New Child Care Center and New Partnerships Bring Quality Care to Jay County Families 

Three-year-old Aliza expertly managed a pair of giant scissors (with a little help!) at the September 2024 ribbon cutting ceremony for the Jay County Early Learning Center. Teachers, donors, foundation staff and community partners cheered the official launch of the facility, housed in a former elementary school building in Portland.  

“There’s nothing like it in the community,” said Doug Inman, Portland Foundation executive director, noting that it will be the largest child care center in Jay County. “We’re very excited to get the doors open and have families come take a look.” 

For the foundation, addressing the lack of affordable child care in the area aligns with its core mission. “As a community foundation, our goal is to enhance the quality of life in our community,” Inman said. “Part of that task involves providing leadership on key issues and serving as a catalyst to make things happen.” 

Once plans for the center were established, the foundation recognized the need for an established, high-quality partner to manage daily operations. After a competitive call for proposals, Westminster Preschool was selected for its expertise and commitment to quality and has served as a true collaborative partner during the renovation, offering input on color schemes, furniture, classroom design and other details to transform the space. With Westminster’s expertise and the newly renovated building, the center is slated to reach Paths to QUALITY™ Level 3 designation within the first year and national accreditation within two years. “We aren’t just opening a child care – we’re providing a high-quality program to children in need in our county,” Inman said.  

IU Health Jay Hospital serves as another key partner through its Healthy Beginnings program, a comprehensive prenatal and postnatal program that focuses on improving maternal and infant health outcomes through care coordination, outpatient services and community collaboration. Healthy Beginnings navigators partner with parents during the first trimester and continue support through the first year of a baby’s life, educating families about safe sleep practices, breastfeeding, developmental milestones and more. Navigators can attend healthcare appointments with families and offer connections to community resources. A navigator will now be on site at the Jay County Early Learning Center, eliminating the need for families to make an additional trip to the hospital for services. “Families can meet with the navigator on staff for car seat training, for safe sleep training, or all of the other things Healthy Beginnings offers,” Inman said.  

Looking ahead, Inman envisions bringing more wraparound support services into the facility to create a comprehensive family resource center. “Parents could drop their children off to start their day at the early learning center, then meet with any program staff needed and be on their way to work. We’re trying to make life easier for our families and connect them with the services they need. That’s much easier to do when you have high-quality partners like Westminster and IU Health Jay Hospital.” 

Inman points out that only about a quarter of children in the county who need child care are currently being served. “This center is not going to solve the child care crisis in Jay County, but it’s going to make a significant impact,” he said. “I hope the community sees that all these partners came together to address a need and find a solution for our families. It bodes well for our community that although we’ve identified our statistics aren’t great, we’re working really hard to improve.” The foundation has applied for additional grant funding with a goal of building two additional facilities to change Jay County’s status as a child care desert.  

Inman hopes the center fills an immediate need for local families, but he also looks long-term when thinking about the center’s role.