Doulas are changing the narrative for families on Indianapolis’ near westside.
Through Early Years Initiative and with support from Hawthorne Community Center, JUST Community is building powerful partnerships with local early learning programs, delivering a two-fold impact. Trained, community-based postpartum doulas offer much-needed support to parents of newborns. Those same families are then welcomed into the JUST Play program – a unique, toy- and education-based early learning model built for children from birth through age three.
JUST Play is more than a curriculum, it’s a movement. Families receive high-quality educational toys and books grouped by ages (0–12 months; 12–24 months; and 24–36 months), along with simple, effective guides for caregivers. The goal is to help young children meet critical developmental milestones and increase parents’ confidence in supporting that growth through everyday interactions like singing, talking and reading.
The program also taps into a vital, often overlooked relationship – the trusted home child care provider, said Nicole Carey, JUST Community’s founder and executive director.
Two educators operating family child care programs in Indianapolis are involved in the cohort, serving as “community bridges.” These educators not only deliver care, but check in with families, mirror play-based activities and reinforce the learning and well-being strategies introduced through the program.
The Early Years Initiative exists to elevate organizations, like JUST Community, working to ensure infants and toddlers develop foundational knowledge and skills that support their future learning and development.
This organization’s cross-training is a workforce development win, an early childhood booster and a community-based healthcare solution all rolled into one.
“This kind of collaboration matters because early childhood doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It intersects with maternal health, education, poverty and equity. When I think about innovation in early learning, I don’t just think about what’s happening on the ground. I think about how we can collaborate with larger organizations to create a robust foundation, and how we mobilize our resources to do the most good,” Carey said.
Several leaders in early learning programs have completed doula training themselves. One educator, originally recruited to pilot JUST Play, joined the first cohort of doulas and now supports mothers through childbirth, postpartum recovery and early parenting.
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