2026 Ohio Network of Children's Advocacy Centers Ohio for Kids Day

Link to more photos. 

On April 1, 2026,  the Ohio Network of Children's Advocacy Centers hosted an Ohio for Kids Day.

Here in Ohio, CACs (Children's Advocacy Centers) are youth-focused facilities that help abused children and teens heal by coordinating investigation and treatment. They go the extra mile in avoiding retraumatization, by not requiring victims of abuse to tell their story more than once.

This one day event was incredibly impactful: 

• We learned that the Ohio Department of Public Safety manages the accreditation process for Ohio law enforcement agencies. 

• We learned that the Governor's Office of Human Trafficking is doing pilot programming in Cuyahoga, Hamilton and Montgomery County, which includes a focus on youth who run away from group homes.

• Auditor Keith Faber acknowledged that when child abuse goes unaddressed, the consequences ripple outward, and affirmed his support of VOCA funding. 

It was also an amazing opportunity for networking:

• We are eager to connect with Nicole Dehner, Executive Director of the Office of Criminal Justice Services to further discuss our efforts regarding police officers as mandated reporters, and creating a statewide form and process.

• We were inspired by Micayla Wilson's passion and dedication in her work on the Governor's Office of Anti Human Trafficking, including the work that is happening in Montgomery County, and gave her information about our efforts to safeguard youth who run away to escape abuse.

• It was also an honor to Auditor of State Keith Faber, who was a former President of the Ohio Senate and is a current candidate for the Ohio Attorney General. We shared with him our concerns about youth who contact child abuse hotlines to self-report abuse, and are being screened out.

#noexcuseforchildabuse

#itsyourbusiness

Joining ONCAC to Launch Child Abuse Protection Month

Ohio foster care youth and alumni believe that safety is the North Star when it comes to young people in and from foster care. Please review our issue brief on youth safety and an Op Ed written by Jonathan Thomas.

When it comes to progress here in the state of Ohio:

1. Mandated Reporting: We have been successful in our advocacy for Ohio police to become mandated reporters, and are currently seeking to encourage the state of Ohio to create a statewide form and process for police as mandated reporters. We deeply respect the insights of law enforcement, and would like to partner with them regarding design.

2. Youth Ombudsman: We have been successful in our advocacy for the establishment of a Youth Ombudsman Office, and remain involved to support the continued development of this resource.

3. Rights of Youth: We helped update the Foster Youth Bill of Rights, and participated in a video to share their importance.

4. Youth Who Run to Escape Abuse: We are working to eliminate “running away” as a status offense in the state of Ohio.

5. Youth Who Report Abuse, and Aren't Protected: We have ongoing concerns regarding young people calling child abuse hotlines and their concerns being screened out.

6. Youth Whose Grievances Need to Be Heard: We care about youth experiencing abuse in out-of-home placements and have met with DCY to discuss creating a Youth Specific Grievance Form.

7. Youth Spending Nights in Office Buildings: We previously reached out to address young people spending the night in office buildings, and have had a voice in helping develop Wellness Campuses.

We are truly looking forward to participating in Ohio for Kids Day, facilitated by the Ohio Network of Children's Advocacy Centers. 

 

Suits for Success

Suits for Success provides professional attire to current and former foster youth who are preparing to enter the workforce. We deeply appreciate Buckeye Ranch’s provision of storage space, and support from DCY, the Ohio Children’s Alliance, and Velda Hofacker. The Department of Children and Youth plans to host clothing drives on the mornings of May 13, 20 and 27, 2026.

We are currently inviting professional clothing donations in preparation for the 2026 Leadership and Life Skills Summit for current and former foster youth. During the Summit, we will have volunteers on hand to show youth how to tie their first tie. Young people in and from foster care will be able to keep these these clothing items, and wear them during job interviews and other important life events.

For those who are interested in donating to Suits for Success:

• The population we serve is current and foster youth, ages 14-24 years old.
• Donations accepted include hangers, racks and financial donations to support the cost of transporting the suits, rack rental and purchasing supplemental clothing items to support the needs of young people at the annual statewide conference for current and former foster youth.
• Those who donate clothing can receive a receipt if desired.

Learn more by visiting our website.

Pell Grant Shortfall

ACTION Ohio signed onto a March 2026 letter to express concerns and propose solutions.

