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For Your Awareness
'Here for Ohio Kids' Ad Campaign Shows Strong Metrics
DCY’s digital advertising campaign ran April through June 2025 reaching a statewide audience, with more than 18.8 million impressions (how many times the ads were seen) and over 183,000 clicks (the number of people who clicked the ad to learn more). It led to 39,181 visits to our DCY’s website campaign landing page, generated 1,469 Kids’ Corner newsletter sign-ups, prompted 148 visits to the website's Contact Us page, and initiated 23 direct requests for resources that were delivered to the appropriate division for further contact.
Thanks to this campaign, more people across Ohio now know where to go for family support—and DCY is proud to be that resource.
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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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Questions Answered at Home Visiting Ohio Professional Registry Office Hours
Attention DCY Help Me Grow Home Visitors and Supervisors! Don’t miss our upcoming Ohio Professional Registry (OPR) Office Hours on Thursday, August 14, 2025, from 1 – 2 p.m. This virtual session is designed specifically for you and will include a step-by-step walk-through on how to create a user profile and apply for a credential in the OPR system.
Whether you're new to the registry or just need a refresher, this is a great opportunity to get your questions answered and ensure you're on the right track. Please see this flyer for registration information or click HERE to register.
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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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New Traveling Exhibit Highlights Help Me Grow Supports
Bright Beginnings is excited to launch its Help Me Grow Children's Museum Traveling Exhibit. The traveling exhibit will feature an augmented reality Help Me Grow Sandbox that will be installed in early September at The Children’s Museum of Cleveland. This exhibit will raise awareness of all Help Me Grow supports, educate families about developmental milestones, and encourage them to track these milestones with ASQ screenings available through the Sparkler app. The exhibit will be in place for eight weeks at a time and offered to additional children’s museums around Ohio.”
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EI On the Move: Empowering Little Steps Toward Major
Milestones
From first steps taken with the help of a gait trainer to joyful babbles that light up a room, Early Intervention is changing lives every day. These little ones are on the move crawling, standing, speaking their first words, and exploring their world with growing confidence.
Behind each smile and small victory is a dedicated team of EI providers, families, and caregivers working together to help children grow and thrive. Early Intervention isn’t just about services it’s about progress, connection, and unlocking every child’s potential.
Moving Beyond Challenges One child, who entered EI with limited mobility and no communication, is now pulling to stand, crawling, and engaging socially. Initially hesitant to accept touch, they’ve blossomed thanks to the support of a nurturing foster home and a consistent therapy team that built trust and celebrated every breakthrough.
Finding Voice and Connection Another young child, once quiet and withdrawn, is now saying words like “Mama,” “Go,” and “Car,” and engaging in pretend play. The EI team coached caregivers to embed communication strategies into everyday routines helping this child find their voice and build strong, meaningful relationships.
Play, Laugh, and Learn For a toddler born prematurely with complex medical needs, early intervention provided by their speech therapist became joyful exploration. With playful, strength-building sessions focused on head control and early mobility, this little one gained confidence and a big, bright smile that lights up every visit.
The Journey These are just a few of the stories that show how Early Intervention helps put children on the move. Every step forward is made possible through strong partnerships among Service Coordinators, providers, families, and communities all grounded in the belief that every child can succeed.
Through collaboration, support, and a shared commitment to each child’s potential, Early Intervention keeps children on the move-one small, meaningful step at a time.
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Initiatives work to connect educators, families, and youth to education
services and supports.
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Step Up To Quality-Rated Child Care to Help Military Families
DCY is working with the United State Defense Department (DOD) to expand a program that increases access to quality civilian child care programs when on-installation child care is unavailable to military families in Ohio. The program, Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood – PLUS, or MCCYN-PLUS is already active in several states and will launch in Ohio on August 25,2025.
MCCYN-PLUS maintains high quality standards by depending on the states’ child care quality rating and improvement systems. In Ohio, this is our Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) program. As the DOD reviewed our system, they found it to be highly aligned with their strict standards – proving to be a strong endorsement for Ohio’s child care rating system.
