 cases, 27% of hospitalizations and 17% of deaths, Ohio Department of Health statistics. This is an improvement from August, when Gov. Mike DeWine declared racism a public health crisis and said Blacks made up 25% of the positive cases, 32% of hospitalizations and 19% of COVID-19 deaths. In 2019, the Dayton area made its feelings about racism clear when a group affiliated with the KKK came to town. In the wake of Floyd’s death, organizations such as the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce have taken on the issue. In a statement signed by this newspaper and nearly 100 companies, the chamber stated support for efforts to declare racism a public health crisis approved by a laundry list of jurisdictions that include Dayton, Montgomery County, Yellow Springs, Trotwood and Piqua. Public Health–Dayton & Montgomery County passed a resolution in June declaring racism a public health crisis. Earlier this month, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, an organization that makes transportation planning, funding and policy decisions for Greene, Miami and Montgomery counties and part of Warren County, approved a resolution that calls for ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion in the organization. Resolutions and letters of support are only part of the solution. We are committed to staying engaged on matters of racial equality. We will call out progress and point to problems that must be addressed so that this community can move forward. We encourage you to be openminded and take part in activities that foster understanding and empathy. These are not easy challenges to overcome, but we believe they can be conquered. MORE DETAILS Editorials are our Editorial Board’s fact-based assessment of issues of importance to the communities we serve. These are not the opinions of our reporting staff who strive for neutrality in their reporting. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Guest columns are submitted or requested fact-based opinion pieces of 300 to 450 words. Special consideration is made on length case-by-case. Proposed pieces should include links to any research or statistics cited. Have an idea? Contact Amelia Robinson at arobinson@DaytonDailyNews.com

LOCAL NEWS Brian O. Martin Guest columnist The Board of Directors for the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission unanimously passed a resolution last week ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion in all MVRPC staff, committee, and Board of Directors actions. This action is immensely significant because the MVRPC Board of Directors represents nearly 80 local communities and public entities in the Miami Valley Region. It confirms that collectively, the Miami Valley denounces all forms of discrimination and racism and will work together to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion in all communities. The process to pass a regional resolution of this magnitude was as important as the vote itself. It sparked conversations within dozens of our member communities about how they might reflect their own commitments to their residents, with many issuing their own statements or passing their own similar resolutions. This powerful statement by our board of directors affirms that as a region, we will proactively plan for ways to address inequity because increasing disparity adversely impacts peoples’ quality of life now and for future generations. The action taken by the MVRPC Board of Directors is the latest in a series of efforts by MVRPC to accurately capture research, harness data and place a focus on equity in the Miami Valley. In July 2017, we published the Miami Valley Equity Regional Profile, using data and maps to clearly demonstrate that not all areas of our Region have equal access to opportunity. In October 2017, MVRPC launched the Miami Valley Equity Initiative in response to the clear gaps identified through our Equity Profile. In 2019, in partnership with The Dayton Foundation, the Del Mar Fund, Learn to Earn Dayton and local business, healthcare, non-profit and higher education institutions, our Equity Initiative evolved to become the Institute for Livable and Equitable Communities. As part of this effort, MVRPC convenes on a monthly basis with the Equity Leadership Team, a broad cross section of community leaders committed to developing strategies and funding initiatives that reduce racism and increase access to opportunity for all. Adoption of the resolution further supports the agency’s work in this area. It confirms that the MVRPC Board of Directors is highly supportive of MVRPC, the Miami Valley, and our partners in this work. The MVRPC staff will proudly work with our board and all Miami Valley communities, businesses, and organizations to assist each and every one with designing the custom approaches to assist with reaching their equity, diversity and inclusion goals. The affirmation that racism and discrimination must be eliminated from our region offers a unified declaration of the challenge we must take on together and within our own organizations, neighborhoods, schools, and broader communities. Our work is just beginning. Brian O. Martin is executive director of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission. The organization promotes collaboration among communities, stakeholders, and residents to advance regional priorities. The regional commission ‘will proactively plan for ways to address inequity.’