Virtual Meeting with Senator Reynolds' Office

On Monday, March 2, 2026, Kim Eckhart, Lisa Dickson and Gabriella Craft had a virtual meeting with Simone Amoako, Senior Legislative Aide of Senator Michele Reynolds to ask if Senator Reynolds would be willing to include tuition vouchers in Senate Bill 13. 

In Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Virginia, publicly funded higher education institutions are prohibited from charging tuition for this population. This avoids needing to ask for a provision in the state budget every two years.

We shared the two diagrams below, along with a report demonstrating the high rates of food and housing insecurity faced by students with a foster care history. 

HR 7463: Foster Youth Postsecondary Education Access and Success Act

 Ohio foster care youth and alumni have been reaching out to federal legislators to share recommendations regarding ETV, including:

Allowing states to award up to $12,000 per year to youth, to respond to the rising costs of attendance, including housing/food. 

The federal bipartisan Foster Youth Postsecondary Education Access and Success Act would increase the maximum allowable value of an ETV voucher from $5,000 to $12,000 per year.

It would also require states to make reasonable efforts to make sure eligible youth are aware of ETV, and allow states to establish a grace period to give students time to get back on track rather than losing their ETV.

HR 7343: Foster Youth Workforce Opportunity Act

 

OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors reached out to Congressman Miller’s Office regarding Chafee in January, and ACTION Ohio provided a quote for the introduction of the federal Foster Youth Workforce Opportunity Act: 

“ETV can currently be used for some vocational schools if the school is listed on the FAFSA. But that leaves many trade schools and short-term certificates ineligible. Extending ETV to connect former foster youth with apprenticeships and vocational training programs will set them up for success by linking them with needed educational support.” 

Here’s a link to the full text of this bill.  

 

Overcoming Driving Barriers

 

Ohio recently lost its TANF-Independent Living allocation.  This happened at the same time that driving requirements were increased. 

We’ve been researching how other states support foster youth, when it comes to driver’s education, driver’s licenses and car insurance.

In the meantime, the federal Foster Youth and Driving Act would create state and tribal programs providing up to $4,000 per year per youth for driver’s education, training, insurance, licensing fees, and related costs. 

But this federal bill has not yet been reintroduced in 2026. OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors have been participating in virtual meetings to seek to raise interest in making that happen.

Modernizing Chafee

In 1999, our nation's Chafee funds were relied upon to provide independent living preparation for foster youth between ages 16-18.

In 2026, our nation's Chafee funds are relied upon to serve foster youth between ages 14-23, including ETV vouchers until age 26. 

College costs, housing costs and grocery costs have risen. The math doesn't math anymore. 

And as our nation considers modernizing Chafee, this must also come with increased accountability for states to demonstrate a sense of urgency to let foster care youth and alumni know this provision exists and to dedicate every penny of this funding to help improve outcomes for our brothers and sisters of the foster care system.

Virtual Meeting with Senator Koehler

On Friday. Feb. 13, 2026, a virtual meeting was held with Senator Kyle Koehler's office to discuss:

• Tuition Waivers
• Driving Barriers

Link to slide deck.

The call included Marisa's powerful testimony. 

ACTION Ohio quoted in a press release from Congressman Miller's Office

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Max Miller (OH-07) introduced H.R.7343, the Foster Youth Workforce Opportunity Act, to expand use of education and training vouchers (ETVs) to allow foster youth to access short-term workforce and vocational training programs, apprenticeships, and remedial education. Currently, vouchers do not grant recipients access to all the career pathways they need to be successful in the modern economy. The bill provides flexibility for youth to pursue alternative career pathways to obtain certifications needed for in-demand jobs. 

“Too many foster youths face unnecessary barriers when trying to pursue workforce training,” said Congressman Miller. “I’m proud to lead legislation to expand opportunities that prepare our young people for the jobs of today’s economy.”  

“I’m proud to serve as the Democratic co-lead on the Foster Youth Workforce Opportunity Act, said Congressman Dwight Evans. "This bill would help more foster youth to access education and training to help them succeed.” 

“ETV can currently be used for some vocational schools if the school is listed on the FAFSA. But that leaves many trade schools and short-term certificates ineligible. This can be a barrier to connecting former foster youth with necessary workforce skills,” said Lisa Dickson, Communications Chair, ACTION Ohio. “Extending ETV to connect former foster youth with apprenticeships and vocational training programs will set them up for success by linking them with needed educational support.” 

Bill text can be found here. 

Karimah's Testimony on the Fostering School Success Act

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, foster care alumna Karimah Addison Jones was able to submit testimony regarding House Bill 25, which has been renamed the "Fostering School Success Act."

