Early Years Initiative Grant Recipients Announced

Early Learning Indiana recently announced the 86 organizations receiving grants through the Early Years Initiative, a competitive grant program to help strengthen communities’ efforts to support the learning and development of infants and toddlers in Indiana. The Initiative is generously supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. Through more than $31 million in grants of up to $500,000 each, the 86 organizations will work to maximize the critical period of growth and brain development in very young children during their first three years of life. The awarded projects and programs are designed to help Hoosier families support the cognitive, social-emotional and physical wellbeing of infants and toddlers. Click the button below to view the full list of recipients.

Learn About Our Grantees

Making it Matter

WHAT A DAY! Our fifth annual Day of Impact on Friday, Sept. 22 was one for the record books. We:

Welcomed 92 volunteers who gave 300 volunteer hours
Read books and painted nearly 800 rocks
Created 135 study boxes
Set up 13 free book fairs
Remodeled outdoor play decks and cleaned up landscaping
Received more than $70,000 from generous donors

Each year through Day of Impact, we have the special opportunity to raise awareness and visibility for the exceptional, high-quality work we do by introducing our amazing Day Early Learning centers to the community. Thank you to everyone who made it possible. Check out these highlights from Day of Impact 2023.

Educator Empowerment

Through the generous support of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and in collaboration with Butler University, we have created and launched the Early Childhood Educator Certificate Program. This innovative program is accessible to individuals seeking to become early childhood educators and offers comprehensive professional preparation that considers job-embedded experience. The program incorporates inquiry-based learning and culturally responsive teaching methods. The Early Childhood Educator Certificate Program stands out from others like it, as each participant must have a Cooperative Teacher who will serve as a mentor. Thanks to Lilly Endowment Inc., we were able to provide a full scholarship to each of the 16 individuals in the first cohort, which started last week. We look forward to watching the first cohort as well as all future applicants, thrive within the program. Learn more here.

Bridging Futures

Family engagement specialist at Chances And Services for Youth, Amy N. Marine, and Kelsey Webb, Senior Manager, Network Initiatives at Early Learning Indiana, presented at the Zero to Three Conference on September 20 in Minneapolis. ZERO TO THREE's LEARN Conference is the go-to event for professionals from across the early childhood field seeking to advance their knowledge and practice. Amy and Kelsey presented to 300 attendees on the Child Care Resource & Referral Network's two-generational approach to assisting families in finding high-quality care and connecting those families with additional child- and adult-serving resources. You can check out the Family Resource Navigator on Brighter Futures Indiana to see low- and no-cost services available to families across the state by an easy zip code search.

Early Head Start is Harnessing Safety

At Early Learning Indiana, the safety and well-being of our young learners is a top priority. This commitment led to the start of our invaluable Early Head Start car seat clinics. In the first three clinics alone, we assisted 30 families, inspected 39 car seats and provided 31 new car seats free of charge. With two more clinics on the horizon, we're enthusiastic about the ongoing positive impact this initiative will have on our community. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Citizens Energy Group and Early Head Start for their instrumental roles in making these events a possibility and a success. If you are interested in donating to efforts like this, reach out to Kirsten Yeager.

Growing Bright Minds

We recently wrapped up the PNC Grow Up Great event series. This series was an enriching experience for providers from across the state, led by five distinct speakers across two in-person sessions and nine webinars.

We covered crucial topics such as educational environments, adult resiliency, social-emotional learning and brain development. A special thanks goes out to PNC Bank, whose generous support made this entire event series possible, showcasing their dedication to the growth and development of our community's young minds.