Ohio

Established in 1981, Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio (CDF-OH) strives to eradicate child poverty, prevent abuse, and ensure access to healthcare and education. We focus on healthcare access, school discipline reform, juvenile justice, early childhood education, and leveraging networks for positive impact.

2025 Faith in our Future

Faith In Our Future: Day of Advocacy

Learn how your congregation can impact child well-being at CDF-Ohio’s Faith-Based Advocacy Trainings and Lobbying Day!

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Policy in Action

Policy in Action Event

Learn about policies that impact families and actions you can take to protect your community’s interests.

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Get Involved

Get Informed. Get Involved. Explore our resources and find out how you can make a difference for children and youth.

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CDF-Ohio’s Child Advocacy Center

Practical resources to help you champion the dignity, hope, and joy of children and families across Ohio.

Advocacy Center

Policy Priorities in Ohio

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Learn more about Ohio’s policy priorities

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Updates in Ohio

2024 CDF-Ohio Celebration of Joy

View highlights from the event.

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Share Your Story

Your story matters. Have you or your community been impacted by our programs or advocacy work? We want to hear from you.

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Programs in Ohio

Freedom Schools

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Movement Building

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News from Ohio

  • Education

    CDF-OH 2025 School Discipline Report

    March 23, 2026 — Ohio school districts have made progress over the past two decades, moving away from ineffective discipline policies that perpetuate social inequality and undermine school climate.…

  • New CDF-Ohio Report Examines Gun Violence’s Psychological Impact on Youth, Economic Cost to State’s Communities

    As gun violence remains a leading cause of death for Ohio’s youth, CDF-Ohio urges lawmakers to reverse this trend by investing in community-based interventions and enacting Child Access Prevention mandates.…

  • Gun Violence

    CDF-OH 2025 Gun Violence Report

    March 23, 2026 — Every child deserves to grow up in an environment that prioritizes their safety. Unfortunately, in the United States, the prevalence of gun violence means this is far from reality.…

  • Education

    Prioritizing DEI in Ohio Public Schools

    In this brief, we examine the most recent studies concerning the benefits of diversity initiatives in public education spaces and answer those questions, outlining the negative impact that would result from ending DEI in Ohio’s public schools.…

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Children’s Defense Fund – Ohio

175 S Third Street, Suite 870
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (740) 914-9020

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