Indiana directs $8.7M to early childhood education growth
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Hoosier child care providers are getting a boost as a part of a statewide push to increase access to early education opportunities.
The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning has awarded $8.7 million to local programs, which is expected to make more than 1,500 child care seats available across 18 Indiana counties.
Courtney Penn, director of the state’s early childhood office, said in a news release that the Child Care Expansion Grants—21 in total—will allow high quality providers to reach more families, particularly in underserved areas.
“The first five years of a child’s life are the most significant to build a strong foundation for future success,” Penn said. “We are always looking for opportunities such as this to partner with providers to serve hard-working Hoosier families.”
The grants were awarded to 11 child care center, four ministries, four homes and two public schools. Among those, seven received up to $200,000 to update facilities and operations and 14 received up to $750,000 to create new programs in underserved communities.
The grants are funded through an allocation made during the Indiana General Assembly’s special session last year. The awards follow a Family and Social Service Administration announcement last month sharing news of a new $25 million Employer-Sponsored Child Care Fund incentivizing companies to support their employees’ child care needs.
The FSSA has directed $542 million in stabilization grants to over 3,300 child care providers in recent years to support their work after the pandemic. The agency says these investments have led to a 29% decrease in vacancies among child care and early learning teachers between 2021 and 2022.
“This expansion grant helps to build upon FSSA’s recent work to help stabilize and grow child care in Indiana to support providers and build available child care capacity,” FSSA Secretary Dan Rusyniak said of the recent grant awards. “These investments directly strengthen the workforce.”
A list of recent Child Care Expansion Grant recipients can be found by clicking here.