Northeast Indiana awards $5M for early childhood aid
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The Northeast Indiana Strategic Development Commission has awarded nearly $5 million toward an initiative to provide more accessible and affordable child care in the region.
The funds will help support the Northeast Indiana Early Childhood Coalition’s “Tri-Share Plus” model of providing financial aid to working families for child care services, according to a news release. Under the model, child care expenses are evenly split among the state, employer and family.
The funds also will help support child care organizations by creating a shared service model for back-office functions, the commission said.
The commission also awarded $110,000 to the Questa Education Foundation to expand its forgivable student loan program to persuade students from outside the area to attend college in the region and stay after graduation. The amount was a match toward a $500,000 donation from the Don Wood Foundation.
“The Northeast Indiana Strategic Development Commission is thrilled to advance these exciting initiatives with the potential to yield generational returns for our region,” said Huntington Mayor Richard Strick, who chairs a committee that advanced the funding requests to the full commission for consideration.
The Northeast Indiana Strategic Development Commission was created by the Indiana General Assembly and funds its five-year strategic plan to attract, retain and develop talented workers and provide housing resources to develop the northeast Indiana economy.