Director Kara Wente Receives the 'How Firm Thy Friendship' Award
🎶"Oh come, let's sing Ohio's praise...."🎶
Congratulations! DCY Director Kara Wente received the 'How Firm Thy Friendship' Award. Ohio State University President Walter E. Carter, Jr., and Molly Ranz Calhoun, President and CEO of the OSU Alumni Association presented the award that recognizes dedication to and advocacy for The Ohio State University in the public sector. Thank you, Director Wente, for your unwavering commitment to Do What's Right For Kids!
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Thank you, Governor Mike DeWine, for Your Unwavering Support for Ohio's Children!
Interested in becoming a foster parent or learning more about Ohio's resources for foster care? Visit FosterAndAdopt.Ohio.Gov to learn more. Together, we can make a difference!
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Scioto County Featured in American Public Human Services Association Policy and Practice Magazine
During a tumultuous time merging the stand-alone children services agency with the local department of job and family services, this article highlights the efforts to streamline processes and enhance child safety through partnership and improved administrative infrastructure. Molly Tierney, Managing Director at Accenture in Health and Public Service, shares her insights on this crucial work. Read the article HERE!
Summer Picnic Celebrating Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio
On June 17, the Governor and First Lady DeWine hosted a picnic to celebrate Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio. The event was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) team members, who have played a crucial role in entering foster children’s contact information into the book ordering system.
The evening was filled with warm conversations, laughter, and a shared sense of accomplishment. DCY team members had the chance to connect with one another and meet local partners who manage the day-to-day operations of the program. It was a great occasion to strengthen partnerships and celebrate the impact of the Imagination Library.
Thank you to everyone who made this event possible and to those who continue to support this wonderful initiative. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of children and fostering a love of reading that will last a lifetime.
 Pictured above from left to right: Lillian Clossman, Stevie Romano, Sarah Strauss, Sunny Hannah, Governor DeWine, First Lady Fran DeWine, Jo Valentine, Kris Hagberg, Kristine Monroe, and Nathan Dedino
DCY On the Move
The Mental Health and Addiction Advocacy Coalition (MHAC) invited DCY Director Kara Wente, Chief of Staff Jeff Van Deusen, and Chief Government and External Affairs Officer Joel Potts to the Kovacic Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Center in Cleveland on May 6. There, they discussed a collaborative vision aimed at improving youth mental health in Cleveland, with a focus on the continuum of care, telehealth services for behavioral and mental health support, and the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program.
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DCY Director Kara Wente, Director of the Department of Developmental Disabilities Kim Hauck, and The Childhood League Center CEO Ginger Young toured The Childhood League Center in Columbus, Ohio. The Childhood League Center is dedicated to serving children from birth to five years old who have developmental delays. This nonprofit organization offers early intervention services and preschool classes for around 450 children annually. Their mission is to change the trajectory of a child’s life through innovative early childhood education, transdisciplinary teams, and family-centered partnerships. To learn more about this organization, visit childhoodleague.org or call 614-253-6933 and ask for Family Services.
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DCY Director Kara Wente and several DCY team members attended the 2024 Leadership and Life Skills Summit on June 11 in Columbus, Ohio. Organized by various Ohio youth and child-focused organizations, the summit aimed to empower current and former foster care teens and young adults through workshops and resources. DCY representatives also supported the Suits for Success program, providing professional attire for job interviews and important events. In her keynote address, Director Wente praised the 493 graduates, awarding them $250 each, and highlighted the significant role their experiences and voices play in shaping the work at DCY.
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 Pictured above from left to right: Alicia Masters, Ricardo Murph, Kara Waldron, Talia Holmes, Laurie Wright, Sarah Shooter, Laurie Valentine, Tara Shook, and Amy Swihart.
Fairfield County TeenWorks hosted a "June is Responsible Fatherhood Month" event on Saturday, June 15, at the Fairfield Fish & Game Association. The event, titled "Fishin' with Fathers," brought together children, fathers, and families for a day of bonding and fishing.
The event saw participation from various community partners and resources, enhancing the experience for all attendees. A highlight of the event was the keynote speech delivered by Mr. John Hamilton from the Fairfield Fish & Game Association. Additionally, Chief of Staff Jeff Van Deusen graciously provided remarks, adding to the event's significance.
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DCY Chief of Staff Jeff Van Deusen was invited to speak at the 2024 Ohio START Annual Summit on May 2 in Lewis Center. This summit was a gathering of more than 200 caseworkers, supervisors, behavioral health providers, and family peer mentors. Together, they spent the day networking and diving into strategies to better serve Ohio's families struggling with co-occurring child maltreatment and substance use disorder. To date, 56 Ohio START counties have served over 4,000 Ohioans. For more information, see Ohio START Program.
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Early Intervention Program Helps Boy Find His Voice
STEUBENVILLE — Theo Kennedy is a bundle of energy, playing with his cat and excitedly showing off some of his toys.
