Uncategorized Archives - Early Learning Indiana

HealthNet Focuses on Families in the IndyEast Promise Neighborhood

Neal Butler — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 18:36:07 +0000

Great things happen when community organizations join forces to amplify their impact.

Last year, staff with IndyEast Promise Neighborhood, a community initiative working to prepare students in the near eastside and Martindale Brightwood neighborhoods for college and career success, met with the HealthNet team to discuss needs and opportunities for support. Home visits in early childhood emerged as a clear need; HealthNet had deep experience with the Healthy Families early childhood model but lacked the capacity to serve all referrals in the IndyEast Promise service area.

In a stroke of good timing, the organizations, in collaboration with John Boner Neighborhood Centers and Edna Martin Christian Center, were able to add a Healthy Families team to serve the IndyEast Promise area through Early Years Initiative. With nine locations in central Indiana as well as a Bloomington location, HealthNet serves families from diverse backgrounds and offers services in Spanish, Burmese, Haitian Creole, Hakha Chin and other languages, making them the ideal partner to expand services to the IndyEast Promise neighborhoods.

The Healthy Families model includes developmental screenings, connections to community resources, parenting education and more. The program serves families with children from birth to age three, and families must enroll before the baby is three months old. If a family doesn’t qualify for Healthy Families, the team can refer them to the Parents as Teachers program through Edna Martin Christion Center, which has broader guidelines for enrollment. When families graduate from Healthy Families after the child turns three, if they are still in need of consistent support the team is able to refer them to the Parents as Teachers program as well.

In addition to the Healthy Families team, the Early Years Initiative allowed for the hiring of an engagement specialist to increase community outreach. “Adding our engagement specialist has been really helpful,” said Brianne Biancardi, Healthy Families program manager. “She attends tons of community events, she attends job fairs, she’s really making those connections within the community and making sure families know about our services and how we can support them.”

Early literacy also has been a key focus area of their Early Years Initiative work. “We’ve always encouraged literacy, of course, but through Early Years Initiative we’re able to be more intentional about focusing on early literacy with each family,” said Kendra Scott, Healthy Families supervisor. “One of the things we do with our families is set goals, and since we’ve started to focus more on literacy, we’ve had multiple families set literacy-related goals. One mom of four said ‘I want to make time to read to my daughters every night for 30 minutes, because it will help my daughters at school’. Another parent set a goal to read to her three children before bed 3-4 nights each week, something the family does not currently do.”

Regular book donations to each family also help them build a home library with bilingual, age-appropriate materials. Even though the Healthy Families model is focused on children ages birth – three years old, other family members in the home benefit. Scott shared a story of one family with a baby, a preschooler and an elementary-school aged child. The oldest child was struggling with reading and literacy skills and was falling behind in school. Through visits and conversations with the Healthy Families home visitor, the mom realized she needed to take a more active role and work with the child at home; she now sets aside 15 minutes each day to read one-on-one with each child to focus on improving critical literacy skills.

Capacity is always an issue, and Biancardi would love to continue to add staff members to accommodate every family who is referred for services. For now, the team remains committed to reaching as many families as possible, ensuring that every child in the program has the support they need to thrive. As the program materials say, “Every family has a story and every story matters to Healthy Families.”

Joining Forces to Build Resilient Families and a Vibrant Community

Neal Butler — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:38:59 +0000

A core group of dedicated organizations have come together to support families in the near eastside and Martindale Brightwood communities of Indianapolis – and the collaboration has proven successful in unexpected ways.

The IndyEast Promise Neighborhood was created through federal funding awarded to John Boner Neighborhood Centers and Edna Martin Christian Center, with the vision of creating a vibrant neighborhood with thriving children and resilient families. The program focuses on four key areas: early learning, academic proficiency, college and career readiness and community stability.

HealthNet, a network of centers providing health care and support services regardless of financial ability, joined the collaboration and the three organizations came together to create aligned projects under the Early Years Initiative to expand home visiting services throughout the IndyEast Promise Neighborhood.

