Early Learning Indiana awards childcare grants
INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) – Early Learning Indiana has awarded $1.7 million in Closing the Gap grants to 18 organizations to help address childcare access issues. The Indianapolis-based nonprofit says the funding will support statewide efforts to increase capacity and quality, and ensure affordability and choice for families.
The grant recipients represent 18 counties throughout the state. In total, the nonprofit says their proposals will create 926 new childcare seats for 269 infants and toddlers and 657 preschool and pre-K children.
Grant recipients include:
- Adams County Economic Development Corp. – Adams County
- Mental Health America of Boone County — Boone County
- Lewis Cass Schools (Lewis Cass Early Learning Academy) — Cass County
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Harrison-Crawford Counties — Crawford County
- Early Learning Center at Hubbard Hill — Elkhart County
- Greene County Foundation — Greene County
- TOTally Kids Childcare at St. Mark’s — Hendricks County
- Henry County Child Care Network — Henry County
- Bona Vista Programs — Howard County
- Appleseed Childhood Education Inc. — Jasper County
- LaunchPad Child Care and Early Learning Coalition — Kosciusko County
- Wee Care Early Learning Ministry — Marion County
- Monroe County United Ministries — Monroe County
- First5 of the Rush County Community Foundation — Rush County
- Scott County School District 2 — Scott County
- ABC & ME — Tipton County
- Union County College Corner Joint School District — Union County
- United Way of the Wabash Valley Inc. — Vigo County
“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 of Early Learning Indiana. “Our Closing the Gap grant recipients have put together collaborative solutions to solve some of the greatest barriers to access to high-quality early learning in their communities, and we are proud to help kick start their work.”
The nonprofit says the funding comes from a 2019 grant from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. to support its work to improve accessibility to high-quality early learning programs in Indiana.
You can connect to a PDF of awardees, their locations and project descriptions by clicking here.