September 2026Vol. 1, No. 4State Example: OhioKAN's Community-Based Approach to Family Support

Caregiving can happen overnight. When a grandmother living abroad learned that her grandchild needed her, she didn't hesitate to board a plane and travel to Ohio. Her immediate goal was clear: step in as a kin caregiver so her grandchild would not need to enter non-kin foster care. However, becoming a caregiver with such short notice created a ripple effect on the family's other needs, like finding somewhere to live. The Ohio Kinship and Adoption Navigator (OhioKAN) program is designed to respond to these types of situations. When kin step in to support the children in their lives, OhioKAN steps up to support the whole family.

Program Overview

OhioKAN is a kinship navigator of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth managed by Kinnect, a nonprofit organization with more than 20 years of experience supporting young people, caregivers, and families. Since launching in 2020, OhioKAN has served more than 12,000 families. In June 2026, it was added to the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse with a "supported" rating, signaling it has met Federal evidence standards and expanding its Federal funding opportunities.

Kinship and adoptive families who reach out to OhioKAN are paired with one of their 45 full-time navigators across the State, who connect those families to resources available both statewide and in their local communities. Each navigator is employed by one of OhioKAN's 17 site partners across 10 regions, which are already embedded in the communities they serve.

OhioKAN navigators work with families on an ongoing basis to understand goals, identify strengths, and develop a personalized support plan. Timeframes for navigation services range from a few weeks to several months, depending on the family and their needs, with most families receiving an average of three check-ins.

"The program is designed to empower these families, not just direct them elsewhere," said Mindy Mauk, project manager at the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. "Navigators remain actively engaged as the families work through any challenges they've identified, supporting them in the problem-solving process and helping them build stronger connections within their own communities and networks."

How it Works—Meeting Family Needs

Once a family contacts OhioKAN and is connected with a navigator—either in-person or virtually—the navigator asks a series of questions to assess areas of need. The navigators are trained to look at the full picture and identify all resources that may be helpful, regardless of whether a family specifically asks for them.

"Many kinship caregivers don't realize that being a kinship caregiver may make them eligible for benefits and services they may not have qualified for previously," said Britney Breidenstein, co-director of OhioKAN.

As part of OhioKAN's benefits coordination service, navigators review any public benefits a family is already receiving and assess whether they may qualify for additional supports. For example, a caregiver who was not previously eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program may qualify after adding children to their household. This approach helps ensure that families have access to the full range of resources available to support their caregiving journey.

Needs vary by family, with basic necessities and financial support being needed most often. Based on project data, 74 percent of families request financial support, 36 percent request legal services, and 38 percent request child health-related assistance.

Once a family's needs have been identified, the navigator uses a public resource hub to pinpoint resources that meet those needs. When the hub started, it had around 5,000 community-based resources, providers, and other supports. Now, it has grown to more than 12,000.

Additionally, survey data show that 12 months after engaging with OhioKAN services, 65 percent of families reported their basic needs were met. Families also reported greater caregiver-child closeness and increased perceived accessibility of community resources.

Supporting Families That Might Otherwise Be Missed

The OhioKAN program prioritizes supporting both formal kin caregivers, who care for children with child welfare experience, and informal caregivers, who provide care outside of child welfare agencies.

"One of the things we learned early on is that often informal caregivers, they didn't even know that they were kin," said Shannon Deinhart, chief executive officer and co-founder of Kinnect. "That wasn't a word they knew. They were a grandmother taking care of her grandchildren or an aunt taking care of her niece or nephew."

To reach these informal caregivers who might not realize they are eligible for support, OhioKAN works to raise awareness in local places where families visit, such as doctors' offices, YMCAs, post offices, and libraries.

A standout element of the OhioKAN model is that it is a statewide program delivered locally. Community-based services are part of what makes OhioKAN more than a referral program. OhioKAN's navigators are based at partner sites that already have a presence in the community, ranging from small grassroots organizations to larger nonprofits. The idea is that families are more likely to seek help from organizations they already know and trust.

"By supporting families early and holistically, the OhioKAN program helps prevent any unnecessary system involvement. It strengthens pathways to permanency and promotes long-term well-being for children, youth and their caregivers," said Mauk.

Learn more about OhioKAN and explore resources and information for families and providers on the OhioKAN website.