As Introduced
136th General Assembly
Regular Session H. B. No. 41
2025-2026
Representatives White, A., Roemer
Cosponsors: Representatives Troy, Deeter, Williams, Odioso, Robb Blasdel,
Young, Plummer, Johnson, Ray
A B I L L
To establish certain child care grant programs,
including those related to child care capacity
and learning labs, and to make an appropriation.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. All items in this act are hereby appropriated
as designated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the
credit of the designated fund. For all operating appropriations
made in this act, those in the first column are for fiscal year
2026 and those in the second column are for fiscal year 2027.
The operating appropriations made in this act are in addition to
any other operating appropriations made for these fiscal years.
Section 2.
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A KID DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH
B General Revenue Fund
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C GRF 830412 Child Care Grants $10,250,000 $10,250,000
D TOTAL GRF General Revenue Fund $10,250,000 $10,250,000
E TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS $10,250,000 $10,250,000
CHILD CARE GRANTS
(A) Of the foregoing appropriation item 830412, Child Care
Grants, $10,000,000 in each fiscal year shall be used by the
Department of Children and Youth to administer, in consultation
with the Department of Development and JobsOhio, a grant program
to assist employers in retrofitting or equipping their onsite or
near-site child care facilities, in building new child care
facilities, or in partnering with child care providers,
government entities, nonprofit organizations, or others on
initiatives to create child care capacity within their
communities to support the workforce. The program's aim shall be
to increase the availability of child care in communities across
Ohio and to aid in business growth and recruitment in this
state.
Under the program, any entity may apply for a grant, but,
in awarding grants, the Department of Children and Youth shall
give priority to the following applicant types: employers
seeking child care for their employees' children; government
entities, nonprofit organizations, and other community
partnerships seeking to expand child care capacity for the
workforce in the communities they serve; or any combination of
these applicant types. To be eligible for an award, an applicant
must demonstrate that the applicant's facility or applicant's
partner provides, or intends to provide, publicly funded child
care and participates, or intends to participate, in the state's
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As Introduced
tiered quality rating and improvement system. An applicant also
shall submit a plan for ongoing sustainability to support its
capacity expanding initiative and shall identify the needs and
gaps its initiative would address.
Not more than $750,000 shall be awarded to each grant
recipient, and the recipient shall use the award only for the
purposes described in this division.
In addition, as part of the program and in an effort to
aid business growth and recruitment in this state, the
Department of Development, in coordination with JobsOhio and the
Department of Children and Youth, shall create additional
incentives for new or existing businesses to expand child care
capacity or child care support for the state's workforce.
(B)(1) Of the foregoing appropriation item 830412, Child
Care Grants, $250,000 in each fiscal year shall be used by the
Department of Children and Youth to contract with an entity to
establish a cohort comprised of recipients of child care-related
grants awarded by the Department, create an Employer-Based Child
Care Co-Design Learning Lab, and develop tools and resources in
order to train and support future child care grant applicants
and other employers, government entities, or nonprofit
organizations interested in expanding child care capacity.
(2) The entity selected shall coordinate education and
knowledge-sharing among the grant recipients and cohorts, as
well as provide technical assistance to these entities. The
entity shall collaborate with grant recipients to collect and
measure data, outcomes, and best practices, all as prescribed by
the Department of Children and Youth. The entity shall prepare a
report compiling the foregoing data, outcomes, and best
practices and submit copies of it to the Department, Governor,
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and members of the General Assembly. The Department shall assist
the entity in making the report available on the web site
maintained by the Department.
(3) The entity selected also shall establish an employer-
based child care co-design learning lab program. The program's
aim shall be twofold: to assist employers, including businesses,
government entities, and nonprofit organizations, in learning
how to form partnerships and best fund, including by utilizing
tax credits, grants such as those available under this section,
and employer contributions and other opportunities as necessary
to create onsite or near-site child care spots or facilities and
to identify other innovative strategies to expand child care
capacity in their communities. The program shall prioritize
rural and underserved areas of this state. Each design lab may
be regionally based and provide four to six months of intensive
learning to employer participants. Participants shall learn
processes and develop knowledge and competencies to plan,
organize, and find operations partners, to create long-term
financial modeling and business plans, to partner with community
stakeholders and organizations, and to apply for grants,
including those awarded by the Department. The program shall
emphasize the importance of operations partners, shall provide
participants with sample requests for proposals, and shall
encourage engagement with community and regional workforce
leadership.
(4) Additionally, the entity selected shall design an
employer tool kit and other resources as determined by the
Department of Children and Youth, in consultation with JobsOhio
and the Department of Development, that may be used to educate
employers on issues impacting, and solutions improving, employee
access to child care. The tool kit shall include, but not be
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limited to, all of the following topics:
(a) Strategies to expand child care capacity;
(b) Any information, competencies, best practices, and
other resources identified in the co-design lab program
described in this division;
(c) Procedures for applying for available child care-
related federal, state, and local tax credits and creating child
care-related flexible spending accounts or other employee
benefit supports;
(d) Any other resources identified by the Department of
Children and Youth, in consultation with JobsOhio and the
Department of Development.
The Department of Children and Youth shall make the tool
kit available on the web site it maintains and shall otherwise
distribute copies of the tool kit to businesses, government
entities, nonprofit organizations, and other entities as
determined by the Department.
Section 3. Within the limits set forth in this act, the
Director of Budget and Management shall establish accounts
indicating the source and amount of funds for each appropriation
made in this act, and shall determine the manner in which
appropriation accounts shall be maintained. Expenditures from
operating appropriations contained in this act shall be
accounted for as though made in, and are subject to all
applicable provisions of, the main operating appropriations act
of the 136th General Assembly.
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