Cuyahoga County - Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish announced Friday that Dr. Rebekah Dorman, Director of Invest in Children and the County’s Office of Early Childhood, has been re-appointed by Governor Mike DeWine to a seat on the Ohio Early Childhood Advisory Council.
The Early Childhood Advisory Council provides input and guidance to the administration on early childhood programs. The council’s membership includes a diverse statewide array of stakeholders from early childhood programs, schools, health, social services, unions, philanthropy and other groups. The appointment will be Dorman’s third term on the council, having been appointed by former Governors Strickland and Kasich.
“I am proud that Dr. Dorman’s experience in early childhood programs and her expertise as a Developmental Psychologist continues to be recognized and valued at the statewide level,” said County Executive Armond Budish. “Our Office of Early Childhood is unique among county governments because of the comprehensive set of programs it offers from birth through Kindergarten.”
The recently approved state biennial budget included significant new investments in the types of programs that Invest in Children offers, most notably early childhood care and education, and health and wellness home visiting programs. Invest in Children also provides a continuum of targeted services from the prenatal period to entry into Kindergarten. These include the Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program, as well as early childhood literacy and mental health efforts, programs to support pregnancy and infant health, and advocacy work to ensure the needs of young children and families are carefully considered in public policy and practice. Invest in Children’s work in these areas has been data driven, and program evaluations have demonstrated meaningful results for children and families.
“We are working hard at Invest in Children to improve the outcomes for children in our community, particularly those most at risk,” said Dorman. “Providing input and helping to shape public policy at the state level via the Early Childhood Advisory Council is a privilege, and I am honored that Governor DeWine has appointed me.”
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