OHIO — Legislators, along with other stakeholders, hope to push a new bill on universal pre-k to the finish line before the year is out. That’s to better prepare kids for kindergarten and beyond. 

What You Need To Know

  • According to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, 36:6% of children were prepared to enter kindergarten last year
  • HB 595 would require districts to implement full day kindergarten and half-day pre-school, costing the state $842 million
  • Districts would have the option of establishing their own preschool program or partnering with one in existence 
  • The bill calls for the state to pick up the largest share of the cost

Currently, the bill seeks one time funding from the state to determine the impact and further costs.

Tanisha Pruitt, Youth Opportunity and Education Researcher at Policy Matters Ohio, helped work on the bill. She said higher wealth districts would still be able to charge families making over 700% of the poverty line preschool tuition.

“Another component of this plan is to increase the sports gaming tax revenues by 13%, starting in 2026," Pruitt said. "So when they increase that to 13%, that will offset some of that cost that the state will have to pay by around a $112 million, which brings us to that net cost of around $730 million for the plan by 2029.”

Before any legislation is passed, the bill would task the Department of Education and Workforce with holding meetings with school districts and other stakeholders to determine the feasibility of it all. In the meantime, Pruit believes universal pre-k is crucial as many children in the state are not prepared for kindergarten. Plus, the cost Pruitt said is a burden to many families.

“Many of our families in Ohio cannot afford quality child care, let alone to put their child in a quality preschool," she said.

This is leaving many to either choose between child care and pre-school or opting for a pre-school that’s of lesser quality. 

Right now, HB 595 is sitting in the House Finance Committee awaiting hearings.  To learn more about HB 595, click here.