New Year, Our Work Continues:

Welcome to our new blog!

Hi there! I’m Dr. Jasmine Moses, and I’m honored to serve as the Policy Manager for the Black Child Development Institute–Ohio (BCDI-Ohio). In this role, I work alongside communities, partners, and policymakers to advance bold solutions that help every child in Ohio thrive, especially in their earliest years.

Welcome to our blog! We are so excited to add this space to our website to stay up to date with all that our organization is doing! In this space, we will share updates, stories, and voices from our community!

Here’s A Little About Our Organization:

BCDI-Ohio was started in 2017 as a grassroots effort led by Executive Director Gloria Blevins. From the start, our work has focused on showing up in both virtual and physical community spaces, meeting families exactly where they are and building trust through relationships.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our advocacy deepened as we witnessed firsthand the systemic barriers families faced across health, education, and care access. In response, we organized two community-led COVID clinics, with lines wrapping around the building. People showed up because they trusted us.

Those moments made us see that policy is meaningless if the people it is meant to serve are not in the room. That experience continues to guide our work today, reminding us that genuine connection, community voice, and strong relationships are essential to creating policy that actually works for families.

We are a village, an affiliate of the National Black Child Development Institute which was established in 1970, as we lead alongside the Village Network composed of more than 20 affiliates throughout the country.

We're Building Up Our Policy:

At BCDI-Ohio, we believe that policy should be rooted in the lived experiences of our communities. Over the past two years, we have been listening to statewide sessions that elevated the voices of caregivers, community members, and local leaders about the changes they want to see. Their insights are guiding our work, and we are excited to share our listening report with you. Find it here on our website!

We are also proud to unveil our new Policy Agenda with you. This year, we are focusing on our five key areas. Each priority of our Policy Agenda reflects the realities shared through conversations, listening sessions, and collaborative partnerships across Ohio.

Learn More

Here’s a look at our five key areas:

• Affordable, High-Quality Child Care - Build and support the supply of quality, affordable child care, especially in under-resourced communities. This includes expanding access to dependable care and ensuring families can choose environments that meet their needs.

• Workforce Investment and Development in Early Childhood Education - Invest in early education and care by supporting a diverse workforce, ensuring culturally responsive curricula and practices through ongoing training, and advocating for fair wages and compensation. Ohio’s children deserve well-supported, well-prepared educators.

• Inclusive Health Systems and Holistic Family Supports - Support and promote infant vitality and family well-being by advancing coordinated systems of care that address a child’s full range of needs. Families told us that access to mental health, maternal health, and early support services remains essential.

• Opportunity and Access in Education Systems and Policy Reform - Promote advocacy and policy transformation to eliminate racial disparities and build inclusive systems by ensuring that all children in Ohio have access to early intervention and special education services. Children should receive timely and appropriate support without bias or delay.

• Access to Healthy Housing and Communities - Ensure hazardous living conditions and barriers are removed to provide healthy, quality housing and safe communities for all Ohio children and families. Stable housing, safe neighborhoods, and community resources are foundational to child health and well-being.

Our policy agenda stands as a clear reflection of what Ohio’s families and communities shared with us: strong communities require strong systems that truly meet the needs of children and the adults who care for them. We are here for you.

You can view our full agenda and learn more about our priorities here: www.bcdiohio.com

We also invite you to stay connected with us as we move forward! Follow us on social media and watch out for updates from our turn notifications to stay up to date with all that BCDI-Ohio is doing. See you soon!