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Updates by Program Area
For Your Awareness
New Date Announced for Tourism Day
Our friends at the Ohio Department of Development invite you to join them this Thursday, May 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the West Plaza of the Ohio Statehouse for a celebration of everything that makes Ohio the Heart of it All.
More than 130 destinations, attractions, and travel experts from across the state will be there to inspire your next road trip, weekend escape, or summer vacation.
It’s a free, action-packed event with live entertainment, giveaways, and hands-on experiences—and every attendee will leave with the brand-new 2025 Ohio Summer Events Guide, packed with hundreds of incredible festivals, fairs, and adventures.
Bring your curiosity. Bring your bucket list. And bring a friend!
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Maternal & Infant Wellness |
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Programs focus on eliminating health disparities, improving birth outcomes, and improving the health status of pregnant women, infants, and children to ensure moms and babies celebrate the child’s first birthday.
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Governor DeWine and Director Wente Announce Effort to Improve Birth Outcomes
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and DCY Director Kara Wente were in Toledo April 30, announcing the launch of an effort to reduce infant mortality rates.
DCY is teaming up with several organizations across the state through the DeWine-Tressel Administration's new Partners for Change grant. The program is based on a model pioneered by Hamilton County-based Cradle Cincinnati.
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Grant partners in four counties were selected to spread and scale this model in their communities. These communities were selected because they have the highest birth and infant mortality rates in Ohio.
The event was held at the Boys and Girls Club of Toledo’s Homer Hanham Club and was hosted by Lucas County grant recipient, the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio (HCNO).
Other grant partners selected include First Year Cleveland (Cuyahoga County), CelebrateOne (Franklin County), and Dayton Children's Hospital (Montgomery County).
Pictured top left: Dr. R.W. Mills, Chief Medical Officer, Nationwide Children’s Hospital – Toledo; Paula Grieb, Chief Operating Officer, ProMedica Ebeid Children’s Hospital; Shannon Jones, Deputy Health Commissioner, Toledo-Lucas County Health Department; Hayley Studer, President, Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio; and Jeffrey Dempsey, President, Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center. These are the leaders from the organizations working with HCNO (grantee).
Pictured above right: Kara Wente, Director, DCY; Danielle Tong, Executive Director, CelebrateOne Columbus; Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine; Angela Newman-White, Executive Director, First Year Cleveland; Maleka James, Project Manager, Infant and Child Wellness Initiatives, Dayton Children's Hospital; Hayley Studer, President, Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio; Alison Payten, Bureau Chief, Maternal & Early Childhood Services & Supports, Policy Division, DCY.
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DCY Works to Make Depression and Anxiety Screenings Part of Primary Care Visits
Since May is Mental Health Month, we are spotlighting Focus on ME, Mental Health is Essential Health, an Ohio Department of Children and Youth and Ohio Department of Medicaid funded, and Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center administered, quality improvement project that aims to improve care related to anxiety and depression for women of reproductive age. Among women of reproductive age, untreated anxiety and depressive disorders increase the risk of pregnancy-related complications, preterm birth, and postpartum chronic diseases.
Focus on ME engages multi-disciplinary primary care teams to meet mental health needs in primary care settings given that women have periodic contact with their primary care providers, and it can be difficult to get into a behavioral health specialist in a timely manner due to the workforce shortage. The specific aims of the project include increasing the screening rate for both anxiety and depression and increasing the rate of appropriate care for those who screen positive. The project works with participating sites to implement best-practice screening and treatment for anxiety and depression, using tools like Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, a real-time electronic health records data dashboard, and monthly quality improvement coaching and action period calls.
Focus on ME is currently in phase four of the project and has spread to 82 sites throughout the state. In the first three phases, all screening and treatment measures saw improvement from baseline to implementation. The project is addressing an important gap in behavioral healthcare for women and is doing so at a large scale, impacting more than 58,000 participants across the first three phases. The project provides a scalable structure as it continues to implement lessons learned and spread to additional sites throughout the state making a positive impact on the health of women and their children.
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DCY Memos and Resources
No updates at this time.
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Early Childhood Development |
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The Early Childhood Development programs provide technical assistance, education, and referrals for families and youth with evaluations regarding specific needs and disabilities.
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Initiatives work to connect educators, families, and youth to education
services and supports.
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Survey Deadline Extended
Don't miss this opportunity to make your voice heard! The closing date has been extended until May 18 for the Child Care survey, which will help to better support care providers across Ohio.
Take our quick survey today and let OCALI, the Early Childhood Center of Excellence, and the Ohio Department of Children and Youth know what YOU need. Click the photo to take the survey.
Thank you for helping shape the future!