Theo, the 2½-year-old son of Ashlea Kennedy of Stratton, is finally finding his voice after working with the early intervention program through the Jefferson County Board of Developmental Disabilities. The EI program is currently coordinating services for 77 children, with 66 on individual family service plans who receive services in their home. About 15 employees, provide a variety of services including special instruction by developmental specialists, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy while the state has offered consultations for vision, audiology and mental health services.
Kennedy said the tyke did not speak when he was a year old, and she wondered if it was something more serious. She described him as a very easygoing baby who generally made sounds but never vocalized words. READ MORE
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DCY Team Members Present at the Ohio Hospital Association’s Maternal Health Summit
The Ohio Hospital Association hosted a Maternal Health Summit as part of their annual meeting and education summit.
The Summit kicked off with a presentation to ground attendees in Ohio’s maternal mortality data from DCY’s Pregnancy-Associated Review (PAMR) Coordinator, Hallie Kerr, and PAMR Chair and Clinical Consultant, Dr. Cynthia Shellhaas. PAMR data helps us to better understand our opportunities to prevent maternal deaths by developing interventions and strategies that address these leading causes.
Maternal deaths in Ohio are increasing. The pregnancy-related mortality ratio has increased from 2008 to 2018 in Ohio, from 10.8 to 23.7 deaths per 100,000 live births respectively.
Mental health conditions were the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Ohio from 2008-2018, and this included those due to substance use disorder/overdose, depression, anxiety disorder, and other psychiatric conditions. Followed by other leading causes of death such as cardiovascular conditions, infection, hemorrhage, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
It is important to note that when we disaggregate this data by race and ethnicity the leading causes differ between groups. Non-Hispanic White women’s leading cause of death are mental health conditions while the leading causes of death for non-Hispanic Black women include medical conditions such as embolism, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, infections, and cardiovascular conditions.
Posters were also presented on DCY’s Alliance on Innovation in Maternal Health (AIM) hypertension patient safety bundle, the Ohio Pregnancy Assessment Survey (OPAS), and PAMR data.
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 Pictured above: Rashelle Ghanem, DCY’s AIM Coordinator, fifth from left; Hallie Kerr, PAMR Coordinator, sixth from left; Dr. Cynthia Shellhaas, PAMR Chair, far right; and colleagues from The Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center and Ohio Hospital Association.
DCY Launches 'Child Match' to Streamline Placement for Ohio's Children Services Agencies
DCY has implemented exciting new functionality to the Ohio Certification for Agencies and Families (OCAF) that will help Public Children Services Agencies (PCSA) and Private Non-Custodial Agencies (PNA) match children with families and providers! The ability to place children safely and efficiently in an appropriate home is a significant challenge across Ohio, as it is a major pain point for PCSAs and PNAs. In February 2023, PCSAs and PNAs participated in a workshop to discuss the current placement matching issues, identify root causes, and brainstorm possible solutions. A variety of root causes were identified, and the workshop was followed by a dedicated session to develop ideas to best address the placement challenges. As a result of the workshop, the Child Match functionality was created as having the greatest potential for impact across Ohio’s children services community and was determined to be appropriate for use within OCAF.
With the Child Match functionality in OCAF, PCSAs will have the ability to create ‘placement need' posts which contain non-identifying information about children in their custody who need placement. In turn, all PNAs will receive notifications of new posts for children who need a placement. PNAs will be able to review posts and can communicate with the requestor to obtain further information or recommend an available placement option. Child Match was deployed on May 2 and is available for use by PCSAs and PNAs. If you are looking for ways of streamlining communications and creating efficiencies in this process, please check out Child Match! For more information about Child Match for PCSAs and PNAs, please visit: DCY Continuous Certification and OCAF Information - Home (sharepoint.com)**this link is only for PCSAs and PNAs.
Inclusion Support Specialists Share Successes with Ohio PROMISE
In recent updates from Ohio's Inclusion Support Specialists, inspiring stories highlight the transformative impact of dedicated support in educational settings. These specialists, part of the state's commitment to the Ohio Promise, have been instrumental in equipping educators with the tools and knowledge needed to create inclusive environments for all children.
One child care professional gained confidence addressing behaviors in her classroom:
"As part of ongoing consultation, I provided a child care professional with support regarding developmental milestones and different stages of play. By gaining a better understanding of a child's growth across physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains, she felt confident addressing the behaviors she was seeing in her classroom. Soon after consulting with her, the teacher welcomed a child with autism to her class. Feeling prepared and well-equipped, the teacher recognized the child's preferred communication and play styles right away. She realized that this child benefits from peer support and paired the child with a compatible peer. Not only has the child adjusted well to the new environment, but the new pair are also now inseparable friends."
In another success story, an administrator and lead teacher collaborated with a specialist to enhance visual supports in their setting.
