Ohio

In 2015, NCCP worked with Policy Matters Ohio to assess the impact of potential state policy reforms that included introducing a free and universal prekindergarten program for four-year-olds, adjusting Ohio’s earned income tax credit to make it benefit more low-income families, and addressing the so-called ‘canyon effect.’ The canyon effect occurs when a working parent who loses a child care subsidy—because she loses her job, for example—must take a job at a lower wage to qualify again for the subsidy. (See the impact of these policies by using the Family Resource Simulator (FRS) and selecting ‘Ohio’ from the state drop-down menu.) Policy Matters Ohio used data generated by the Family Resource Simulator as part of a successful effort in 2016 to pass a law in Cincinnati that allowed for universal prekindergarten.

Previously, we worked with the Governor’s Anti-Poverty Taskforce to provide analysis to inform the state’s policy reform efforts. Their 2009 report on Strategic Recommendations for Expanding Opportunity and Reducing Poverty (PDF)recommended using NCCP’s Family Resource Simulator to help policymakers avoid the problem of benefit “cliffs,” which occur when just a small increase in earnings triggers a sharp reduction in benefits, leaving families worse off than they were before.

State Partner

Policy Matters Ohio

3631 Perkins Avenue, Suite 4CEast
Cleveland, OH 44114