Raising Child Support Awareness in Lucas County and Beyond
During Child Support Awareness Month (August), Lucas County, along with the rest of the country, raised awareness about the important income support program that helps millions of children and families. Lucas County Commissioners proclaimed the month of August to be Child Support Awareness Month in Lucas County early last month.
“This is something that is very important for the child, families and the community. This program allows those families in need to support local businesses by purchasing school clothes, supplies, or going out to eat… it impacts the entire economy,” says Gary Byers, president, Lucas County Commissioners.
What is Child Support?
Child Support is so much more than just money, and there’s usually a negative stigma attached to the term. However, the fact of the matter is that Child Support Offices help families locate parents, establish paternity and enforce order, connect citizens to health care coverage, and refer citizens to other helpful programs. In some instances, parents seek out the offices to help secure a job. Parents can visit the Toledo-area location at 3737 W. Sylvania Ave.
Of course, there is money that is owed by a noncustodial parent that is essential to support the residential parents in raising any child(ren) under the age of 18. Those payments are usually submitted each month. Through June 30, 2022, Lucas County paid out approximately $56 million in support payments to more than 172,000 families during the federal fiscal year. “We actually saw a rise in child support payments during the pandemic because families were getting additional support from the federal government,” says Commissioner Byers.
Nationwide, the Administration for Children and Families reports child support programs collected over $32 billion in 2021 that directly aided 13.2 million children, or about one in five.
Per Ohio law, there is a specific formula for calculating child support payments. That formula takes into consideration the number of children supported, the income of each of the parents, the cost of childcare, and health insurance costs. Payments are generally made on a monthly basis and are due on a certain day of the month.
At the end of 2021, the Lucas County Child Support Enforcement Agency recorded 34,575 individuals who missed a payment, and 23,814 of those individuals were able to make a payment at some point during the year. Lucas County did not receive child support payments from 10,761 individuals in 2021.
If a payment doesn’t come through, attorneys employed by Lucas County Jobs and Family Services are assigned to collect it. If the individuals repeatedly fail to pay, they could be charged with a felony, be convicted, or even go to jail.
“The message we’re trying to send is that we will work with individuals to make sure they’re able to be successful and support their family,” says Commissioner Byers. “We try our best to be flexible and use the legal ramifications as a last resort.”
Help Spread the Word
You can take action to help spread awareness of this important program. Be sure to use #ChildSupport or #Support4Families on Facebook and Twitter.
“It’s important not only for the children to be supported, but for the community as a whole,” adds Commissioner Byers. “With more understanding we have of child support, the more successful the program becomes to help our kids.”
Toledo Met Strengthens Local Performers
Northwest Ohio has gained another asset in the performing arts community. Toledo Metropolitan Academy for Performing Arts, also known as Toledo Met, is located in downtown Sylvania and offers a student-centered, safe environment. Carolyn Savage and Dr. Stephanie Cole took their experience from the Toledo Ballet Guild to create a program that provides top-level training in dance, acting and singing. Offering a full musical theater curriculum, Toledo Met provides training in a way that remains focused on a healthy environment for all students to thrive.
“Our goal is that kids will have a discernible skill when they leave our doors and also confidence to succeed in whatever it is they do outside of performing,” Savage says.
Toledo Met opened in the summer of 2022 but has quickly established key relationships in the region. Toledo Met is partnering with Oregon City Schools, which has recently built a new state-of-the-art performing arts center, as well as collaborating with University of Michigan Department of Musical Theater.
Classes offered
Toledo Met recognizes that the world of dance is evolving, and many productions or higher education opportunities are seeking performers who are a “triple threat.” As a way to prepare students for this change, world-renowned instructors are not only brought in for dance, but for acting and voice as well.
“All of our teachers have at least a bachelor’s degree in performing arts or professional experience. Many of them have both,” Savage says of their high quality instructors. “We also have teachers coming down from the University of Michigan for weekend workshops.”
In addition to voice and acting, students can choose to study ballet, jazz, tap or hip-hop. Parent-child classes begin at two and a half years old and Creative Movement begins at age three. These programs focus on musicality, rhythm and coordination. Toledo Met places an emphasis on parents following the child, as they understand not all kids want to separate from their parents at these young ages. Beginning in January, daytime parent-child classes will be offered. Ballet, tap and jazz classes begin at age five.
