MARENGO – Indiana Governor Mike Braun is improving quality of place in Indiana through the Indiana Regional Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI). Today, local and regional officials in the Indiana Uplands region cut the ribbon on a new playground, a major milestone of its $1.75 million investment in the Boys & Girls Club of Harrison-Crawford Counties facility in Marengo that is expanding capacity for childcare and preschool students.
“I am committed to ensuring every corner of Indiana is a place where Hoosiers want to live, work, play, and stay,” said Gov. Braun. “Through strategic use of READI funds, like this one at the Boys & Girls Club in Crawford County, we are helping communities make important investments to improve quality of place for children and families.”
The project, which leveraged $1 million in READI 2.0 funding, is expanding and making significant improvements to the Boys & Girls Club building in Marengo, home to the largest community in Crawford County, which is a pocket of the Indiana Uplands region that is a childcare desert. While the interior renovation is still underway, the facility has already added 31 seats for two-year-olds and four-year-old preschool students, reducing the number of seats needed in Crawford County by 20%.
The total $1.75 million project investment is being used to make critical building repairs, such as the replacement of the HVAC system as well as improvements to the interior and exterior. Today, officials cut the ribbon on a new outdoor playground, creating a safe space to support outdoor learning.
In tandem with the facility upgrades, the Boys & Girls Club is working with Uplands Smart Start to develop its staff through the Childhood Development Association (CDA) cohort program, which supports early learning professionals in earning new credentials. This educational component will serve the staff and their students while also enabling the Boys & Girls Club to move to a Paths to Quality Level 3 Program.
“Access to affordable amenities like childcare is a key contributor to quality of place and to talent retention and attraction,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich. “Projects like these, that are being supported through READI, are essential to improving access to childcare, particularly in more rural areas, and building the strong and engaged workforce needed to power continued community and economic development.”
Indiana’s READI program is a $1.25 billion investment in regional-led strategies designed to strengthen communities, retain and attract top talent, and increase opportunities for Hoosiers for years to come.
Crawford County is part of the 10-county Indiana Uplands region led by Regional Opportunities Initiative (ROI) that was awarded $60 million in READI matching funds to grow the region’s capacity as a national hub for innovation; develop and attract in-demand talent; advance housing, infrastructure, and place-based assets; and enhance the region’s unique cultural, artistic, physical, and livable amenities.
Learn more at IndianaREADI.com.