HealthNet’s extensive experience in the home visiting field through its Healthy Families program proved to be incredibly helpful as Edna Martin Christian Center launched their first home visiting program, Parents as Teachers.

“It’s a really great collaboration,” said Angielena Williams, EMCC director of early childhood special initiatives. “As a new program, to be able to partner along with a program that’s already been in existence, to learn from their model and to be able to share successes and challenges – it’s been incredibly helpful for our team.”

The HealthNet and EMCC teams meet regularly to discuss challenges, share resources and offer support and encouragement. “We have these really helpful conversations about what’s going well, what things may need some growth or change and what events are coming up,” said Williams.

Williams has found the partnership particularly helpful as the sole supervisor for EMCC’s Parents and Teachers program, one of only a few affiliates in the state. “It’s been so nice to partner and talk to the HealthNet supervisors – What does a day look like for you? What types of things do you plan for your team? How are you supporting your team’s mental health? Having their perspective on those questions has been so valuable as we build our program.”

Williams’ team shadowed experienced HealthNet staff during home visits as part of their initial training, an experience that provided valuable insight for the new team members and formed lasting relationships between the two teams. Outside of the regular meetings, team members can connect on challenging issues or reach out for support. The two groups often work on reporting together, sharing best practices and collaborating on ways to make the process more efficient.

For Brianne Biancardi, HealthNet program manager, the collaboration has been unexpected but appreciated. “I didn’t necessarily anticipate when we were going into this that we’d develop such close relationships with our partners in the community, but it’s been really nice,” she said. “We can support each other in meeting each family’s needs, but we also help each other out as a staff. We’ve partnered to do events, we share resources and have monthly meetings.”

Close connection among the organizations also makes it easier to place families in the right programs. For example, HealthNet’s engagement specialist focuses on community outreach and connecting with families at resource events, health fairs and job fairs. “Her role is to be out in the community meeting families. During the initial intake, we may realize a family could benefit from different programs at John Boner or Edna Martin, so we can give those referrals and make sure they’re connected,” Biancardi said.

Families and staff members alike continue to benefit from the open, positive and supportive relationships among community organizations. In the community health space, resources and capacity can often be limited. By working together to combine resources, share expertise, and leverage referral networks, these organizations are making great strides in turning the vision of the IndyEast Promise Neighborhood into a reality.

Alonzo Weems: Investing in the Future

Neal Butler — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:36:13 +0000

Alonzo Weems’ journey to early childhood education began serendipitously when a new role at Lilly came with an ask to serve on United Way’s Success by Six Leadership Council. This happened to coincide with a very special new personal role: becoming a father.

Through both, Weems developed a broader and deeper understanding of just how important and impactful the first years of life are for a child and he wanted to do more.

“This opened up for me the importance of community investments and bringing resources together to help children succeed,” Weems said.

Motivated by this newfound awareness, Weems sought to make a difference. In 2013, he was appointed by Governor Mike Pence to the Early Learning Advisory Committee for the State of Indiana and in 2016, he joined Early Learning Indiana’s Board of Directors.

These roles allowed him to champion initiatives that focused on creating safe, enriching environments where young minds could flourish. And while Weems tenure on ELI’s Board ended in 2023, his commitment to early learning in Indiana remained steadfast.

“When my wife and I think of giving, we look at two things—the work and the people leading it,” he reflects. “We always designate funds to Early Learning Indiana because we believe in the mission and the leadership. I’ve seen the results when investments are made in facilities, staff and curriculum—to the child and the family.”

Weems work in early learning advocacy serves as a powerful reminder of the lasting difference that committed leaders can make in shaping the future for generations to come.

Weems spent his professional career at Eli Lilly and Company, beginning in 1997 as an attorney and rising through the ranks to hold several key leadership positions, including general counsel for Lilly Canada, Lilly USA and the Biomedicines and Diabetes business units. Prior to retiring in 2024, he served as executive vice president of enterprise risk management and chief ethics and compliance officer. He holds an undergraduate degree from Wabash College and a law degree from Indiana University School of Law.

