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For Your Awareness
988 Resources Available to Spread the Word
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) has created materials for partners to use in marketing efforts to increase awareness of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. These include Ohio-specific logos and the 988 Ohio Logo Style Guide (.pdf). As we all continue working to promote this vital resource, we encourage our partners and stakeholders to check here regularly for updated materials and resources.
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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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Care2 is a quality improvement project aimed at improving maternal and infant health during the interconception period—the time between pregnancies. Building on the IMPLICIT Network’s quality improvement framework, Care2 is tailored to address the needs of Ohio families.
The project is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Medicaid, the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, and administered by the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center, in partnership with Ohio Chapter - American Academy of Pediatrics.
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The goal of Care2 is to embed screening of maternal risk factors into well-child visits that can affect future outcomes among mothers and children. Providers screen newly parenting women for:
- Depression and anxiety,
- Tobacco use and vaping,
- Family planning and multivitamin/folic acid use, and
- Infant safe sleep during well-child visits.
For more information visit the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center’s Care2 website.
For questions, contact Ayan Dahir, Public Health Consultant.
The Care2 QI Project is enrolling participants now for Phase 3, launching in late summer 2025. Pediatric, family medicine, and internal medicine primary care providers may enroll in Care2, engaging in collaborative learning with other participants across disciplines. Participants in Care2 will:
- Connect with mothers during well-child visits to identify risk factors and connect them to appropriate resources and treatment.
- As she considers future pregnancies, use valuable in-office time to consider mom’s health, too.
- Utilize enhanced protocols to improve office processes related to interconception care.
- Provide families with tangible resources, such as vitamins, sleep sacks, and books.
Contact Hayley Southworth to receive more information or complete the information request at the bottom of this page to receive the first updates on Phase 3 enrollment.
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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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Concerned About a Child's Development? Free Screening Tools Can Help
All children are unique and develop at their own pace, but general milestones can help you understand a child’s development.
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth's Help Me Grow Early Intervention free screening tools can help monitor developmental stages.
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth's Help Me Grow Early Intervention program offers free screening tools to help track developmental progress. Of course, parents should always talk to their child’s doctor about any concerns related to growth, development, or health.
Anyone can make a referral to Help Me Grow Early Intervention (HMG EI). If you have a concern, call HMG EI at (800) 755-4769 or complete a simple online referral.
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Initiatives work to connect educators, families, and youth to education
services and supports.
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Preschool Special Education Office Hours for the 2025-2026 School Year
The Department of Children and Youth (DCY) Preschool Special Education (PSE) team invites educators, school personnel, and early care and education service providers to participate in a virtual open office meeting series for the 2025–2026 school year.
These meetings provide an opportunity for early care and education professionals to ask the PSE team questions about the delivery of preschool special education services and support for children with disabilities ages three through five.
Meetings are an hour in long and will be held on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 3 - 4 p.m. Meetings will not be held in November and December due to the winter holidays.
Use this Microsoft Teams meeting link
Meeting ID: 298 784 751 338 5
Passcode: S6mJ9DT9
CORRECTION: Free Training Offered for Early Childhood Educators
Please note: The information previously shared about the steps to register was outdated. See below for the correct instructions. We apologize for any confusion!
Free Training for Early Childhood Educators
The FIND Team at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood is collaborating with Action For Children to bring Professional Development to Early Childhood educators in Ohio.
REGISTER in OCCRRA to earn PD clock hours.
Don’t need clock hours or not in OCCRRA? REGISTER HERE
What is FIND-PD?
FIND-PD is an online, self-paced training for early care and education professionals who want to transform everyday interactions with the children in their care. The strength-based approach reinforces naturally occurring, developmentally supportive interactions between educators and children.
Practical, Science-Based Strategies
- FIND-PD is grounded in decades of research dedicated to developing evidence-based interventions to support healthy child development.
- It builds on the Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) “classic” model and other interventions developed by Dr. Philip Fisher, Director of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood.
- FIND-PD uses real-life video examples to illustrate practical strategies to enhance responsive interactions, build child skills, and reduce challenging child behaviors. All strategies are science-based and can be immediately implemented.
Training Features
FIND-PD is designed to fit into educators’ busy schedules. Each course takes approximately 1.5 hours to complete and comprises brief modules that are 20-30 minutes long. Content is available in English and Spanish. Educators can earn professional development clock hours upon completion through the Ohio workforce registry.
Steps to Register & Earn PD Clock Hours
- Log in to OCCRRA
- Click on “Training Search”
- Search for “FIND Professional Development” or “Desarrollo Profesional FIND” and choose from one of the 3 courses
- After successful registration, either:
- Go to the Professional Development tab of your profile, find the course, and click on the “view” button to access the web link to the training site, OR
- Go to your OPR Notifications tab. Open the online training link notification, click “view more”, and you’ll be directed to the training site.
For more information: thefindprogram@stanford.edu
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Family Support & Stabilization |
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Focuses on enhancing the resources and supports available to parents and families.
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Ohio Commission on Fatherhood to Meet July 17
The public is invited to attend the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood's next meeting, July 17, 2025, from 10 a.m. to noon.
For those attending in person, please bring a state-issued ID to the Vern Riffe building, 77 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215. The meeting will be on the 19th floor, Conference Room 1960.
Virtual attendees can use this Zoom link and enter passcode 1999.
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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 Office Hours
Please join us for TEAM Ohio Office Hours on June 24, 2025, from 1:30 – 3 p.m. During this 90-minute session, users will have the opportunity to ask any questions they have about TEAM Ohio and receive assistance. Breakout rooms can be created for users to share their screens as needed. Office hours will be held monthly based on participation.
Click here to join the Office Hours on June 24
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Learn How House Bill 315 Has Changed Children Services Placements
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth invites participants to register for an upcoming training to learn critical updates from Ohio House Bill 315. This bill outlines new requirements and emergency procedures under Ohio Revised Code sections relevant to children placed in Public Children Service's Agency (PCSA), Private Child Placing Agency (PCPA), or Residential Facilities.
PCSA Administrators, PCSA Supervisors, PCSA Caseworkers, and Congregate Care staff should get approval from your agency and register to attend via CAPS LMS on June 23, 2025 from 10-11 a.m.
To learn more, click on the flyer.
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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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Ohio Departments of Children and Youth, Education and
Workforce Celebrate 579 Graduates in Foster Care This
Year
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) are proud to recognize and celebrate the educational accomplishments of 579 young people in foster care who have graduated from high school or earned their High School Equivalency Diplomas (formerly known as a GED) in 2025.
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DCY Memos and Resources
No updates at this time.
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