Media Contact: John Henry, jhenry@childrensdefense.org, CDF Media Relations Manager, 708-646-7679
COLUMBUS, OH—Research suggests nearly half a million children in Ohio continue to suffer from the devastating impacts of poverty. The findings, which come from Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio’s (CDF-Ohio) 2024 Kids Count® Data Profiles, show it would be wise for Ohio to adopt some of the youth-based budget proposals presented by Governor Mike DeWine.
CDF-Ohio compiled the Kids Count Data findings, a set of 16 indicators that detail how children have fared in post-pandemic Ohio, into an online dashboard that can be viewed here. The data reveals the following regarding Ohio’s young people:
- 54 percent of children, roughly 1.4 million youth, are economically disadvantaged as defined by the Ohio Department of Education.
- 18 percent of children, roughly 470,000 youth, are experiencing poverty.
- 54 percent of children, roughly 1.4 million youth, receive health care through Medicaid.
- 25 percent of children, roughly 650,000 youth, receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Last week, Governor DeWine introduced his 2026-2027 Executive Budget Proposal, which contained several encouraging recommendations. His budget includes proposals to create a refundable child tax credit for the state’s young families, an expansion of the number of school-based health centers in the state’s high-need counties, the provision of quality childcare for families who make up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level through publicly funded childcare and the Childcare Choice Program, and OhioSEE – a new program to ensure students who fail vision screenings between kindergarten and third grade receive comprehensive eye exams and, if needed, glasses.
CDF-Ohio State Director Dr. John Stanford said any proposals that look to support young families and improve their health and economic well-being are what the Buckeye State needs.
“This data shows an unacceptable number of Ohio’s children in need of support,” Dr. Stanford said. “Some of the proposals presented by Governor DeWine are commonsense solutions that could ultimately improve the well-being of the 2.6 million children who live in our state. The parts of his budget that seek to achieve that goal must be protected from any future legislation introduced in Columbus that looks to diminish them.”
The data also reveals the shared experiences of youth who live in Ohio’s biggest cities and its Appalachian communities. The number of children experiencing poverty in Ohio’s Appalachian region is 21.4 percent. Meanwhile, 20.4 percent of children who live in Ohio’s metropolitan areas are also experiencing poverty. Children in both settings receive similar amounts of assistance from vital programs like Medicaid and SNAP:
- 59.7 percent of children in Ohio’s Appalachian region receive Medicaid, while 60.1 percent of children in metropolitan areas rely on that program for health care.
- 29 percent of children in Ohio’s Appalachian region receive SNAP, while 28.5 percent of children in Ohio’s metropolitan areas rely on that program for food.
“It is incumbent on us to not only support proposals that seek to improve the circumstances of Ohio’s children in the future, but also to protect programs and services that serve their well-being in the present,” CDF-Ohio Research Manager Dr. Guillermo Bervejillo said. “Ohio must reject any future proposals that dilute the effectiveness of Medicaid and SNAP.”