Nurturing Young Minds: The Power of Positive Experiences in Early Childhood Education

Neal Butler — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:22:09 +0000

“The brain develops more rapidly in the first 1,000 days after birth than at any other time, as neural pathways are formed and reinforced through children’s experiences,” said Brett Enneking, PsyD, HSPP, assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics for IU School of Medicine.

A new program—Resilient Classroom—created at Early Learning Indiana uses the HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) framework to counteract adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and help strengthen positive experiences in young children’s lives.

“Positive childhood experiences, like knowing one adult cares deeply for you; having opportunities for community connectedness; learning social and emotional competencies; and having safe, stable and equitable environments, are associated with flourishing and improved mental and physical health in adulthood,” said Enneking. “These experiences are critical in supporting children to have positive outcomes even when adverse childhood experiences are present.”

And while one might think a program like this aims to teach new curriculum for children, Resilient Classroom actually helps classroom teachers better understand how children’s brains develop and learn how they can respond differently to children.

“Not only is it crucial that we give young children grace as they are learning to navigate a complex world, but also focusing on adult resilience and regulation can make the difference in behavior support in the classroom,” Livy Zienty, social emotional learning coordinator for ELI, said. “Educators walk away with practical ideas they can use right away in their classrooms to help navigate the many emotions and behaviors present in all early childhood environments.”

Stephenie Johnson, director and teacher at St. Anthony de Padua Preschool in South Bend, enrolled herself and her assistant teacher in the program.

“Before she started the training, my assistant teacher struggled with big feelings from our children. She felt like she couldn’t meet them where they were and help them through it,” Johnson said. “Now, she’s calmer, she talks to them, encourages them and lifts them up.”

Johnson and her assistant teacher were among 229 across the state who completed the Resilient Classroom program made possible by an Indiana University Health Community Invest Fund Grant.

In addition to training teachers, Early Learning Indiana collaborated with IU Health to evaluate the social and emotional health of more than 780 infants and toddlers using the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA), both before and after their teachers participated in the program.

“It was really cool to see the impact the program had on many of our children,” said Johnson. “In quite a few, we saw a big difference, which was really interesting considering it’s not curriculum for the classroom, it’s more of training for teachers.”

Across the board, the data indicated a statistically significant improvement in student initiative, relationship-building, self-control, and overall protective factors. These findings suggest that the curriculum may positively impact factors associated with child flourishing.

“My biggest takeaway from the program was to take a breath first. Don’t react, respond,” said Johnson. “We are these children’s safe spaces. If we aren’t acting safe, they won’t feel safe.”

Learn more about the program here.

Fostering Innovation to Support Spanish-Speaking Families

Neal Butler — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:46:57 +0000

For the Healthy Families program staff at the Family Service Association of Howard County, serving their clients takes commitment, dedication and a healthy dose of creativity.

Healthy Families, a program that helps families develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to meet the unique needs of their babies, serves families with children from birth through age three in Clinton, Howard and Tipton counties in central Indiana. Since the program’s sole bilingual home visitor left the program over a year ago, efforts to replace her had proved unsuccessful.

“We had been trying for so long to recruit a new bilingual staff member, and we just weren’t having any luck,” said Kathryn Brown, Healthy Families director, leading to a gap in care for Spanish-speaking families. While the search continued, Brown floated the idea of hiring an English-speaking staff member and utilizing translation technology. “We got the idea approved, and then we had to very quickly figure out how to actually implement it,” Brown laughed. “On our first visits, we were using Google Translate and we quickly realized that wasn’t going to work.”

