Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt.Governor Jon Husted have launched a new statewide online portal for Ohioans to inquire and apply to become foster or adoptive parents.
According to DeWine, this online portal will help make the foster care and adoption certification process easier and more accessible to prospective families.
Read More
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order on Friday to launch the Ohio Adoption Grant Program, which provides up to $20,000 to parents adopting a child.
DeWine signed the Ohio Adoption Grant Program as part of House Bill (HB) 45 into law in January. It gives parents a grant who adopt children under the age of 18. It includes adoptions that are privately planned as well as adoptions made through a public children services agency, including adoptions made by foster parents and family members. It excludes adoptions conducted by a stepparent.
Read More
Ohio will soon receive an influx of federal funding intended to improve kindergarten readiness.
According to a statement from Governor Mike DeWine’s Office, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will receive a total of $48 million over three years to support and increase access to quality early childhood care and education as part of the Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.
Read More
An Ohio lawmaker wants the state to provide more answers quickly as to why personal information and online portal accounts were compromised on the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ website.
Rep. Jeff Crossman, D-Parma, wrote to ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder after witness testimony reported the hacking of personal, online portal accounts allowed bank routing information to be changed and unemployment funds to be redirected.
Read More
A Franklin County judge may reimplement Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefits in Ohio after they were ended by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) in June.
The extra $300 per week in unemployment benefits, part of a federal government program to help Americans survive the COVID-19 pandemic, officially ended in Ohio on June 26. DeWine cited a labor shortage in the state, as most businesses reopened as normal after pandemic restrictions were lifted.
Read More