Executive Director's Blog

Planting Acorns in a Storm
By Julie Stone  |  April 20, 2026  | Dayton, OH |  Perseverance 

Earlier this month, Dr. El Brown spoke at our virtual OHSAI event and introduced us to the Acorn Story and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.  She reminded us that we are the stewards of small beginnings, entrusted with children full of possibility who carry the power to shape a future we may never see. She reminded us that our responsibility is to see them beyond their circumstances and to engage in ways that empower them to grow. And she reminded us that what we plant today lives on beyond us - that each word we speak, each choice we make, becomes part of the soil of generations.

Sitting in that zoom, I was struck by something beyond the beauty of the words themselves. I was struck by who was in the ‘room’ - Directors, educators, family advocates, parent leaders, partners - people who have just come through one of the hardest years this community has ever faced, and who showed up consistently through all of it. The adversity of 2025 revealed Ohio’s Head Start community as something deeper and more durable than any single funding cycle or political moment. It also demonstrated how truly foundational Head Start is to Ohio’s Early Care and Education ecosystem. That matters especially right now: when Head Start faces funding uncertainty, the disruption does not stop at the program’s door - it ripples outward through every other provider, every family on a waiting list, and every community that has built its early childhood capacity around Head Start’s presence.

Head Start powers Ohio's workforce. When a parent drops their child at a Head Start center in the morning, they are not only giving their child a gift - they are also receiving one, in the form of the workforce participation support and economic stability that quality, affordable care makes possible. Behind the enrollment numbers are tens of thousands of working parents who are able to earn a paycheck, contribute to their communities, and build a stronger foundation for their families. Every dollar put into Head Start returns an economic benefit realized through stronger school readiness, reduced need for remediation, and greater earning potential in adulthood. That is the oak tree Dr. Brown described - the one that begins as a small and seemingly unremarkable seed and grows into something that shelters everyone around it.
Head Start strengthens families. Dr. Brown's story speaks of a two-generation responsibility, which is precisely the design of Head Start. We don’t serve children in isolation from the adults who love them -  we serve whole families, building the kind of stability that allows both children and parents to grow. Head Start isn't just preschool - it is health, stability, and opportunity for each person it touches.

Head Start anchors underserved areas. One of the things Dr. Brown's story captures so well is the idea of legacy - of planting something in a place, and for a community, that will outlast any single season or any single challenge. Head Start does this in communities across all 88 Ohio counties, including the rural and Appalachian communities where it is frequently the only affordable early childhood option that exists. Throughout Ohio, Head Start is not just a service - it is an anchor. And in many of those rural and Appalachian communities, it is the only anchor — which means that cuts or closures do not reduce options so much as eliminate them entirely, leaving families with nowhere else to turn and communities with a gap that no other institution is positioned to fill. It is a signal of each community’s commitment to what children deserve, which is equity in its most concrete and consequential form.
Dr. Brown's closing words are ones I want to carry into every legislative meeting, every community conversation, and every moment of advocacy I undertake: together, we create the conditions for children to grow strong, stand tall, and one day return as shelter, shade, and service for those who come next. Ohio's Head Start community has been doing exactly that - through uncertain seasons and moments that tested whether the roots would hold. That is precisely why Head Start works. The acorns don't wait for better weather. Neither do we.

Data-Driven Collaboration for Stronger Families and Communities
By Julie Stone  |  March 11, 2026  | Dayton, OH |  Data & Collaboration 

One of the things I value most about working with Head Start programs across Ohio is the people.

I see Directors solving problems in real time. I see teachers building trust with families facing extraordinary pressures. I interact with staff who keep showing up for children because they believe in the impact of their work and in the difference it makes every day.
 
The recently released Head Start Collaboration Office Statewide Needs Assessment reflects and honors this spirit. As Collaboration Office Director, Lori Perkins partnered with OHSAI; her thoughtful leadership and steady partnership helped ground this work in both statewide perspective and local reality. The Collaboration Office understands what programs are navigating every day, and that made this process stronger at every step.  We wanted to take an honest look at what children, families, and programs are experiencing across Ohio and what it means for our shared work moving forward. The findings confirm what many of us already know from experience: Head Start Works for Ohio.
 