Brown and her team came together and brainstormed the best ways to offer supportive, culturally competent care to their families. A bilingual supervisor offered to translate the intake assessments into Spanish and ensure outreach materials were correct. The organization engaged with Propio, a best-in-class interpreting and translation service for access to a language line for over-the-phone support and an interpretation app with access to live, trained interpreters. Grant funding helped procure iPads for all staff, since video calls with interpreters were more productive with the larger screen.

“We’ve discovered that you really have to have a bunch of different ways to do this,” said Brown, “because what works best for one family or staff member doesn’t work as well for another.”

Brown highlighted the importance of making sure staff were supported and heard throughout the process. “The families have been so generous and so patient because they know we’re trying to figure out how to best serve them, and I think they see and appreciate that effort,” Brown said. “But it’s hard on our staff to feel frustrated and like they aren’t able to provide the best care. We’ve made it a point to check-in with our staff often and find ways to help manage that.”

Front-line staff have continued to suggest ways to refine the process, recently sharing the idea of hiring a part-time interpreter that would be devoted solely to home visits to ensure consistency in the quality of interpretation available. Brown is exploring that possibility and has reached out to a few contacts to gauge interest.

Staff also asked for Spanish language education to better communicate with families directly, especially with key phrases that are often used in the developmental screenings. A bilingual supervisor suggested the Babbel platform for its conversational style; Brown is looking into how to support the staff in learning new language skills.

Success in the translation and interpretation space allows staff to do what they do best: connect with families. Staff complete developmental screenings with each family and are able to refer children on to a variety of support services as needed, addressing learning and development gaps and reiterating the importance of early intervention. Staff also model parenting strategies and help families learn and practice new skills.

“It’s so important for our team to demonstrate the relationship that we want the parents to have with their kids, and model those behaviors,” Brown said. “We do that by developing a good relationship with the mom, helping to build her up, being her support system, and being that person that’s going to reinforce all the great things that she’s doing.”

Sometimes results take time. The Healthy Families model is a process, and it can take weeks, months and even years to see impactful change within a family. “Then all of the sudden, it clicks and we can see the changes for the kids,” Brown said. “The parents are more engaged in their learning. They’re getting to the doctor’s appointments, attending to health issues, attending to the child’s development issues. Those are all things that positively impact the child.”

For the families served, Healthy Families leaves a lasting impact. Brown shared the story of one former staff member who retired in 2018. She recently received a text message from a family she had worked with who had 14-year-old twins at the time, sharing a photo of the girls graduating from college. “That gave me chills,” said Brown. “Their children are doing great and they’re doing all these wonderful things out in the world, and they wanted to share that with us. It speaks to the impact this program has on the families and on the children.”

Looking ahead, Brown would love to have the capacity to serve every family referred for services. Although the translation and interpretation services are filling a critical need, Brown still hopes to add bilingual staff members. “There is a certain perspective that you can’t always get through interpretation, and I’d love for us to be able to attract the team members we need to be reflective of the communities we serve,” she said.

In the meantime, the Healthy Families team will continue to support and empower families through any avenue they can find. “We know that early learning time frame of zero-to-three is so critically important,” Brown said. “We’re trying to fit as many positive experiences as we can in there because we know that’s going to positively impact that child throughout the rest of their life.”

New Partnership Serving Mothers and Children

Karrie Baxter — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 17:02:06 +0000

Early Learning Indiana is partnering with Volunteers of America (VOA) to open a Day Early Learning microsite. Day Early Learning at Theodora House will support mothers — in recovery from opioid and other addictions — with access to high-quality early care and learning for their young children while in the VOA’s Fresh Start Recovery Center residential treatment program.  

The Fresh Start treatment program uniquely allows children of mothers with substance use disorders to reside with their mother during her treatment. According to data from The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), parental drug abuse is the second most common reason for the removal of children from custody, second only to neglect. Allowing mothers and young children to stay together during a mother’s treatment reduces the likelihood that these children end up in the foster care system or are otherwise separated from their families when the bond between mother and child is most vital.   

With access to Day Early Learning’s teaching curriculum and vast network of support services, participating mothers and children will benefit from the increased quality care, family engagement wrap-around supports and health and disabilities services.   

