INDIANA – Early Learning Indiana, with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc, announced today the seven organizations it has chosen to receive $100,000 grants to launch regional shared service hubs. Hubs created through the Stronger Together grant program will allow local child care providers to streamline their operational services, saving money and allowing them to focus their time and energy on providing high-quality child care.
Earning a grant locally is Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County.
Early care and education providers meet one of the greatest needs in Indiana communities, yet they often struggle to balance the operational demands of running a business with what matters most – supporting the growth and development of children. The Stronger Together grants aim to help solve this ongoing challenge.
“Providers operate with razor-thin margins as they try to balance the actual cost of providing care with the ability of families to afford it. These challenges threaten the future of Indiana’s early care and education system,” explained Maureen Weber, president, and CEO of Early Learning Indiana. “We created the Stronger Together grant to support the future of our Hoosier providers. This is a long-term solution and not a short-term fix.”
Grant recipients are:
- Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County (Monroe County)
- Geminus Corporation (Lake County)
- United Way of Marshall County’s Early Childhood Coalition (Marshall County)
- Early Childhood Alliance (Allen County)
- Right Steps Child Development Centers (Tippecanoe County)
- Community Foundation of Wabash County (Wabash County)
- Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County’s Muncie By 5 (Delaware County)
Grantees will determine the shared services their hub will provided based on regional needs. These hubs will help sustain providers, influence the affordability of care and enable providers to focus their scarce time and resources on the business of learning.
Early Learning Indiana has partnered with Opportunities Exchange (OppEx) to provide technical assistance to all grantees. OppEX is a national nonprofit consulting group working to transform the business of early care and education to improve child outcomes and ensure practitioners are well-compensated and work in supportive environments.
Learn more about the Stronger Together grant at https://earlylearningin.org/stronger-together/.
