Ohio Bill Would Create Task Force on Early Childhood Education
Ohio House Bill 1023, sponsored by Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania), would establish an early childhood education governance and outcomes task force to study whether the state's early childhood investments and regulatory structures effectively prepare children for kindergarten. The task force would include legislators, officials from the Ohio departments of Children and Youth, Education and Workforce, Medicaid, Health, and Developmental Disabilities, plus early childhood experts, providers, and a parent representative. It would exclude review of childcare licensing and daily provider operations except where those issues affect educational quality or readiness, and must issue a final report by December 1, 2027, inventorying programs, funding, and gaps. Advocacy groups are still reviewing the bill, with some noting that study alone will not resolve Ohio's underlying childcare funding shortage.