This is the first Day Early Learning microsite in which the children and educators will be in one classroom, with the capability to serve up to eight children from six weeks to 3 years old. Currently under construction, the new space is set to open later this spring. We look forward to sharing more about this exciting new partnership after the center’s grand opening.  

This partnership was generously made possible with grant support from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). In March of 2021, the ACF awarded new Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership and Early Head Start Expansion funds to 62 organizations in 32 states and Puerto Rico. As an Early Head Start (EHS) partner, Early Learning Indiana was one of the 62 organizations funded, allowing us to expand our EHS services within select Day Early Learning centers.

To learn more about Volunteers of America’s Fresh Start Recovery Center, visit voaohin.org.

Early Learning Indiana’s Top 22 of 2022

Karrie Baxter — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 21:47:26 +0000

This is Our Moment

As we look forward to a new year, let’s take a moment to look back on the many highlights and accomplishments from 2022. The past few years have taught us countless lessons. The world now has a deeper understanding of the importance of high-quality early care and education. Like no time before – THIS IS OUR MOMENT.

Here is how we made the most of every 2022 moment to…

1. CAPTURE THE MOMENTUM

Gov. Eric Holcomb appoints Early Learning Indiana (ELI) President and CEO Maureen Weber to chair the state’s Early Learning Advisory Committee (ELAC). Her leadership role comes as the state expands the committee’s duties with the Holcomb administration’s launch of an Office of Kindergarten Readiness at the Indiana Department of Education. ELAC works to ensure Hoosier children and their families have access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education programs. Learn more about ELAC.

2. ELEVATE OUR VOICE

The sharing of ideas and best practices among early learning providers is a priority for ELI. In 2022, our team members presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Professional Learning Institute, the Indiana Early Intervention Conference and Project Lead The Way Summit in Orlando. Learn About Our Solutions.

3. PARTNER ON CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

The United Way of Central Indiana awarded ELI $250,000 to support ELI’s Early Learning Works initiative through its Family Opportunity Fund. The funding will help us partner with local employers to find creative solutions for expanding access to early learning services for their own team members or the surrounding community. The main goal of Early Learning Works is to ensure families can go to work and access high-quality child care. Learn More.

4. MAKE CONNECTIONS

ELI’s external engagement team has been traveling to communities statewide, connecting with our partners and establishing new partnerships. In September, we created an Early Educator Experience at the Junior Achievement JobSpark career expo for over 10,000 eighth grade students. We guided participants to use the Day Early Learning (DEL) Teaching Environment Guidelines to make decisions about learning environments for their mock classroom — just like our teachers do every day. ELI also continues statewide engagement with partners and providers – visiting grantees as they open new seats, speaking with local economic development corporations and discussing child care benefit options with businesses. If you are interested in ELI participating in your 2023 event or offering a presentation on an early learning topic, contact Natalie Brake.

5. CLOSE THE GAP

ELI announced the Closing the Gap report update, which closely examines four factors comprising the Early Learning Access Index — capacity, quality, affordability and choice — with a focus on seeking solutions to address crucial local needs. To advance these local solutions, Early Learning Indiana, with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc., provided over $1,000,000 in grants for communities to address their specific gaps in access to high-quality early learning programs. Click here to read the full report.

6. BUILD, LEARN, GROW

ELI, in collaboration with the Indiana Afterschool Network, led the state-funded Build, Learn, Grow Scholarship program, providing over $68 million in financial support to help Indiana families access high-quality early childhood education and out-of-school care following the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 17,000 children and their families enrolled in the scholarship program, and more than 1,600 providers benefitted.

7. HELP FAMILIES FIND CARE

Early Learning Indiana launched the new Early Learning Marketplace. This innovative site provides a profile for all Indiana early learning programs and allows families to search for programs within their target geography, filter based on their needs and claim available seats in real-time. The Early Learning Marketplace is supported by Early Learning Indiana, Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Indiana Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning.

