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Issue 53: January 20, 2026 |
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For Your Awareness
Our Partners Stand in Support of Human Trafficking Prevention
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Thanks to everyone who participated in Wear Blue Day in support of Human Trafficking Prevention. Enjoy this montage of Team DCY and our partners raising awareness and showing support and solidarity with survivors of Human Trafficking.
Click here for more information.
Click on the photo to view the video.
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Maternal & Infant Wellness |
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Programs focus on 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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Maternal Health Awareness Day — January 23, 2026
Maternal Health Awareness Day highlights the urgent need to improve maternal health in Ohio and across the country. In 2020, Ohio’s Pregnancy‑Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) found that 66 percent of pregnancy‑related deaths were preventable, underscoring the importance of continued focus and action. This day serves as a reminder for communities and providers to strengthen maternal health and reduce maternal mortality.
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DCY Awards $10 Million to Strengthen Support for Pregnant Women and Families with Infants
DCY awarded $10 million through the Community and Faith-Based Infant and Maternal Health Supports Grant Program to 10 organizations in counties with the highest infant mortality rates.
These grantees will lead a coordinated approach in partnership with local community and faith-based organizations to address gaps in systems of care for pregnant women and families with infants. Community and faith-based organizations will provide physical and social support to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
Key strategies include:
- Connecting families to early prenatal healthcare
- Providing parental education and support
- Strengthening community connections
- Offering crisis assistance and wraparound services
This initiative reflects DCY’s commitment to investing in community-driven solutions that reduce infant and maternal mortality and promote healthier outcomes for families.
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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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🌐 At a Glance: Key Updates for EI Partners
This month’s communication provides a forward‑looking overview of key Early Intervention priorities as we advance through the new year. The full update outlines critical milestones in SFY26 oversight and compliance work, including upcoming reporting deadlines, state‑level monitoring activities, and required submissions that support Ohio’s broader accountability framework.
NAEYC Needs Your Voice: Ensure Ohio Is Represented Accurately
The 2026 NAEYC ECE Workforce Survey is now open. Each year, this survey captures the lived experiences of more than 10,000 early childhood educators and program leaders across roles, settings, and the nation. From compensation and staffing to classroom conditions and program challenges, it's important that Ohio is well represented in the national data that help shape federal and state policy, inform media coverage, and strengthen advocacy for the ECE workforce.
Survey details:
- Open to all early childhood professionals
- Available in English and Spanish
- Takes about 10–15 minutes
- Open January 8–22, 2026
- Participants are entered into a drawing for one of ten $100 gift cards
Survey link: https://www.naeyc.org/ece-workforce-surveys
Questions? Reach out to advocacy@naeyc.org
Thank you for helping ensure that Ohio educators’ voices are heard and represented.
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Initiatives work to connect educators, families, and youth to education
services and supports.
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🚨 Save the Dates! Virtual Early Childhood Transition Summit Series 🚨
Let’s Explore Ways to Improve Early Childhood Transitions!
OCALI’s Center for the Young Child is hosting a three-part virtual series. All sessions begin at 9 a.m. and last 90 minutes. Our virtual summits are focused on strengthening transitions for young children and their families:
- March 13 – Terminology, Eligibility, Program Planning
- April 17 – Service Provision Essentials
- May 8 – Teaming & Collaboration
Who should join:
- Early Intervention Administrators and Service Coordinators
- Local Education Agencies (LEAs), including Early Childhood Educators, Supervisors, Providers, and State Support Teams (SSTs)
- Head Start Personnel
- Family & Children First Council Representatives
- Parent Educators and Mentors
- All Professionals Supporting Families with Transition
Mark your calendars—more information and registration links coming soon!
Making Every Moment Count Is Offering Two Webinar Trainings in February!
This series offers high‑impact, 30‑minute sessions for early care and education professionals. Each module introduces a research‑based practice that can be easily integrated into any curriculum to strengthen children’s learning.
February 3 – MEMC Module 4: Warm, Responsive Relationships
Discover how to use everyday moments to build warm, responsive connections that support trust, social skills, and cognitive growth. Learn strategies for attuning to children’s cues, encouraging their input, and modeling empathy.
February 17 – MEMC Module 5: Keeping the Conversation Going
Explore how to turn everyday talk into meaningful learning. This session focuses on sustaining rich, back‑and‑forth conversations that build vocabulary, narrative skills, and deeper thinking through open‑ended questions and child‑led dialogue.
