Policy Matters releases the first of two reportsPolicy Matters Ohio has released the first in a two-part analysis of state and federal funding streams for Ohio’s childcare system. The brief, titled “How Ohio (under)funds childcare” examines funding for the Department of Children and Youth (DCY), created in 2024 through the state budget bill, HB 33. Much of DCY’s annual budget — upwards of $1 billion — is allocated for childcare, primarily through Ohio’s Publicly Funded Child Care (PFCC) program. More than half of that funding comes through a single line item in the federal Child Care Block Grant; another quarter comes from the state’s General Revenue Fund. “There is a growing movement for better childcare here in Ohio, and that requires better funding,” said report co-author Kathryn Poe.