By Taiwo AKINLAMI

Today, July 4, 2024 marks the first anniversary of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. Director Kara Wente provided a brilliant overview of the prodigious and selfless services the department has rendered to the precious children of Ohio. Below is her historic broadcast, as posted on the department’s LinkedIn page:

“Hi, I’m Kara Wente, the director of the Department of Children and Youth, and I’m excited to celebrate this significant milestone: the first-year celebration of our new department. This occasion marks the culmination of a year filled with dedication, hard work, and remarkable achievements. Last year, on the 4th of July, Governor DeWine signed the Budget Bill, which created the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. When the Governor envisioned this department, he simply wanted a team to wake up every day and think about how to do things better for Ohio’s children, with the goal of ensuring all children have the opportunity to live to their full potential and achieve their version of the American dream.”

The Director continued, “Today, we stand proud of the foundation we’ve built, the programs we’ve launched, and the lives we have touched. Over the past year, we have initiated innovative programs such as a Universal Nurse Home Visiting Program, called Family Connects, which provides support to every new mother and family immediately after they bring their baby home. We have conducted more than 10 Family Sessions across the state, hearing from over 270 families and youths about their experiences with the system. After hearing from them loud and clear, we launched a new resource to complement our team: the Family, Parent, and Youth Ambassadors. These ambassadors have lived experience and will provide support to families and youth in their communities. We also introduced the Childcare Choice Voucher Program to support families who are over the income threshold for the state’s publicly funded childcare program. In the first eight weeks of implementation, this new program has supported more than 1,500 new children, ensuring that over 1,000 families now have access to childcare while they go to school or work.”

Reflecting on the department’s groundbreaking achievements, Ms. Wente cataloged, “Additionally, we are now serving almost 30,000 children in our Early Childhood Education Program, of which almost 150 were connected to ECE as a result of our ability to connect data from the Early Childhood Education Program and the Foster and Kinship Care Programs. Since July of 2023, almost 2,500 more children have also been served in the state’s publicly funded childcare program. Furthermore, almost 200 more children are being served in early intervention compared to July of last year.”

Concluding, the Director said, “These are just a few examples of how we are trying to better connect children and families with services, support, and people to help them. We cannot thank our partners enough for the guidance, feedback, and support they have provided over the last year. I am proud to say that we have engaged with close to 700 stakeholders over the past year, and in every meeting, we learned new ideas and gained valuable insights. Looking ahead, we have much to be excited about and so much more to do. This is just the beginning. Together, I know we will continue to do what’s right for Ohio’s kids.”

Today, we celebrate Governor DeWine for his foresight in putting Ohio’s children and families first and in creating this crucial department for the holistic and overall welfare of Ohio’s children, youths, and their families. We also celebrate the dedication and pioneering spirit of the Director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, her dedicated team, volunteers, and partners for the outstanding achievements in the department’s first year.

We congratulate Governor DeWine, the First Lady, the Director, her team, volunteers, partners, and all of Ohio’s kids and families on the first anniversary of the department and wish them many more years of making groundbreaking impacts in Family Strengthening and Securing A Friendly and Protective Environment for Ohio’s precious children.

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