What the Data Shows Across Ohio
 Head Start and Early Head Start collectively serve thousands of families across Ohio, providing early learning, parental support, health screenings, and connections to community services in all 88 counties. According to this assessment, some communities are seeing growth and new opportunity. Others are facing economic pressures, workforce shortages, and health challenges that make progress harder for families. That matters because children do not experience policy in theory; they experience it in the conditions of their communities, their housing stability, their access to health care, and their family’s economic security.  What is consistent across communities is the role Head Start plays as a steady anchor for families. In some places, it is the only accessible early learning option for low income families. That impact goes far beyond early education. Head Start helps parents stay employed, supports children’s development, and strengthens communities, and those themes show up clearly in both the stories and the data.
 
The Workforce Reality
 Another clear takeaway is something our members have been saying for a long time. The early childhood workforce is under real pressure.  Programs are managing staffing shortages, compensation gaps and rising costs while continuing to meet rigorous federal performance standards and delivering measurable outcomes for children and families. The dedication of teachers and staff is extraordinary, but dedication alone cannot sustain a system.  If we want strong outcomes for children, we must invest in the adults who make those outcomes possible. That connection is clear and central to everything we do.

Why Collaboration is Central
 The Assessment reinforces something Head Start leaders already understand well. Families do not experience life in separate systems.  When systems work together, families feel supported. When they do not, families feel the gaps.  Head Start programs function as conveners and connectors, bringing partners together around children and families. That role is especially important in rural and underserved communities where collaboration makes a real difference. And, that role is central to the Department of Children and Youth’s goals of reducing infant mortality, decreasing foster care entry, and increasing kindergarten readiness. Alignment across systems is not optional if we really want to move the data. When systems are coordinated, results follow.
 
How the Assessment Guides Our Work
 The Assessment gives us something invaluable: clarity.  As we continue conversations with policymakers and community leaders, our approach remains simple and consistent. We share stories that make it real, we share facts that make it local, and we are clear about what programs need, always coming back to the central message – Head Start Works for Ohio.
 
Moving Ahead Together
 I am proud of the partnership behind this work, and I am proud of the leaders across Ohio who champion children and families every day. The Assessment is not an endpoint. It is a guidepost.  It reminds us that strong federal policy and strong state alignment both matter, and it reminds us that lived experience and data must inform one another. More than anything, it reminds us that we are strongest when we move forward together, with shared purpose and a consistent voice.
 
When we share our stories and our data, we are not only showing what works in Ohio, we are contributing to a larger national conversation about what children and families need to thrive.  This assessment reminds us that our collective work must be grounded in both data and lived experience. It reminds us that strong federal policy and strong state alignment both matter. And it reminds us that when we move forward with shared purpose and a consistent voice, we are far more powerful.
We will keep telling our stories.
We will keep sharing the facts.
And we will keep showing Ohio, and the nation, why Head Start works.

Families, Workforce, Future: Why Child Care Must Be a National Priority

By Julie Stone  |  February 26, 2026  | Dayton, OH |  State of the Union 

In this year’s State of the Union address, the President emphasized that hard-working citizens must remain the country’s first concern.

Affordability. Economic growth. Strengthening families.

Those priorities resonate deeply with those of us working alongside Ohio’s Head Start programs every day. But there was one issue sitting at the center of all three — even if it was not named directly: child care.

If we are serious about putting America first, we have to be serious about whether working parents can find and afford safe, reliable early learning for their children. This is not a partisan conversation. It is a workforce conversation. It is about economic competitiveness. And fundamentally, it is about whether families can remain stable and self-sufficient.

Across Ohio — in urban neighborhoods, suburban communities, rural counties, and Appalachian regions — child care costs continue to rise. For many families, care now rivals housing payments or college tuition. But cost is only part of the equation. Reliability matters just as much.
When care is unavailable, unstable, or inconsistent, parents miss shifts. They decline overtime. They turn down promotions. Some leave the workforce entirely. That is not just a family challenge — it is a workforce disruption.