"I consulted with a center administrator and lead teacher who were in need of visual supports and how to use them effectively in their setting. After a few sessions, the administrator and teacher were a tour de force of visual supports! They collaborated to create, print, and hang several visuals, but they didn't stop there. The teacher noticed many of the children need more transition support when they are dropped off in the morning. After collaborating with family and caregivers, the teacher designed a space for family photos to hang in her classroom. The teacher is thrilled to be able to offer this type of visual as it supports her children as they adjust to being in her safe and inclusive classroom."
These achievements highlight the transformative impact of Ohio's commitment to inclusive education through dedicated support and collaboration among educators.
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Supporting Kindergarten Readiness for Early Intervention Exiters
Approximately 2,300 children in Early Intervention (EI) will exit the program at age three without qualifying for Preschool Special Education. Data indicates that 81 percent of these children are not attending an early childhood program for preschool. To address this gap, a pilot study aims to offer families an alternative for high-quality early childhood education, ensuring these children are ready for kindergarten.
Current Early Childhood Education (ECE) grantees are collaborating with county service coordinators to place EI exiting children into preschool programs. Service coordinators facilitate the connection between families and grantees, supporting the transition to preschool. While the number of participating children is currently small, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Cathy Heck from Horizons Education Centers shared a success story: "The family told me how grateful they were for this opportunity," after enrolling two EI exiters. Another school district faced a unique situation where a set of triplets had two children qualify for Preschool Special Education services and one did not. The EI exiter funding allowed all three children to stay together at one site. Holly Weatherson, Director of Early Intervention from Noble and Belmont Counties, has already secured placements for several EI exiters for the upcoming school year.
The pilot has fostered strong connections between agencies and provided essential support to Ohio families. For more information on this initiative, please contact Megan Shuler by emailing megan.Shuler@childrenandyouth.ohio.gov.
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Notes From the Field: Joel Potts, Chief Government and External Affairs Officer
Throughout the past three months I have had numerous opportunities to travel across the state on behalf of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. I have attended several public forums, listening sessions, conferences, legislative hearings, fatherhood events, and Family and Children First Council meetings. I have also taken part in a host of focus groups and listening sessions on various topics including mental health, child care, early learning, group homes for children in child protection, and infant and maternal wellbeing.
Events are happening every day in our communities whether we are there or not. And at these events the Department of Children and Youth is being showcased for the good work being done. As time moves forward and I attend more public events, it is becoming increasingly clear communities and organizations are taking note of what’s happening at DCY and the positive impact we are having in Ohio.
Some of the most inspiring moments in my various community encounters are when the department and services are being highlighted by community leaders who often have no idea representatives from the agency are in attendance. Just last week I was at a community forum hosted by Groundwork Ohio. A panel of local experts, including elected officials, continually highlighted the efforts at DCY and encouraged participants to pay attention to what is happening here. One comment in particular stood out when a panelist said of one of our department initiatives, “Early Intervention isn’t just a program – it’s a focus at DCY.”
You know our vision is catching on when you hear community leaders, advocates, and legislators talking about the good things we are doing and, unprompted, saying things such as “At DCY, it’s not just about services, it is about outcomes,” or “At DCY, it is more about the people than the programs.”
At a recent forum in Zanesville discussing the needs of children, one of the local panelists showcased the exceptional work of the Fatherhood Commission and the impact of having fathers positively engaged in raising children, including reducing the number of children in the state living in poverty, reducing the unintended pregnancy rate for teenagers, and cutting the number of deaths of children between the ages of birth and one-year-old.
At multiple meetings community leaders have praised the importance of Triple P -- Positive Parenting Program, supported by the Department and the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund. I am also hearing across the state the importance of the work we are doing in the Early Care and Education, Publicly Funded Child Care, and family support arenas.
Our department’s Licensing team is doing some incredible work to help address the needs of children in group home settings and helping to ensure children are safe. Home visiting programs are receiving lots of attention and some major support from the Governor and legislature, as we have just received final approval to move forward with the new Family Connects pilot program.
The positive impacts DCY is having and the support we are receiving from external entities is a testament to all the hard work of our dedicated workforce.
The fantastic work of our IT, Legal, Fiscal, Contracts, HR, and support teams to set up a new agency in a historic timeframe has been amazing. Like a surgeon, the margin for errors is minuscule and the importance of what these individuals and teams are doing cannot be emphasized enough.
Collectively, through all the work of the people at the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, it is clear in the public eye that our talk of “Doing What’s Right for Kids” is not rhetoric, it is a reality.
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Ohio Counties Honored with 2024 NACo Achievement Awards
The National Association of Counties (NACo) has announced the recipients of the 2024 NACo Achievement Awards. Six counties in Ohio—Ashtabula, Franklin, Hamilton, Montgomery, and Warren—have been honored for their initiatives involving children and youth. These initiatives include collaborations with county children services agencies, support for foster care through local programs, and workforce development efforts. To see the full list of awards, which can be sorted by state and category, click this link. Congratulations to all the winners!
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