Through this new relationship, military families will receive fee assistance to offset the high cost of child care in their community and can be assured their children will receive care from SUTQ gold or silver-rated programs.
Ohio has 3,169 programs who have obtained a Silver or Gold rating and would be eligible to participate in MCCYN-Plus. Providers already participating in the program will receive notification about the expansion with Ohio from the DOD.
For more information, go to: Becoming An Approved MCCYN-PLUS Provider In Ohio - Child Care Aware® of America or to contact DCY call, (844) 234-KIDS (844-234-5437), Option 3 or email childcarepolicy@childrenandyouth.ohio.gov.
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Courses Teach Parents and Educators How to Prevent Challenging Behavior
The Positive Early Childhood Education (PECE) Program is an online, self-paced professional learning course designed to introduce early childhood educators to 22 strategies to strengthen relationships with all children while teaching new skills, encouraging positive behavior, and preventing challenging behavior. The 4-hour self-paced course includes interactive modules, activities, and reflective exercises that are eligible for up to four hours of Ohio Approved credit. PECE is made available to educators at no cost with funding and support from the DCY and the Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (OCCRRA).
For additional information, including how to contact your Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) consultant, follow this link: Ohio's Helping Ohio Preschoolers Excel (HOPE) Rapid Response Line | Department of Children and Youth. Please note, DCY will be updating this information soon.
The PECE program is built upon the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, the most highly researched parenting program in the world. In addition to many offerings of the program by providers around Ohio, there is a free online course available for parents and caregivers like the PECE course for educators. To learn more about both visit: https://www.triplep-parenting.com/oh-en/triple-p/
To access the PECE course, register for the course on OCCRRA’s Ohio Professional Registry
For information on the PECE course or coaching in your area, contact ohiopeceinfo@triplep.net
Explore Literacy Skills in Upcoming Webinar
The In the Know Naptime Series is back! Join the Early Childhood Center of Excellence for Literacy in the Little Moments on August 14 at 12:30 p.m.
Everyday routines are filled with opportunities to nurture literacy skills in young children. We encourage early care and education professionals, administrators, and parents/caregivers of young children to attend this engaging one-hour webinar. We’ll explore essential foundational skills for literacy development and share practical strategies to seamlessly incorporate them into daily activities—no matter the age or stage.
What you’ll learn:
- Key foundational skills that support early literacy
- Simple, effective ways to build literacy into daily routines
- Tips and ideas for supporting children at every stage of development
Special Opportunity: We will randomly select 50 Ohio attendees to receive a FREE communication board sleeve with communication board!
Don’t miss out—register now to reserve your spot!
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DCY Memos and Resources
No updates at this time.
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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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 DCY Booth at Ohio State Fair Entertains and Informs
For the second year, the DCY booth at the Ohio State Fair was a big hit with kids and adults alike, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine.
The DeWines were just two of the more than 20,500 fairgoers who enjoyed DCY'ssafari-themed booth during the fair's 12-day run, inviting Ohioans to "Discover DCY" and the programs and services we offer.
In addition to a mini-golf game, photo booth, and light-up dance floor that made animal sounds, there was a reading nook featuring books distributed by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio and the very popular Draw Alive activity. There was a DCY quiz for visitors to test their knowledge about our department and a wall of brochures where they could select information important to them.
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The DCY team members who staffed our booth had many valuable outreach opportunities including:
- providing numerous resources to a woman asking questions about becoming a foster parent.
- referring a concerned mother to Help Me Grow after she expressed that her toddler isn't speaking as much as she would like.
- hearing appreciation from a Spanish-speaking mother who signed up her two children to receive Spanish language and bilingual books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio.
- sharing rack cards with a professor to pass along to her university students majoring in early education.
