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Tuesday Newsday

May 23, 2023

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TEAM HAPPENINGS

Team Member Anniversaries

Congratulations to the following team members celebrating a work anniversary in June!

Amy Cavin, Statewide Office, Director of Program Quality — 16 years
Heather Mitchell, Center for Infants and Toddlers, Operations Manager — 9 years
Ashleigh Jamison, Park 100, CSP — 8 years
Amanda Zimmerman, Statewide Office, Senior Portfolio Director — 8 years
Lauren Lenk, Center for Infants and Toddlers, CSP — 4 years
Laura McCarthy, Statewide Office, Senior Project Manager — 3 years
Adrienne Bennett, Practice & Policy, VP of Early Learning Practice — 2 years
Craig Callaway, Talent Experience, Benefits Specialist — 2 years
Elizabeth Goff, Fort Harrison, School Leader — 2 years
Toni Holton, Lilly Family Center, CSP — 2 years
Alora Newlon, Patty Jischke, Teacher — 1 year
Andrea Jake, Lilly Family Center, CSP — 1 year
Khalida Saeed Zewary, Lilly Family Center, CSP — 1 year
Hannah Testas, Lilly Family Center, Teacher — 1 year
Stacey Rose, Manual, Teacher — 1 year
Tamercion L. Butler, State Government Center, CSP — 1 year
Emily Klingstein, State Government Center, CSP — 1 year
Valerie Rodriguez, State Government Center, CSP — 1 year

Why We Do What We Do

We're excited for you to see how we continue to positively evolve our recruitment efforts showcasing our incredible talent... YOU!

Lunch & Learn

In our latest Lunch and Learn, Natalie Brake, vice president of community outreach and engagement, shared how we approach exhibitor spaces for Early Learning Indiana and use these opportunities to grow enrollment, recruit new team members and share our work with partners and key stakeholders.

Watch the Lunch & Learn Here

We have an exhibitor opportunity coming up and need your help! ELI will host a table at the Juneteenth Jamboree at the Children's Museum. Bilingual books will be provided to early learners, while families can learn about enrollment and recruitment opportunities at the Day Early Learning centers. Please sign up for one of our two shifts here. The museum will be open to the public free of charge from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Join us in raising awareness of the crucial work we do to ensure children thrive in kindergarten and beyond and enjoy a fun-filled family day!

ELI ACROSS THE STATE

Early Education Gains Momentum in Indiana

The Indiana General Assembly recently finished its session and passed some important reforms for early learning.

These are some of the key reforms:

The income eligibility threshold for the On My Way Pre-K program was increased from 127% to 150% of the federal poverty level.
A new tax credit of up to $100,000 was created for small- and mid-sized businesses to support employer-sponsored child care. This initiative is funded at $2.5 million annually.
The Early Learning Advisory Committee was given clear timelines to include objective outcomes in Paths to Quality and address various issues, such as the "expansion penalty" for high-quality providers and challenges in offering pre-K in public schools.
The pilot designation for On My Way Pre-K was ended.

While there is still more work to be done, these reforms, along with changes made last year to the Early Learning Advisory Committee, show that the Indiana General Assembly is recognizing the value of the early learning sector and is committed to effective administration.

ELI Team members have been interviewed about these reforms. Read more in the articles below.

Fox 59

Indiana Capital Chronicle

ELI in White County

Local business leaders in White County understand how vital early care and education are to a thriving workforce. Maureen was invited to speak at the White County Economic Development Organization’s annual luncheon. She shared the importance of early learning in a child's development, the misalignment between supply and demand, and the financial barriers faced by families.

Stand Up. Stand Together. Stand for Child Care.

Child Care Aware® of America gathered early care and education professionals, CCR&Rs, state agencies, other system leaders and allies at their 2023 Symposium to Stand Up. Stand Together. Stand for Child Care.

Mandy Zimmerman, our senior portfolio director, hosted the session titled Beyond the Child Care Search: CCR&R as Navigators for Families, alongside Megan Day from CCA and Beth Steward from OECOSL. They shared insights into the creation of the Family Resource Navigator, the rationale behind the 2-gen approach and how the CCRRs are utilizing findhelp to support families. Session attendees had the opportunity to engage in practical exercises using the Family Resource Navigator based on real-life scenarios.

TRENDING ACROSS OUR DAY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS

Presenting Day Early Learning at Theodora House

Maureen joined John von Arx, president and CEO of Volunteers of America, Lisa Armstrong, VOA Fresh Start Program graduate and DEL mom along with current Fresh Start Program participants and their little ones for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony at our new Day Early Learning at Theodora House.

This first-of-its-kind microsite will provide high-quality early care and education for the children of mothers in the Fresh Start Recovery Program, keeping families together during treatment.

Growing our DEL at Howe Team

We are still recruiting team members for Day Early Learning at Howe. If you are interested in promotion opportunities or transferring to this location, apply to job postings here. If you know of someone looking to join the Day Early Learning team, connect with the ELI Talent Experience team and you will receive a referral bonus of $500 for a full-time hire and $250 for a part-time hire.

TEAM RESOURCES

Calming Anxiety

Here are some recommendations from Calm, our mental health partner, that you can do anytime, anywhere to help ease feelings of stress and anxiety:

Anxiety Release

Whether you have 10, 20 or 30 minutes, try this guided meditation practice to release the mental and emotional energy of anxiety.

Softening Anxiety

Lessen your anxiety and feel more centered by doing a few stretches in a seated position, all in 7 minutes.

Calm Your Heart With Deeper Breaths

Use this 3-minute guided exercise to quickly calm down when experiencing panic or anxiety.

Join one of the Calm App Webinars to learn how to get the most out of your Calm experience and bolster your overall well-being.

SUBMIT AN UPDATE

If you have important news to submit to Tuesday Newsday, please do so via the ELI Internal Communications Submission Form. All content is due the Wednesday before Tuesday Newsday (biweekly) and is routed through senior leadership for approval.

SUBMIT NOW