New Ohio Program Could Help Expand Home-Based Child Care in Mercer and Auglaize Counties

Residents in Mercer and Auglaize counties interested in opening a home-based child care business could receive new assistance through a statewide program announced by the Ohio Department of Children and Youth.

The department is partnering with Wonderschool to launch a family child care recruitment and mentorship program aimed at increasing the number of licensed child care providers across Ohio.

The program will help prospective providers navigate Ohio’s licensing process, establish and operate sustainable child care businesses and receive ongoing coaching and mentorship.

Wonderschool will also provide technology designed to help providers with marketing, enrollment, communication with families, billing and expense tracking.

The Department of Children and Youth says the initiative will focus recruitment efforts on communities experiencing the greatest shortages of child care. The announcement does not specifically identify Mercer or Auglaize counties as priority communities.

State officials hope to recruit and license at least 120 new family child care providers through the program.

Department Director Kara Wente said the goal is to remove barriers for people interested in opening family child care programs while providing the tools needed to operate successfully.

Previous child care recruitment efforts in Ohio helped 114 programs launch or expand services. The new initiative adds longer-term business support and mentorship for new providers.

Family child care programs generally provide licensed child care from a provider’s home, creating another option for working families while allowing providers to operate their own small businesses.

More information about becoming a licensed child care provider is available through the Ohio Department of Children and Youth and Wonderschool.