The Problem
The average cost of childcare in Ohio exceeds $10,000 per year per child. For many families in District 3, that's more than they pay in rent — and more than the cost of tuition at a public university. Ohio ranks 40th in the nation on childcare affordability, meaning nearly every state does better. The result is a painful, impossible choice: one parent stays home (often a mother, and often at long-term career cost), or a family stretches their budget past the breaking point to keep working.
The childcare workforce itself is in crisis. Workers who care for Ohio's youngest children earn near-poverty wages, leading to chronic understaffing, center closures, and waitlists stretching months or years. Families in District 3 feel this every day.
Stacie's Plan
- Expand state childcare subsidies to cover more working families, with eligibility scaled to income so help reaches those who need it most
- Increase pay for childcare workers through state-funded wage supplements and quality incentive grants
- Create employer-sponsored childcare incentives — tax credits and grants for businesses that provide or fund childcare for their employees
- Fund the expansion of quality early childhood education programs in District 3, especially in underserved neighborhoods
- Streamline the subsidy application process so families can access help without navigating a bureaucratic maze
- Invest in childcare infrastructure grants to help providers expand capacity and meet safety standards
A Father's Perspective
Stacie Baker is not approaching this issue from a policy manual. He is a father of two who has lived the reality of what childcare costs do to a family budget. He has talked to parents across District 3 who are making career decisions — and life decisions — based on the cost and availability of childcare. He has met childcare workers who love their work and earn poverty wages doing it.
This is an economic issue, a workforce issue, and a family issue all at once. In the Ohio Senate, Stacie will treat it with the urgency it deserves — because no parent should have to choose between their career and their child.
