COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fewer Ohio kindergarteners demonstrated readiness for school in the 2023-2024 school year compared 2020-2021, around the time the COVID-19 pandemic started, a new report showed.
The report reveals that the percentage of children demonstrating kindergarten readiness fell from 41.9% in 2020-2021 to 36.5% in 2023-2024.
Groundwork Ohio, a research and advocacy organization focused on early childhood development, on Tuesday released an early childhood dashboard that looked at factors that research shows boost brain development and early life success.
Included were scores from Ohio’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, which children in traditional public and charter schools take at the beginning of kindergarten. The assessment tests math, language and literacy, social development and physical and motor development.
The following scores from the assessment showed most students were not ready:
2023-2024 school year: 36.5% of students demonstrated readiness
2022-2023: 35.5%
2021-2022: 37.9%
2020-2021: 41.9%
“Kindergarten readiness is a critical predictor of long-term success,” said Troy Hunter, Groundwork’s managing director of policy. “Research show that children who start school ready to learn are more likely to succeed in math, reading, graduate high school, have secure and stable employment. Early investments in high-quality early learning experiences are key to preparing children for success.”
High-quality preschool and child care can prepare a child for kindergarten, but too many families lack access to affordable programs, said Lynanne Gutierrez, the president and CEO of Groundwork Ohio.
Many child care and preschool programs closed during the pandemic, leaving many kindergartners without access to crucial learning opportunities. This likely contributed to the decline in kindergarten readiness scores, she said.
READ MORE: Poll shows bipartisan consensus on child care in Ohio as lawmakers consider funding changes
Nearly one in five Ohio children under age five live in poverty, which the federal government defined this year as $32,150 for a family of four, the report said. This is a small improvement from Groundwork’s last report reviewing the data in 2023, when it was 21%. The federal child tax credit is believed to have helped reduce poverty.
Gov. Mike DeWine proposed a refundable child tax credit for families of up to $1,000 per child in an executive budget he presented last week.
DeWine’s budget also proposes an increase in the number of families who can participate in a new voucher program for families earning too much to receive publicly funded child care, which currently covers families earning up to 145% of the poverty level.
The Child Care Choice Program Voucher in his proposed budget would cover families between 146% of the poverty level to 200%, which ranges between $46,939 to $64,300 a year for a family of four.
“We have to invest in proven solutions, and we have to invest boldly,” Gutierrez said. “We can’t just act around the margins.”
Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.
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