Child care continues to pose challenges for working parents in Ohio. In 2021, Bureau of Labor Statistics data show Ohio hit a 20-year low in the number of child-care workers, with around 12,000 across 88 counties. (Adobe Stock)

Math and reading proficiency among Ohio’s students have stalled since the pandemic, and more students are qualifying for free or reduced-price school meals because of economic disadvantages at home, according to the latest 2023 Ohio Kids Count Data Profiles.

John Stanford, state director of Children’s Defense Fund Ohio, the group that publishes the profiles, said it’s clear the state’s youngest residents haven’t bounced back from the COVID-19 public health crisis.

“We still have a lot of work to accomplish when it comes to securing the well-being of Ohio’s children,” Stanford observed. “The data is very clear that we still have not recuperated from the pandemic.”

The data show last year, eighth-grade math proficiency across the state was around 46%. It’s a small increase from the prior year, but still well below proficiency rates in 2018. Chronic absenteeism, defined as a student missing 10% or more of the school year, declined from 30% in 2021 to 27% in 2022, but also remains well above the pre-pandemic rates.

Ohio has $3.5 billion in its “rainy day fund,” on top of more than $7 billion in unused revenue. Stanford is convinced policymakers should use the excess revenue to fund a state-level child tax credit and universal school meals, and decrease child-care costs for working families.

He added that lack of access to health care has ripple effects linked to decreased academic achievement.

“Having consistent and continuous Medicaid coverage for our children and our families,” Stanford said, “those are some of the initiatives that additional investments can make a huge difference in the lives of children across the state of Ohio.”

According to the 2020-2021 National Survey of Children’s Health, an estimated 58,000 kids across in Ohio were unable to access needed health care.