By Eric F. Spina and Steven Johnson Guest columnists TAKING A CLOSER LOOK As Ohio moves to recover from the devastating COVID-19 economic fallout, we need to get behind efforts to aggressively increase the number of young people and adults with the skills and education they need to secure and do in-demand jobs. That’s how we’ll keep high-paying jobs in our community and attract even more. Ohio has traditionally lagged the national average attainment rate — the percentage of workers with a high-value credential or a two- or four year college degree. Today, Ohio’s attainment rate is a significant two points below the national average. And Dayton and Montgomery County’s rates are lower than the state average, even as the number of local young people and adults with credentials and degrees has increased significantly in the last few years. For past generations, having a high school diploma was education enough to provide a middle-class life. But today’s well-paying jobs require more knowledge and training and in-demand skills. Because too many Ohioans haven’t had the opportunity to go on to college or take specialized training, we have a skills gap — shorthand for saying we have more skilled jobs than we have people who are qualified to fill them. Ohio needs 1 million more people with advanced skills to keep Ohio’s economy strong. Specifically, Ohio needs at least 65 percent of our workers to earn a highvalue credential or two- or four-year degree. Not everyone needs a college degree — licensed or certified plumbers, electricians, IT specialists, hair stylists, HVAC technicians and medical professionals earn good salaries and have rewarding careers. But these jobs require young people — and older adults, too — to participate in credential or degree programs. A group of about 40 public and private leaders across Ohio began exploring the connection between increasing the number of individuals with degrees and credentials and economic vitality a couple of years ago. Their focus was simple: Let’s find ways for Ohio to prepare and keep our talent in the state. Their blueprint, Bridging Ohio’s Workforce Gap, details five ways to make that happen: ■ Help Ohioans understand how having a degree or credential will improve their ability to get and keep in-demand jobs. ■ Ensure education programs are teaching students the skills that employers need them to have. ■ Make post-high school education accessible and affordable. ■ Help Ohioans complete, not just start, their educations after high school. ■ Develop regional partnerships to address local education and workforce needs. We have incredible partnerships in Dayton. For instance, the University of Dayton/Sinclair Academy allows students to seamlessly move from a twoyear degree program to a four-year college, making a bachelor’s degree more affordable and minimizing their debt. Ohio’s College Credit Plus program, which allows students to earn college credit for free while they’re still in high school, is an increasingly popular way to give young people a cost-saving jumpstart on college. Learn to Earn Dayton and its partners are helping drive up completion of the FAFSA, that all-important document that is required for students to receive financial aid. Bridging Ohio’s Workforce Gap proposes numerous strategies, including helping businesses expand education and training opportunities to current and potential workers; increasing internships, apprenticeships and co-ops; and helping formerly incarcerated individuals get jobs. We’re doing all of these things in our community. But we need to be even more aggressive. We have the right assets in place. We just need to expand our work, so that everyone in our community has the chance to have a rewarding career and share in the American Dream. Please join with us to make both Ohio Strong and our region Dayton Strong. Eric F. Spina is President of the University of Dayton. Steven Johnson is President of Sinclair College.

By Jeremy P. Kelley Staff Writer Learn to Earn Dayton, the local “cradle to career” education advocacy group, has named Kristina Scott as its new CEO, replacing longtime leader Tom Lasley, who will continue working on policy and college attainment issues. Scott, who will start Sept. 14, comes to Dayton after serving as executive director of Alabama Possible, a nonprofit group that fights systemic poverty in that state through education efforts. “Kristina has the passion and experience to help ensure every young person in our community earns a 2- or 4-year-college degree or credential,” Colleen Ryan, board chair of Learn to Earn, said in a statement. “Her accomplishments at Alabama Possible fit perfectly with Learn to Earn’s relentless focus on setting up all young people for success and creating the educated workforce we need to compete for great jobs.” Learn to Earn Dayton leads a number of programs — Preschool Promise, which boosts high-quality preschool access for lower-income families; Equity Fellows, which promote equity in education policy in K-12 schools; and college access efforts, including programs to get more students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Learn to Earn’s stated mission is “fostering the success of all Montgomery County children from birth until they graduate from college or earn a high quality credential … to have a career that allows them to earn a living wage.” Scott has been with Alabama Possible since 2008. Her resume says she grew the agency’s budget by 900% and made it financially sustainable, convened a statewide Education and Workforce Network, and increased FAFSA completion among Alabama students. Prior to that, she was a managing attorney in the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office from 2003-07 and worked on political campaigns. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Florida and her Juris Doctorate from Emory University. “I’m thrilled to join Learn to Earn,” Scott said in a statement. “I’ve admired the great work that’s happening in the Dayton region promoting student success and eliminating opportunity gaps for children from cradle to career.” She called the education partnerships that Dayton has built “a national model.” “From helping get more of our youngest learners ready for kindergarten to driving up college completion, Dayton strategically tackles challenges that prevent young people’s success, first in school and then in life,” Scott said. Lasley, 73, was Learn to Earn Dayton’s first CEO. He will transition to become the group’s Program Manager for Policy and Attainment, focusing on increasing college and credential completion in Montgomery County and working with statewide partners to improve Ohio’s educational attainment rate.