INDIANAPOLIS— For the second year, Duke Energy Foundation and the Indiana Economic Development Association are teaming up to address the affordable childcare issue across the Hoosier state.
Together the foundations are awarding $150,000 in grants to four organizations to fund projects focused on improving access to child care. Those organizations are working to close the gap in Fulton, Hendricks, Martin, Monroe and Putnam Counties.
The Indiana Economic Development Association says one of the biggest determining factors for people when deciding whether they can take a job, keep a job and what kind of job they get is child care, and it’s having an impact on the economy.
According to a recent study by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indiana loses out on an estimated $4.22 billion annually for the state’s economy, including a $1.17 billion annual loss in tax revenue due to shortfalls in child care. The report also shows that only 61% of children needing care statewide can be served through existing capacity.
As of January, Indiana’s unemployment rate is 4.4 percent.
“So fixing these childcare gaps could have a real clear and ready impact on the growth of our economy and lowering of our unemployment rate. If we want a striving economy and stronger workforce, child care is something we should all get behind,” said Matt Kavgian with IEDA.
Hendricks College Network is one of the organizations receiving grant money. The nonprofit provides access to and support for post-high school education, business training and workforce development.
Two years ago, Hendricks College Network partnered with Child Care Answers to look at the top workforce barriers in Hendricks County. The top three were child care, housing, and transportation.
Tracy Berens-Funk, the director of adult workforce initiatives, says they hear all the time about families dropping out of the workforce to care for their children and that shouldn’t be a solution.
“Our biggest problem in Hendricks County right now is the lack of quality childcare. There are providers in pockets all over, but if you really want your child to have a quality early learning environment that’s hard to find,” said Berens-Funk.
Berens-Funk says they’re actively looking at ways to help providers increase that level of care and have training on site. They say it needs to be all hands on deck.
Hendricks County has also created a workforce coalition to continue to move this work forward. If anyone is interested in joining the effort you can contact Berens-Funk at tracy@hendrickscollegenetwork.org.
Here is the full list of recipients:
1. Fulton Economic Development Corporation [fultondevelopment.org] (EDC). A $40,000 awardee, the Fulton EDC will collaborate with an alliance of the Fulton County Chamber of Commerce, Northern Indiana Community Foundation, Caston and Rochester school districts to develop an innovative, community-driven approach to assess child care needs in Fulton County. This group will develop a sustainable model, while enhancing access to quality child care services. By leveraging the expertise of a consultant, the group plans to formalize its Fulton County Early Learning Coalition, which includes early learning professionals, employers, parents and caregivers, government officials and funders.
2. Greencastle Putnam County Development Center [putnamcountyindianaeconomicdevelopment.com] (GPCDC). With its $40,000 grant, the GPCDC will engage large corporations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to better understand how child care challenges influence their operations and employees’ decisions to live and work in the area. Through focus groups, stakeholder engagement, and consultant expertise, this initiative will identify innovative solutions – such as employer-supported child care models and facility repurposing – to enhance child care capacity, support economic development and strengthen the local labor force. A resulting “Child Care Expansion Plan” will provide a road map for sustainable improvements, ensuring Putnam County remains a competitive and desirable place for families and businesses.
3. Hendricks College Network [hendrickscollegenetwork.org]. The Hendricks College Network – a nonprofit that provides access to and support for post-high school education, business training, and workforce development in Hendricks County and the surrounding region – plans to utilize its $30,000 grant to: expand access to higher quality care with weekend and evening programming; conduct a public education and engagement campaign to advocate for policies and innovative solutions that strengthen child care access for families and ease burden on providers; and increase the number of providers accepting Indiana Child Care Development Fund and On My Way Pre-K vouchers. The funding will also help the organization take a deep dive into data, research innovative practices, and advocate for policies that assist providers with increasing capacity, improving quality, and investing in new and unique solutions.
4. Regional Opportunity Initiatives [regionalopportunityinc.org] (ROI). A nonprofit that works to advance economic and community prosperity in the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands region – Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen and Washington – ROI plans to utilize its $40,000 grant to help fund comprehensive building expansion and feasibility assessments for three child care providers: Bloomington Center for Global Children, Bloomington's Covenant Christian Early Learning Place and the Oak St. Village Project in Loogootee. These assessments, conducted by IFF, a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) working in collaboration with CDFI Friendly Bloomington, will analyze facility changes needed to maximize seat capacity and high-quality learning at each center, including space design, construction planning, and potential financing needs and opportunities.
