The state of Central Ohio's childcare industry impacts parents, employers, the region's overall economy, and of course, the children who depend on quality childcare facilities and professionals. With so much riding on the state of childcare, we unpack the new 2025 Action for Children's Central Ohio Child Care Provider Survey. This comprehensive survey collects vital information from licensed child care providers about the local landscape of child care, and is the only continuing study of its kind in Ohio. Join CMC as a panel of experts and leaders unpacks this newest data to better understand the current state of childcare and the critical trends that will impact us all.
Featuring panelists:
Dr. Katherine Glenn-Applegate, Director of Child Care and Education Initiatives, Action for Children
Hannah Halbert, Executive Director, Policy Matters Ohio
Kara Wente, Director, The Ohio Department of Children and Youth
Rhonda West, Owner and Administrator, Rhonda's Daycare Service
Opening remarks by Tasha Booker, CEO, Action for Children.
Closing remarks by Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley.
The host is Jennifer Bullock, Anchor, NBC4.
This forum was sponsored by The Care Economy Organizing Project, The Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Mollard Consulting, PNC, and The United Way of Central Ohio.
The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream is The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner is The Columbus Dispatch.
This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading "The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education (and What We Should Do About It)" by Dan Wuori, 2024.
This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on February 11, 2026.