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Apply Now for the Grow Ohio Grant
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce's Office of Nutrition is accepting applications for the 2025 Grow Ohio Grant program. The Grow Ohio Grant is funded through the 2022 State Agency Non-Competitive Farm to School Formula Grant awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Grants aim to support child nutrition program sponsors in providing innovative activities that create agricultural education opportunities for participating children through farm to school projects. These can include outdoor or indoor school gardening, hydroponics, collaborations with local food producers, and food literacy. All grant proposals must meet one or more of the following objective areas:
- Agriculture Career Exploration
- Local Producer Connections
- Edible Gardens
Grant awards range from $5,000 to $40,000. Visit the Grow Ohio Grant webpage for more information and register for the informational webinar on May 14. Applications close May 28 at 11:59 p.m.
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2025 ORSPN Registration Is Now Open
The Ohio Related Service Personnel Network (ORSPN) Community of Practice meetings are scheduled for 2025. ORSPN is again partnering with the Department of Education and Workforce Office for Exceptional Children to provide updates, information, and resources to support your practice in school settings. The meetings will focus on hot topics for related service personnel, such as caseload/workload, documenting IEP minutes, adding or removing related services, supporting students through indirect services, missed service minutes, determining restrictive service delivery, and more. All are welcome. Please share this registration invitation with your school team.
These meetings are in person. Sign-in begins at 9:15 a.m. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 3:45 p.m. Please see the schedule for the day using this link: ORSPN Schedule. There will be extra time dedicated to discussing questions from the field. Questions should be sent to Brenda George no later than June 15, 2025. Indicate in your subject line: QUESTION FOR 2025 ORSPN MEETING and include your contact information (name, email, and phone).
You may attend any meeting regardless of your location. Register for the date that works best for you.
- August 25, 2025, Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Central Ohio Region)
- August 28, 2025, Educational Service Center of Eastern Ohio (Northeast and East Central Regions)
- September 12, 2025, Mercer County Educational Service Center (Northwest and West Central Regions)
- September 26, 2025, Southern Ohio Educational Service Center (South, Southwest, and Southeast Regions)
- September 30, 2025, North Point Educational Service Center (North Central, Toledo, and Cleveland Regions)
The cost for registration is $65. Refunds are not available. Instead, registrants can transfer their registration to another meeting or colleague. A minimum of 25 registrants is needed per meeting. The registration form is available here. Please note that the process has changed for those using a PO number. To improve accounting, each registrant will need their own purchase order number before completing the registration form. If you have questions about the registration process or your employer requires a W-9, please email JMurphy7380@gmail.com. For any registration assistance, please email the ORSPN event administrator.
If you did not receive this message directly and would like to be added to the ORSPN database for future notices and resources, sign up using this link.
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Family Support & Stabilization |
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Focuses on enhancing the resources and supports available to parents and families.
Commission on Fatherhood Presents at Head Start Conference
On March 12, Ohio Commission on Fatherhood Executive Director Kim Dent and Project Manager-TWA, Ashiko Hudson, along with Carlos Christian, CEO of the Starts Within Organization, presented at the Ohio Head Start Association Social Work Conference. Over 90 participants attended their workshop on “Engaging Fathers: Tools, Tips and Strategies to Strengthen Family Support Practices." Topics covered included understanding the role of fathers in family support systems and addressing barriers to father involvement. Attendees were engaged and provided positive feedback on this very important topic.
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DCY Memos and Resources
No updates at this time.
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Children Services, Foster, Kinship, and Adoption |
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Children Services, Foster, Kinship, and Adoption programs provide caregivers with support via resources for their individualized needs.
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TEAM Ohio Integration with Ohio SACWIS
TEAM Ohio is now the new statewide Intake module for managing child maltreatment referrals in Ohio. As of May 1, 2025, this system offers an online referral platform for mandated reporters, as well as tools for Title IV-E Agencies to document, review, and make screening decisions on submitted referrals.
After a successful pilot phase, TEAM Ohio has now transitioned to full statewide implementation, bringing streamlined processes and enhanced capabilities to agencies across the state.
For more information, please see the Deployment Communication below and refer to the DCY, Office of Information Technology communication sent on April 29.
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Programs are designed to provide support for teens and young adults who either are in foster care or have aged out of foster care systems and need assistance.
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Save the Date for the 2025 Leadership and Life Skills Summit
The 2025 Leadership and Life Skills Summit for Current and Former Foster Youth is scheduled for Tuesday June 17, 2025 from 9am-4pm at the Crowne Plaza Columbus North (Worthington), 6500 Doubletree Ave., Columbus 43229.
This Summit is designed to inform and empower Ohio teens and young adults, ages 14-24, who have a foster care history, including those who have experienced adoption, kinship care, reunification, or congregate care placements. Summit breakout sessions will include topics such as, Intro to Finances, Job Interview Role Plays, Leadership Workshops, Suits for Success (free professional clothing for participating youth), and more.
There will be learning opportunities for adults who transport youth; so we encourage you to bring as many young people as you can!
Click here to view the flyer with details and a registration link.
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DCY Memos and Resources
No updates at this time.
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