Pictured: Top- Team DCY greets Governor and Mrs. DeWine at the DCY booth in the Bricker Building at the 2025 Ohio State Fair. Above left- Governor DeWine colors an animal as part of the Draw Alive activity at the DCY booth. Above right- A DCY team member helps a family enjoy the golf game to win a prize.
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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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New Resource Available: 'Find an Agency' Website Launch
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) is committed to improving transparency and access to information for foster care and adoption services across the state.
To support this mission, DCY has launched the Find an Agency website—a powerful tool that helps users:
- Explore certified foster care and adoption providers across Ohio
- View general information and agency performance from past DCY reviews
- Make informed decisions when connecting with placement agencies
Although Title IV-E Agencies place children in homes and agencies certified by DCY, they previously had limited insight into agency status and historical reviews. This new site bridges that gap, providing stakeholders with the clarity and access they’ve needed.
Visit the website today to explore placement options and connect with trusted providers- check out the link here.
Key Features and Benefits:
Ohio Certification for Agencies and Families (OCAF) has a new website that ties into the childrenandyouth.ohio.gov Find an Agency tile. The website will contain the following:
- Ability to search for all agencies that provide foster care, adoption, and/or residential services for children which can be filtered for easy identification and selection.
- An Interactive Map that shows where agencies are located along with their facilities by type and descriptive information to aid locating an agency near you.
- Ability to view a condensed version of an agency’s Reviews Compliance Summary for Annual Reviews and Reviews with non-compliance findings. The report will not show any Personally Identifiable Information (PII); it will only show the summary.
- The site will contain detailed descriptions of each agency.
- A link to our Foster and Adoption inquiry portal for when our partners want to take the next steps and inquire with an agency or get more information directly from them or The Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRRA).
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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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From Lived Experience to Lasting Reform:
The Power of Youth Advocacy
The Hamilton County Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is reshaping how foster youth are seen—and how the systems that serve them can be changed for the better. Comprised of current and former foster youth, the board leads with lived experience, advocacy, and bold leadership. Their efforts are helping build a stronger, more supportive environment for youth in care across Ohio.
Jaleshia “Jay” Brown, adult supporter and former foster youth, helps amplify these voices. Recently, she collaborated with the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) on a statewide resource guide addressing parental incarceration. Her insight ensured that children’s emotional and safety concerns—especially during a parent’s release—were acknowledged and addressed in a meaningful, trauma-informed way.
Hamilton County YAB members deepened their impact while participating in the 2025 Statehouse Advocacy Day, which was organized by ACTION Ohio and the OHIO YAB. The focus of the day was on promoting three policies: the Foster to College Scholarship Program, the Runaway Protection Bill, and the Sibling Connections Matter Bill. After extensive research and preparation, youth leaders presented their ideas to lawmakers, inspiring Representative Brownlee to sponsor legislation ensuring foster youth can remain connected to their siblings—even when placed apart.
The momentum continued as YAB’s President, Yonnae Hobbs, testified before the Senate Finance Committee, sharing her personal journey navigating higher education as a foster youth. She emphasized how tuition support for foster youth leads to better outcomes: higher graduation rates, lower homelessness, and reduced reliance on emergency services. Her message was clear—investing in foster youth is both compassionate and cost-effective.
In tackling housing instability, Hamilton YAB identified underuse of Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Vouchers in Hamilton County. With only three of 50 vouchers in use, they launched efforts to raise awareness and improve access, resulting in a Memorandum of Understanding between county agencies and housing authorities. Today, 25 youth are benefiting from this support, a significant shift that highlights how advocacy rooted in experience can directly improve lives.
Hamilton County YAB is proving that youth voice isn’t just important—it’s transformative. Their passion and persistence are driving policies that protect, empower, and uplift foster youth. If your Public Children Services Agency is inspired to elevate youth leadership, consider forming a Local Youth Advisory Board. To begin, contact Lisa Dickson, Communications Chair with the OHIO YAB, at lisa@fosteractionohio.org to schedule a virtual meeting.
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DCY Memos and Resources
No updates at this time.
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