CORRECTION: Article updated to include comment from the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (6:30 a.m. EST. April 21, 2022)

By Halena Sepulveda at Kent State University
Broadcast version by Mary Schuermann reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

The passing of a bill currently making its way through the Ohio Legislature would change the way the court system handles child custody cases by making a shared parenting agreement the new presumed outcome.

Around 10% of Ohio child custody cases involve court intervention. Under current state law those cases have two possible outcomes: with sole custody assigned to one parent, who is then considered the residential parent and has the power to make decisions on behalf of the child; or with a shared parenting agreement that considers each parent a residential parent, giving them both the authority to make decisions about their children. Presently neither option is considered the default outcome in the eyes of the court.

If passed, House Bill 508 would allot equal residential time to both parents as the default. In order to argue for sole custody, parents would have to demonstrate clear and convincing evidence a shared parenting agreement would not be in the best interest of the children.

The bill "had 59 co-sponsors when we signed it, which is unheard of," said Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, who introduced the bill in December along with Rep. Thomas West, D-Canton.

H.B. 508 had its third hearing before the Legislature's Civil Justice committee on Apr. 5.

Ohioans in support of HB 508 argue that children do best when both parents are involved in their lives, and that children raised in single-parent households face a higher risk of the negative impacts of instability.

"When it comes to teen violence and teen pregnancy and drug abuse and delinquency and incarceration rates among youth, we know that the common thing [among] all of these children in troubled youth is they're lacking...a significant relationship with one of their parents," said Elizabeth McNeese, co-chair of the National Parents Organization affiliate in Ohio, an organization focused on promoting shared parenting after divorce.

Some domestic violence organizations in Ohio, however, fear the effects of HB 508 could cause potential risk to children who are already exposed to domestic violence.

"The 10% [of parents] that do go and litigate, the majority of them, there are reports of some kind of domestic violence or family violence," said Danielle Pollack, policy manager at the National Family Violence Law Center at The George Washington University.

Pollack said many of the cases that require court intervention are "high conflict" cases, which more often involve a history of domestic violence. These high conflict cases are the major concern for those in opposition of HB 508.

"We don't want a presumption of 50/50," said Nancy Fingerhood, a member of the National Safe Parents Coalition. "Because these are the cases where you'll end up giving more access to the abuser."

Supporters of the bill argue HB 508 acknowledges not all cases should start with the presumed outcome of shared parenting.

"We recognize, and the bill also recognizes, that there are situations that equal parenting is absolutely not appropriate," McNeese said. "Domestic violence, child abuse, neglect, those are reasons to rebut that equal presumption."

Creech said many parents who litigate child custody cases do so in an effort to fight for equal or increased time with their children. Because child custody battles are often a battle for equal time, supporters of the bill argue HB 508 would help reduce the number of child custody battles overall.

"Good parents should not have to spend 70, 80, 90 thousand dollars just to remain a parent," McNeese said.

Although HB 508 would set a presumed outcome for child custody cases, the bill also explicitly states the factors and scenarios, such as incidents of domestic violence or neglect, that would contest the presumption of equal parenting.

But language in the bill could make it harder for parents to prove domestic violence than it is now.

HB 508 requires the state to raise the standard of evidence for domestic violence in child custody cases, from a "preponderance of evidence" to "clear and convincing" evidence. This would require victims of domestic violence to demonstrate a history of proveable abuse to the judge in order to appeal the presumed outcome of shared parenting.

Creech said legislation similar to HB 508 enacted in other states is having a positive effect on child custody issues and related court battles.

For instance, Kentucky's state House passed HB 528 in 2018.

Since then, "domestic violence is down, child abuse is down, court cases are down 16%," Creech said. "So, if this was a bad bill, we would be noticing it in Kentucky after it's been in place for four years."

However, the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence said in a statement that there is no direct correlation between a decrease in domestic violence and Kentucky's passing of their 50/50 custody law.

This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


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United Way of Connecticut is launching a network hub for family child care providers. The new hub, created in partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, connects family child care services into regional networks to help families looking for child care.

