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(Updated: Sept. 17) Jaci Bugaj and her husband make enough income to put their family just out of range for most public benefits. With her role as the executive director of the Rotary Club of Toledo and her husband鈥檚 job as a machinist at the Libby Glass Factory, their combined salary allows them to cover the basics.聽

But recently, the Bugaj family鈥檚 circumstances changed overnight. 

In August, her husband鈥檚 union , and the unexpected disruption in income suddenly made it tough to pay tuition for their toddler and infant to attend . Bugaj said the weekly cost for their 4-year-old Cecilia is $295 and for their 7-month-old Josie is $370.

The child care center鈥檚 scholarship program made it possible for Cecilia and Josie to continue to attend the program as their father鈥檚 strike went on. There was no form to fill out. The director, Julia Myers, didn’t request Bugaj鈥檚 tax returns. The family didn鈥檛 even have to ask.

Founded in 1871, Toledo Day Nursery is the oldest child care center in Ohio and has of serving working-class families in the industrial city. While some states, like Minnesota, have early education scholarships, this approach is distinct in that it is supported by philanthropic funding and there鈥檚 no cumbersome application process. 

Toledo Day Nursery鈥檚 scholarship program, which launched last summer, is designed to meet the needs of families experiencing sudden or unexpected financial stress. Job loss, a new baby, a death in the family and even the perennial of the holiday season have led families to receive these short-term scholarships. 

The scholarships are available to families who don鈥檛 qualify for subsidies through or its 鈥� which are determined on the basis of gross income 鈥� but are still struggling to afford care.

The funds the program as part of its , which is an effort to strengthen the U.S. child care system. Marica Cox Mitchell, Bainum鈥檚 chief program officer, praises Toledo Day Nursery for aggressively tapping into any and all public funding for families of young children. 鈥淭hey had the vision to make tuition free,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are families who need child care support but don鈥檛 meet the rigid income eligibility requirements, and it’s interesting to discover how many families say: 鈥榊ou can’t tell from looking at us, with both parents working, but you can鈥檛 imagine what this financial relief means to us.鈥� 鈥澛�

Bugaj said she鈥檚 benefited from this program once before. 鈥淚 was doing drop-off with Cecilia,鈥� she recalled, 鈥渁nd I was getting closer to my due date. Julia said, 鈥業 wanted to let you know you won鈥檛 incur tuition for Cecilia when the baby comes.鈥欌�� 

鈥淎ny family who goes on maternity leave while enrolled in our program doesn鈥檛 have to pay for 12 weeks,鈥� Myers said. Families don鈥檛 have to bring diapers or formula for their children either. Toledo Day Nursery鈥檚 scholarships cover these costs as well. 

Before the scholarship program began, Myers said, she remembers 鈥渉aving a mom in my office, crying because she didn鈥檛 want to leave our community but could not afford it anymore.鈥� That mom wasn鈥檛 alone. The cost of child care creates stress for many American families. Research shows that such financial anxiety might cause parents to withdraw their children from child care in order to save money; revealed that 27% of parents in America have quit a job or dropped out of education to avoid the soaring cost of child care. 

Between enrollment issues, staffing shortages and closures, the early childhood education system in Ohio is struggling. According to a published in 2024 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 54% of early educator respondents in Ohio said at least one child care program in their community had closed in the previous year, and 62% of respondents reported that their program was under-enrolled, a factor that exacerbates financial challenges.

A scholarship program like the one at Toledo Day Nursery doesn鈥檛 solve all of these systemic issues, but for some families, it makes child care affordable so they can keep their kids enrolled.

For the Bugaj family, the scholarship program is only part of the draw to the center. In 2021, when Bugaj first discovered the program via a Google search, she found it 鈥渨elcoming right off the bat. I could tell when I took a site tour that it’s a calmer environment for kids. It’s a loving environment for kids.鈥� 

Myers, who has a daughter currently attending Toledo Day Nursery and a son who recently graduated, said the pedagogy draws upon Montessori and Reggio Emilia approaches, but it鈥檚 the 鈥渟chool family,鈥� as she calls this community, that explains the culture. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way for me to separate my personal life and my work life,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ecause my personal life is living and breathing this school.鈥� 

As a local mother of kids in the program who has personally experienced the financial stress of raising young children, Myers proposed the idea of these short-term scholarships to aid families through unexpected financial challenges. Myers said the Bainum Family Foundation trusted her when she told them how it could help. 

In an effort to expand impact beyond her own program Myers and her colleague Chelsea Davis, who leads the program鈥檚 second location, applied to a local run by Groundwork Ohio. 

The fellowship intends to help early educators and leaders build solutions and advocate for the children and families they serve. 鈥淢yers and Davis exemplify the kind of strong, visionary leadership Ohio needs for its youngest children and families,鈥� said Lynanne Gutierrez, the organization鈥檚 president and CEO. 鈥淲e are proud to support them through the fellowship as they continue to grow their leadership, elevate the voices of families and shape a brighter, more equitable future for children in their community and across the state.鈥�

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to look at other countries for examples,鈥� proclaims Mitchell. 鈥淲e can make it happen here, in places like Toledo.鈥�

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