House Committee Begins Hearings on Bill to Support Foster, Kinship Caregivers

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) recently provided sponsor testimony on House Bill 7, legislation to support foster and kinship caregivers in Ohio by providing publicly funded childcare to children in the foster care system. Ray is sponsoring the legislation alongside State Rep. Andrea White (R-Kettering).

Under the bill, foster and kinship caregivers may receive publicly funded childcare for the time they are at work or a program of education. The bill will also provide categorical eligibility for publicly funded childcare, shifting the basis of eligibility from income to need.

“Foster and kinship caregivers are critical partners in ensuring every Ohio child grows up in a safe and loving home,” said Ray during sponsor testimony. “I believe we have a responsibility to support those who are caring for our most vulnerable children in order to ensure more safe, caring family homes.”

In Ohio, approximately 14,300 children are being cared for away from their parents in foster care. About 4,000 of those children are placed with a relative or family friend in kinship care and roughly 8,000 of them are living with foster parents. Currently, the average cost of center-based childcare for Ohio families ranges from $9,580 to $12,351 per year or more.

House Bill 7 awaits further consideration by the House Children and Human Services Committee.