Missed earlier sessions? On‑demand videos are available.
👉 Register for BOTH modules today by clicking here. Questions? Contact Amanda Grady at the Crane Center.
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Free Trainings Offered at the Early Childhood Education Summit
The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Master Trainers from Children’s Resource Center in partnership with Unison Health’s ECMH team are offering a day of free in-person training for all early care and education professionals on Thursday, January 22. All sessions offer OA credit. View the flyer for more details.
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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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Support for Post-Partum Moms: Family Connects Ohio
Family Connects Ohio (FCO) offers no-cost nurse home visits for post-partum mothers during the first few weeks after bringing a baby home. This is designed to help support maternal and infant well-being and connecting families to resources in the community. By nurturing at the early stages, Family Connects Ohio works to build healthier communities one family at a time. Family, friends, neighbors, or self-referrals can be completed using this link: Help Me Grow Referral by selecting Family Connects and representative will reach out to them.
Currently, FCO is offered in Darke, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Huron, Mahoning, Noble, Shelby, and Trumbull counties.
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For Your Newsletter– please feel free to use this information in your newsletters and other communications with Ohio families.
Help Kids Thrive at School: Parenting Strategies and Routines That Really Work
There’s no shortage of problems going to school can bring up, whether it’s challenging behaviors, friendship dramas, poor grades, or sore tummies in the morning.
Every parent and caregiver wants their child to enjoy school, reach their potential and make friends, but it’s not always as easy as it sounds.
While school is naturally full of ups and downs, as a parent or caregiver there are lots of ways you can help make it an overall positive experience. Whether your child has just gone back to school or started school for the first time, these simple and practical strategies can help them succeed in the classroom and beyond.
Creating before and after school routines, fostering a positive attitude toward school and encouraging open and honest communication in your household all go a long way in helping to reduce school-related stress and build your child’s confidence. And when things get tough, positive strategies can help resolve them.
To find out more about how to help your child thrive at school, read Triple P’s latest article!
For more positive parenting strategies, check out their free online programs.
Spanish version
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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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Join Us for the Winter Supervisor Summits
Whether you’re a seasoned leader or newly stepping into supervision, the Supervisor Summits offer fresh insights, actionable tools, and a supportive space to elevate your impact and inspire excellence across your team.
Supervisors play a pivotal role in shaping practice, supporting staff, and driving positive outcomes for children and families. These dynamic sessions bring supervisors together to strengthen leadership skills, deepen critical thinking, and explore practical strategies for guiding teams through today’s most complex challenges. Participants will engage in collaborative learning, real‑world scenarios, and reflective discussions designed to enhance decision‑making, communication, and coaching practices.
Please register for the Supervisor Summits in CAPS LMS. Both sessions will include the same content so you will only need to register for one.
DCY Responds to CRP Recommendations
The Ohio Citizen Review Panels’ CRP Annual Report 2025 outlines each panel’s focus, review process, and the recommendations submitted to DCY on May 15, 2025. DCY has now released the CRP 2025 Response Report, detailing our formal response to the panels’ evaluation and addressing the recommendations developed during the 2024–2025 review cycle.
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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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2025 Bridges Impact Report Released
The Department of Children and Youth, in partnership with the Child and Family Health Collaborative of Ohio, released the 2025 Bridges Impact Report, highlighting the program’s success in supporting youth aging out of foster care. Since its inception in 2018, Bridges has served as a lifeline for young adults ages 18 to 21, offering critical support in housing, education, employment, and overall well-being.
Looking ahead, Bridges aims to expand enrollment, strengthen community stakeholder engagement, and continue improving outcomes through quality initiatives.
Explore the full Bridges 2025 Impact Report to see how the program is empowering young adults across Ohio. To learn more about the program or make a referral, visit Bridges. For questions, please contact admin@cfhcohio.org or Bridges@childrenandyouth.ohio.gov.
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If you have questions about the content above, please reach out to info@childrenandyouth.ohio.gov
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) is committed to access, inclusion, and reasonable accommodation in all programs and activities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To request an accommodation, contact the meeting organizer or DCY's ADA Coordinator, at DCY.HumanResources@childrenandyouth.ohio.gov or 614-728-2832 (TTY 711) at least 14 days before the event.
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