8. SUPPORT FAMILIES

Little learners thrive when they are healthy, happy and supported alongside their families. ELI coordinated the launch of the Family Resource Navigator approach, a two-generational framework that expands Indiana’s Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) Network services beyond child care referrals to include connections to organizations that meet families’ needs. Whether these needs are related to health and well-being, social supports or economic assets, CCRRs can now help families quickly find the help they need to thrive.

9. SHOWCASE THE DEL DIFFERENCE

Day Early Learning is committed to the highest-quality care as well as fostering the best environment for children to learn and grow. Our center teams partner with our families to develop social skills and collaboration, build confidence, strengthen persistence and resilience, encourage expression and collaboration and ignite imagination. Watch this video to see how the DEL Difference comes to life in our centers every day.

10. GROW

ELI grew the number of children we are able to serve across a total of 11 centers, as we opened the new Day Early Learning at Patty Jischke in West Lafayette and Day Early Learning at Manual on the south side of Indianapolis.

11. BE STRONGER TOGETHER

To support Indiana’s early care and education providers for the future, long-term solutions are necessary. ELI, with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc., supported organizations with the development of regional shared service hubs that enable providers to improve their operations, and better focus their scarce time and resources on the business of learning. Two of these hubs presented learnings alongside national partners at the 2022 National Shared Services Conference.

12. SUPPORT PROVIDERS

ELI engages with child care providers statewide to support their operational practices. Through participation in the Child Care Resource and Referral Network’s Child Care Provider Fairs, local coalition partner networking opportunities and a keynote address at the Montgomery County Early Learning Expo, ELI has shared best practices and new resources with hundreds of child care programs.

13. LEARN

ELI supported early child care leaders by launching two professional development opportunities. The first opportunity is in partnership with the Oaks Academy and provides leadership training and a space for collaboration amongst local child care leaders. The second opportunity is in partnership with Harvard Graduate School of Education. In this program, early childhood educators across the state have been invited to earn a Certificate in Early Education Leadership (CEEL). The program will teach early education providers how to strengthen learning environments and foster quality improvement in early education programs. Help us support work like this throughout the state by donating here.

14. BUILD

Day Early Learning classroom teams participated in our inaugural center-wide professional development day, made possible by the Gene and Rosemary Tanner Strengthening Teaching Fund. The day focused on building center teams’ professional practice to continue providing the best in early care and learning. The day included a morning all-team meeting, afternoon breakout sessions on topics like creating engaging classrooms and using the arts for learning, as well as time for teams to work together in their classrooms. We will do it again in February 2023. Learn more about our commitment to advancing early learning educators here.

15. MAKE IT MATTER

Classroom experiences in key areas of math during the preschool years have a powerful impact on children’s school-entry math skills. With the right instructional resources, early childhood teachers can assess their students’ math knowledge and tailor their instruction to meet students’ needs. ELI offered child care programs an opportunity to participate in an effectiveness trial of a curriculum-neutral early math professional learning system, called Getting on Track Early for School Success (GoT). the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, an independent research institution, is conducting an effectiveness trial of GoT. Learn More.

16. RECOGNIZE EXCELLENCE

Every year, Early Learning Indiana recognizes one of our dedicated and deserving Day Early Learning teachers as the Tanner Teacher of the Year. Day after day, our passionate and caring teachers deliver high-quality early learning to the children in their care while instilling the essential skills young children need to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. The 2022 Tanner Teacher of the Year is Nina Woodbury, a toddler teacher at Day Early Learning Federal Building. To learn more about the Tanner Teacher of the Year award and this year’s winner, click here.

Additionally, the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL) hosts a Provider Recognition Award program to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of Indiana child care providers. In 2022, five Day Early Learning teachers were recognized as Outstanding Educators.