Recent deficiencies in child care have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study by the University of California-Berkeley, child care jobs plummeted at the start of the pandemic, but they have been rebounding steadily.

Sherri Sutera, senior vice president of child care service at the United Way of Connecticut, described some of the goals of the program.

"A goal is to really increase the number of individuals in that field," Sutera explained. "By doing that, we want to make it more cost-effective for them to do that, to have them have access to all sorts of resources and support, so they can actually create a business out of their home."

Another goal is helping child care providers attain national accreditation. While the program is still new, there are certain elements Sutera will grow in the future, including expanding the number of toddlers family child care home providers are allowed to work with, which the state currently caps.

Sutera noted there are some misconceptions about working in child care. The most common is families not considering family child care as a way to care for kids while they are working or doing higher education activities. She added the program is designed to alleviate some of the burdens working in child care brings. It will also address some things child care providers are not always able to take on.

"They don't have a lot of time to take advantage of professional development opportunities," Sutera outlined. "To really spend time on administrative tasks, managing enrollment and paperwork, and doing taxes, and working toward professional-development goals and quality indicators such as getting accredited."

Sutera is excited to work with child care providers and hopes to bring them together with families who need them.

Parenting was challenging even before the COVID pandemic, but a unique program in Cambridge teaches new parents the skills they need to nurture their children and themselves.

It's called Baby University and includes 14 once-weekly parent-child playgroups and workshops, that cover everything from a child's brain development to parent relaxation techniques.

Shirley Elliott is a recent graduate. She said she initially joined the program to help build a community for herself and her three-year-old daughter.

"It's about understanding that you're not on this journey alone," said Elliott, "and if you reach out, others can come to you, because we really are going through the same thing."

Baby University is part of the City of Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs. Parents also receive in-home visits by 'Baby U' staff and learn to grow support networks, as well as new friendships.

While priority is given to low-income families, all new parents in Cambridge are welcome to join. More than 460 have graduated, so far.

Baby U was inspired by the successful Harlem Children's Zone, which takes a block-by-block approach to reducing the cycle of poverty through early childhood and family services.

At Baby U, fathers especially are encouraged to take an active role in their child's development. Baby U graduate Tyrone Fells said he appreciated the chance to talk to other Dads, especially about the separation anxiety he experienced with his infant daughter.

"Baby U does teach that and shows us just the importance of establishing your role as a father," said Fells, "and you know, being there and seeing you, and playing and interacting with you."

For other parents, Baby U may help break a cycle of trauma and teach them how to safely discipline their child.

Parents also receive free children's books, and learn the importance of what's called "serve and return" - responsive interactions that can benefit a child's physical and emotional growth.

Still, parents say it's the community-wide connections they appreciate the most, and the realization that in the sometimes stressful journey of parenthood, they are not alone.

A new study found an association between what researchers are calling the biological age of sperm and reproductive success.

While age is considered a major factor for women thinking of becoming pregnant, it is not often considered in male reproductive health, because men continually produce sperm throughout their lives.

Dr. Rick Pilsner, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Wayne State University School of Medicine who led the study, said chronological aging -- or the normal passage of time -- does not always capture the aging process of the sperm.

"Chronological age does not take into account the intrinsic [makeup of] your genes and how they function," Pilsner explained. "As well as external factors such as environmental exposures, smoking, diet."

Pilsner reported initial findings showed a new measure, referred to as a "sperm epigenetic clock," could be a way to predict biological fitness of a person's sperm, and thus could be useful in predicting reproductive success. He noted the study was largely conducted among a white population, and said a more diverse cohort is needed to validate the results.

Pilsner added researchers think the sperm epigenetic clock could eventually be offered commercially to couples trying to start a family.

"This could inform clinical decisions on how long it may take to get pregnant naturally," Pilsner suggested. "And could inform people going into infertility treatment at an earlier stage, rather than waiting a year or two and having an unsuccessful pregnancy."

Pilsner pointed out the study found smoking is associated with a higher biological age. The next steps are finding out what other factors do, from chemical exposures to diet and exercise. He stressed another big question is whether epigenetic aging can be reversed, so men can be part of trying for a pregnancy in the healthiest way possible.