2026 Foster Care Simulation hosted by Emerging Phoenix

 

On Saturday, Jan. 31, Emerging Phoenix hosted a foster care simulation called One Mile in Foster Shoes for the Franklin County CASA and Friends of CASA at Westgate Shelterhouse. This simulation was designed by Virginia foster youth. 

Local foster care youth and alumni assisted with manning the stations, including Intake, Processing, Waiting Area, Meal Station, Paperwork Station, Staging Area and Reflections Area. We spent an hour preparing for our roles, and assisted with the Simulation and Debrief.

The event was very powerful. It would an excellent value-add to a future PCSAO conference.

Link to more photos.

Virtual Meeting with Congressman Max Miller's Legislative Correspondent

On Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, ACTION Ohio hosted an initial meeting with Congressman Max Miller's Legislative Correspondent Janae Johnson. OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors Raven Grice and Russ Lang shared their testimonies, paired with areas of interest to partner on in the future. 

Link to slides from the virtual presentation.

Janae shared that Congressman Miller cares about the needs of foster youth during their journey into young adulthood. This was evidenced by his recent remarks that more must be done to connect foster youth with the tools they need to become successful young adults. 

She thanked our team for sharing firsthand insights, and offered to keep us posted about future Chafee hearings, and to host us for a visit in their DC office sometime this year. 

Additional federal representatives reached out after today's call to offer their support including:

• Karen Williams (legislative assistant and counsel in Congressman Miller's office), who mentioned that their office is working with the Work and Welfare Subcommittee, with oversight regarding federal Chafee programs to make these program opportunities as effective as possible, and to uplift those in foster care to their fullest potential. She mentioned that they look forward to working with us throughout this process, and thanked us for the recommendations offered.

• Brad Thomas (staff member of Chairman Jason Smith), who reached out regarding the Committee on Ways and Means and their Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, to connect us with Keval Sojitara, who is heading up their efforts regarding foster youth and to share our PPT and list of recommendations with Keval.

#JourneytoSuccess

Journey to Success is a multi-state policy campaign focused on engaging and educating federal policymakers about what’s working and not working to support successful outcomes for youth in foster care.

ACTION Ohio is honored to partner in this work, and appreciates this opportunity to elevate the voices of today's foster care youth and young adults. It's vitally important for decision-makers to hear directly from young people in and from foster care. 

The early months of 2026 are a vitally important window of time to connect with Members of Congress. 

• During 2025, key Congressional committees and caucuses held a series of hearings to examine the Chafee and ETV programs. This lays the groundwork for future legislative action to improve these programs. 
  
  
• Melania Trump's Fostering the Future Initiative is a catalyst to put reforms in motion. 

• Early 2026 is a vitally important opportunity to connect with Congressional Leaders, and to advise them on reforms that will directly benefit young people in and from foster care in their states.

Virtual Meeting with Congressman Mike Carey's Senior Policy Advisor

On Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, ACTION Ohio hosted an initial meeting with Congressman Mike Carey's Senior Policy Advisor Ryan Dalbec. OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador Lanasha Steele shared her testimony, paired with areas of interest to partner on in the future. 

Link to slides from the virtual presentation.

Ryan was no stranger to the needs of foster youth; his former boss, Arkansas Representative French Hill, serves on the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. During the past 3 years, both Representative Hill and Ryan participated in previous Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Days.

Ryan mentioned that the most recent Ways and Means meeting regarding Chafee took place in November 2025, and there is interest in working on Chafee this year, but they don't yet know the timeline. He will alert us to upcoming developments. 

#JourneytoSuccess

Journey to Success is a multi-state policy campaign focused on engaging and educating federal policymakers about what’s working and not working to support successful outcomes for youth in foster care.

ACTION Ohio is honored to partner in this work, and appreciates this opportunity to elevate the voices of today's foster care youth and young adults. It's vitally important for decision-makers to hear directly from young people in and from foster care. 

The early months of 2026 are a vitally important window of time to connect with Members of Congress. 

• During 2025, key Congressional committees and caucuses held a series of hearings to examine the Chafee and ETV programs. This lays the groundwork for future legislative action to improve these programs. 
  
  
• Melania Trump's Fostering the Future Initiative is a catalyst to put reforms in motion. 

• Early 2026 is a vitally important opportunity to connect with Congressional Leaders, and to advise them on reforms that will directly benefit young people in and from foster care in their states.