17. PARTNER WITH PROVIDERS

In partnership with the state, Early Learning Indiana developed a new Marketing Best Practices Guide. This new tool supplies providers with marketing tips and resources as they launch a new early care and education program. The guide provides resources on communication and marketing principles, public relations and advertising, social media and web tools. Providers are encouraged to choose the tactics meeting their most immediate business needs.

18. ENHANCE COMMUNICATION

In our Day Early Learning classrooms, a lot happens in a day and we’re committed to partnering with families to help empower children with the essential skills to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. A key to the success of this partnership is providing families with timely and informative communication. The new Day Early Learning (DEL) Family Hub app, powered by LineLeader and made possible in part by the Day Nursery Auxiliary, began launching at our Indianapolis DEL centers to strengthen the connection between families and teachers.

19. CREATE

Thanks to the generous funding from the Indiana Arts Commission, Early Learning Indiana partnered with Arts for Learning for a series of creative family engagement events. Using grant funding, we hosted art events at our Indianapolis Day Early Learning centers. Each family was able to create a piece of art with their child(ren), and the Arts for Learning artists used them to create permanent installations in each center. Take a look at the photo gallery here.

20. SERVE

With COVID-19 restrictions lessening, we reopened our doors to volunteers. Early Learning Indiana’s fourth annual Day of Impact, presented by The Hagerman Group, was our most successful yet! Thanks to the generosity of many, we raised more than $60,000 and welcome 80 community volunteers across our 11 Day Early Learning centers. Check out the photo gallery to see the lasting impact.

21. WELCOME

We were also thrilled to, once again, welcome our Day Nursery Auxiliary volunteers back to our centers. Auxiliary volunteers joined in classroom activities, completed prep work, organized art supplies, refreshed lending libraries and so much more. The Day Nursery Auxiliary also hosted their 34th annual Style Show, celebrating Early Learning Indiana’s expanded footprint to serve our youngest learners. This year’s event set a new fundraising record! These funds will benefit our Day Early Learning centers and families. Learn more about the Auxiliary.

22. GIFT UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES

What. A. Year. Join us in our final moment to give and help us start the new year stronger than ever. You can make unforgettable experiences possible for our Day Early Learning children when you make a gift in support of an enhanced and equitable 2023 Enrichment Program Series – providing memories and skills that will last a lifetime. Watch our video and consider the impact your gift will make.

Statement on Governor Eric Holcomb’s 2022 Legislative Agenda

Karrie Baxter — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 13:54:40 +0000

The following is a joint statement from Early Education Works Coalition leaders Anne Valentine, Vice President of Government Relations of United Way of Central Indiana, and Maureen Weber, President and CEO of Early Learning Indiana, regarding the release of Governor Eric Holcomb’s 2022 Legislative Agenda:

The Early Education Works coalition applauds Governor Holcomb for including efforts that will strengthen Indiana’s early care and education sector as part of his 2022 Next Level legislative agenda, including the creation of the Office of Kindergarten Readiness under the Department of Education.

Connecting the Indiana Department of Education’s expertise on grade school academic preparedness with the Family and Social Services Administration’s oversight of Indiana’s early childhood education sector will continue to improve early care and education access for Hoosier families. Parents are their children’s first and most important teachers, and our coalition wants to make sure Hoosier families in every community have access to genuine high-quality, affordable early learning for their children. Governor Holcomb’s 2022 Next Level Agenda announced today will set Indiana on that path.

In addition to the creation of the Office of Kindergarten Readiness, Gov. Holcomb’s Next Level legislative agenda includes strengthening the work of Indiana’s Early Learning Advisory Committee (ELAC).

The ELAC language within House Bill 1093 will empower the state’s existing early learning advisory committee to set and measure progress against goals for Indiana’s early learning system, evaluate how the sector can best maximize state and federal dollars for early learning and develop strategies for the long-term sustainability of the sector. If enacted, these reforms have the potential to greatly stabilize the supply of high-quality early care and education providers in communities across the state and improve efforts to attract, develop and retain the early education workforce.

