State Officials Tour Market Square, Meet Horizon Staff and Students
Horizon Education Centers was privileged to welcome state officials from the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) to our Market Square center on November 15. DCY Director Kara B. Wente, Chief Strategy Officer Alicia Leatherman, and Chief Government and External Affairs Officer Joel Potts visited with Horizon Executive Director Dave Smith, COO Cathy Heck, CFO Sharon Knaggs, Market Square Center Director Nicole Goe, as well as select members of Horizon's Board and administrative team, Market Square's dedicated team of teachers and staff and, most importantly, our students.
DCY's visit allowed us to demonstrate the importance of consistent, high-quality childcare across Ohio, and reinforce the critical need for facilities like Horizon's from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Safe, healthy, exemplary child care facilities and early childhood education centers are essential to every community, regardless of size or location, and many are still struggling in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Working together to hold each other to the highest standards and striving to earn advocacy from state officials is essential to navigating a path out of this post-pandemic chapter and building a stronger future for Ohio's children, which is to say, building a stronger future for Ohio itself. Horizon is proud to be a leading example of top-quality child care here, as evidenced by our excellent ratings with Step Up to Quality and our thriving partnerships with local governments and organizations.
DCY was established in July 2023 by Governor Mike DeWine as an initiative to streamline numerous state agencies into a single source for families needing state aid and support. Rather than contacting many departments, today, these families can find all their resources through one agency. DCY's stated goals are to demonstrate "transparency and accountability, supporting local structure, data-driven decisions, family and youth voice, and equity to ... support children and youth ... empower families ... [and] uplift communities."
Horizon shares in this vision for transforming children's lives, families, and communities. We are grateful to Director Wente, and fellow leaders Ms. Leatherman and Mr. Potts for visiting Market Square and for their support for early childhood education. Your dedication to Ohio's children and families is truly appreciated.