While other local programs typically run from fall to summer, Toledo Met operates by semesters, so that students who missed fall classes are able to join in January.
Students are asked to wear jazz or tap shoes. Science shows a neurological connection when movement is associated with sound. This helps with not only remembering dance steps but providing body awareness.
A unique approach Toledo Met takes on student well-being is participating in athletic and performance conditioning. Instead of taking a more traditional boot camp style of fitness, students condition by participating in yoga, pilates and resilience training. Conditioning benefits include increased muscle strength, cardiovascular and social emotional health. Toledo Met’s Athletic and performance conditioning is also open to athletes. This conditioning reduces the risk of sports-related injuries.
“We know the amount of anxiety that kids are having today is rising. This training and conditioning really helps raise their metabolic awareness and teaches them healthy ways to cope under stress,” Savage explains.
Upcoming performances
Toledo Met will be presenting The Nutcracker at Owens Community College Center for Fine Arts and performing on December 4, 2022 at 1pm and 4pm featuring professional dancers among their students.
Beginning in 2023 there will be two showcases per year that will not interfere with school performances.
Parents can find more information about classes and enrollment at toledomet.com
Greater Toledo International Youth Orchestra
Yang Kun Song founded the Greater Toledo International Youth Orchestra (GTiYO) out of a desire to return a favor to his American host family. Mr. Song, a cellist and native of Beijing, China, had been sponsored by the famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma to study music at the University of Toledo.
“In Chinese culture”, he explains, “we always return a favor to the people who help you.” His host family encouraged him to help others instead of giving them a favor. “That’s a big thing that I learned from the United States — the idea of returning a favor by helping others.”
The Idea – Starting a Youth Orchestra
In 2000, with this idea of helping others, he brought a small group of students together to provide concerts locally in small venues. By 2007, Mr. Song had coordinated the first international trip to Qinhuangdao, China — a sister city of Toledo — and formalized the organization as the Toledo International Youth Orchestra. As the orchestra continued to grow through word of mouth, young musicians from outside the city of Toledo joined the orchestra, including as far away as Bowling Green and Southern Michigan. As a result, in 2013, the organization’s name officially changed to Greater Toledo International Youth Orchestra, or GTiYO.
GTiYO is a string orchestra that performs traditional and modern Chinese music, as well as Western compositions. Young musicians from 7th to 12th grade learn under the direction of Mr. Song and perform local concerts, as well as traveling to play internationally. By partnering with the University of Toledo, this 100 percent volunteer organization has access to rehearsal and performing space at UT’s Center for Performing Arts and the UT Doermann Theater. Since 2007, the orchestra has traveled to Germany, Canada, Tanzania, East Africa, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Spain, and Peru, each time staying in a sister city of Toledo arranged by one of the Orchestra’s partners, Toledo Sister Cities International.
Cultural diversity through music
Mr. Song is clear that the orchestra’s priority is more than simply learning music skills. His desire is to help young people become better human beings. “We are a music organization, but the music is not that important. Music is a tool to help us to travel. We are using the universal language of music to build friendships with other cultures.”
Youth musicians learn about the culture of the country they will be visiting by having speakers from the community who are knowledgeable prepare them. Once there, they meet with the mayor of the city and visit cultural and historical sites. In China, there is a saying, says Mr. Song, “To learn, you can read 1,000 books, but you walk 1,000 miles to see the world; they are of equal importance… It is just amazing the difference when you travel, what the children learn.”
The orchestra has a student council that takes the lead in fundraising for their own travel as well as to assist others. The youth musicians have raised money to fund several causes including a music room in a city they visited in Tanzania, children in Toledo affected by COVID, and for hurricane relief.
How to get involved
GTiYO is actively recruiting more youth to join the orchestra and increase the number of musicians participating to pre-pandemic levels. Rehearsals take place on Sunday afternoons. Scholarships for those in need of financial assistance are available, and community members and companies are encouraged to donate to the scholarship fund. Register, learn more, or donate at gtiyo.com.