The Early Education Works Coalition, representing state and local chambers, employers, academia, philanthropic, nonprofit and early care and education experts from across the state, stands ready to partner with Governor Holcomb and the Indiana General Assembly to pass and implement the early care and education priorities announced today.

New report from Early Learning Indiana analyzes statewide early learning access and community impact

Kelly Kough — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 16:06:24 +0000

Supporting $100,000 grants will help communities close their child care gaps

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 17, 2021) — A new and comprehensive report is helping Early Learning Indiana analyze the state of child care access in Indiana and seek solutions to address crucial local needs.

Through development of “Closing the Gap: An Assessment of Indiana’s Early Learning Opportunities”, Early Learning Indiana aims to show the relationship between the various factors contributing to early learning access across Indiana and provide communities with a picture of their local early learning supply and demand gaps. Community stakeholders, leaders and early care providers can use the report to equip themselves with the data needed to make informed and strategic choices when it comes to expanding access to high-quality child care in their communities.

“The challenge is great, but the opportunity to build a system of more equitable access for Hoosier children is even greater,” said Maureen Weber, president and CEO of Early Learning Indiana. “As communities invest federal stimulus dollars to continue to accelerate their economies, they can use this Closing the Gap report as a guide for prioritizing their efforts to improve access.”

The report centers around Early Learning Indiana’s new Early Learning Access Index methodology, which helps qualify and quantify child care access throughout the state. Available child care is no longer viewed as simply a supply-and-demand equation; the Index assesses the additional factors of quality, affordability and choice as well.

Notable findings of the report include:

The statewide Early Learning Access Index is 60.6 out of 100, equaling moderate access to early learning and care statewide.
The highest access counties are Tipton (72.4), Vanderburgh (71.8), Marion (71.5), Posey (70.1) and Delaware (67.8).
The lowest access counties are Warren (23.8), Fountain (27.9), Switzerland (27.9), Rush (30.8) and Randolph (33.0).
When it comes to high-quality care, 3 out of 4 Hoosier children do not have adequate access to high-quality early care and learning opportunities. Marion County has the highest rate of high-quality capacity (48%), and Switzerland county has the lowest rate (0%).
In more than two-thirds of Indiana counties, existing child care capacity can serve fewer than half the children ages 0-5 who need care.
14 counties have no high-quality infant/toddler care.

To improve families’ access to care and jump start local solutions, Early Learning Indiana, with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc., announced today the availability of supporting grants of up to $100,000 for organizations to close the gap in their communities. Eligible organizations can use these capacity-building grants to increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities.

Early Learning Indiana is hosting informational webinars on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 for organizations to learn more about Closing the Gap grants. The deadline to apply is Oct. 8

Find the link for the webinars and learn more about the Closing the Gap grant fund here.

About Early Learning Indiana
Early Learning Indiana is Indiana’s oldest and largest early childhood education nonprofit, providing leadership, advocacy and early childhood education services to continually improve the early learning landscape in Indiana. Today, Early Learning Indiana operates eight high-quality Day Early Learning centers, a network of premier community-based lab schools used to advance the science of early learning, train the next generation of teachers and leaders, and instill essential skills in the children we serve. Through regional and statewide programs, the organization enables early learning providers to build capacity, transform operations and improve learning outcomes. Learn more at EarlyLearningIndiana.org.

Auxiliary Spotlight: Remembering Marilyn Pecsok

Karrie Baxter — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 19:53:20 +0000

The Early Learning Indiana team and Day Nursery Auxiliary members were grieved to hear of Marilyn Pecsok’s passing in December.

Marilyn maintained a lifelong commitment to children and quality early education. She taught third grade at IPS #90 for 11 years, was involved in numerous community activities and served on several nonprofit boards. Marilyn joined the Day Nursery Auxiliary in 1974, serving as president from 1983-84, and was involved in Auxiliary activities throughout the rest of her life.

Our hearts are with Marilyn’s loved ones, and we honor her legacy as we begin 2021.