This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2016 describes Ohio's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Ohio will implement to address those challenges. When Ohio wrote its application for the Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge Grant, its vision for early childhood was ambitious. It included innovative governance, increased quality and validation, comprehensive early childhood and kindergarten assessments, improved system performance, targeted professional development and technical assistance, linking data systems, strengthening infrastructure, and engaging parents and caregivers. In five short years, Ohio leveraged the almost $70 million in federal support to make significant strides in all the areas it identified for improvement. In the pages ahead, Ohio describes its vision for early childhood, how early childhood has changed as a result of Early Learning Challenge Grant dollars, the lessons learned in implementing a comprehensive reform agenda, and what is on the horizon as they work to sustain the progress made under the Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge grant. Ohio's vision is to align, improve, and invest in Ohio's Early Learning and Development System with the goals of high-needs children birth to 5 years old: (1) Being valued, educated, healthy and thriving; and (2) Having high-quality learning experiences and the supports necessary to be ready for kindergarten and a successful future.