Employers feel this every day. Businesses cannot expand production lines, staff health care facilities, or grow small enterprises if their employees do not have dependable care. Labor force participation, especially among parents of young children, is directly tied to whether child care works. When child care systems are strong, workforce participation rises. When they are fragile, businesses struggle to hire and retain talent.

The data reflects what we see on the ground. A recent national poll conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of the First Five Years Fund found:
• 82% of voters believe federal child care funding will help lower costs for working families.
• 80% say finding and affording child care is a crisis or a major problem.
• 75% believe child care funding should be increased or maintained.
• 74% say funding for child care is an important and good use of tax dollars.

Republicans. Independents. Democrats. Families are united on this. And when voters across parties align this clearly, policymakers should pay attention — because the workforce and economic stakes are real.

Head Start has been part of the solution for more than sixty years. More than 40 million children and families have been served nationwide. In Ohio alone, nearly 25,000 children are supported each year across nearly 60 programs.

Child care and Head Start power Ohio’s workforce. When parents know their children are in safe, high-quality classrooms, they can work consistently. They can pursue credentials. They can accept promotions. They can contribute fully to their employers and communities. Head Start is not separate from economic development — it is workforce infrastructure.

Child care and Head Start strengthen families. Early learning, health screenings, developmental supports, and family engagement are delivered together. Research consistently shows that children who attend Head Start and receive early learning, health screenings, and developmental supports are better prepared for school and experience long-term benefits in educational attainment and social-emotional development. But just as importantly, through family engagement, parents are supported as partners and leaders — strengthening household stability and long-term economic mobility.

Child care and Head Start anchor communities. In many Ohio counties, especially rural and Appalachian regions, Head Start is one of the most stable early childhood providers. Programs create local jobs, partner with school districts, provide medical care, and serve as trusted community hubs. When Head Start is strong, communities are stronger — and local economies are more resilient.
At a time when affordability dominates the national conversation, sustained federal support for child care and early learning is not optional — it is foundational to economic competitiveness.
We urge bipartisan action to expand child care tax credits, incentivize employer-supported care, enhance dependent care assistance, sustain and grow Head Start funding, and ensure policies reflect the true cost of high-quality care.

This is not simply about budget lines. It is about whether parents can work, whether employers can hire, and whether Ohio can compete in the future.
If we want a strong economy tomorrow, we must build the workforce infrastructure families depend on today.

 

Head Start Works for Ohio — And We’re Showing Up to Prove It

The National Head Start Association’s Winter Leadership Institute came at an important time for our field.

Across the country — and here in Ohio — programs are managing workforce shortages, rising costs, and uncertainty about federal funding. Those aren’t abstract policy debates. They show up every day in our classrooms, our staffing plans, and the families who depend on us.

That reality shaped every conversation in Washington.

Being with other state Association leaders was a good reminder of what makes Head Start strong. This has always been a practical, roll-up-your-sleeves network. We share what’s working, learn from one another, and help each other solve problems. That steady, peer-to-peer leadership is how we keep moving forward, especially when conditions are tough.

What we heard consistently was simple: Head Start works.

It helps parents stay in the workforce. It gives children a strong start in school. And in many communities, it’s the only affordable, reliable option families have.

Seeing Parent Advocates meet directly with policymakers was a highlight for me. One mom shared how Head Start made it possible for her to reenter the workforce, knowing her child was safe, learning, and supported. Stories like that bring the work to life more clearly than any report ever could.

We also came prepared with the facts. Head Start programs are foundational in their communities — they are employers, early learning providers, and trusted anchors in every Ohio county. When we talk about funding or staffing, we’re talking about real classrooms, real jobs, and real families we know by name.

That’s why showing up consistently matters. Advocacy isn’t one trip or one meeting. It’s a steady relationship-building and clear, local voices helping policymakers understand what’s at stake.

I’m proud of how Ohio shows up in these spaces. Our directors, staff, and parents speak with credibility because they live this work every day.

As we move forward, our focus is simple: keep elevating local leaders and parent voices, keep sharing our results, and keep reminding and showing decision-makers why it’s so important to protect and strengthen Head Start.

Because we see it every day.

Head Start works for Ohio — and we will continue to boldly show up to make sure it stays strong for the families and communities that depend on it.