Student Wellness & Success Funding Report: Over 3,000 Whole Child Initiatives Implemented Supporting Over 1 Million Ohio Children
By Alison Paxson, Policy & Communications Associate
January 7, 2021
The research is clear, when children have their basic needs met and are healthy, they are more ready to learn and be successful.1 In response to the growing needs of children and families, in 2019, with House Bill 166, the DeWine Administration and 133rd General Assembly made a landmark investment of $675 million in the state budget to support the whole child. Aligned with the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) Each Child, Our Future strategic plan, these dollars were appropriated to assist schools in providing their students with mental health counseling, wraparound services, mentoring opportunities, and other initiatives to support whole child physical, social, emotional, and intellectual wellbeing.
On December 22nd, the Ohio Department of Education released its 2019-2020 Student Wellness and Success Funds Report detailing how funds allocated towards whole child wellness and success were used by schools, districts, and their community partners over the last two years. Read more here.