For many families, it’s a real catch-22: You have to work to take care of your family, but the cost of care for your children while you work eats up way too much of your earnings. The stress of making ends meet is compounded by the stress of providing a safe, nurturing environment for your children while their brains are growing by leaps and bounds.  

And, as research shows, that stress creates a lasting negative impact on all involved, inhibiting the physical health of the whole family and strong brain development for the children.  

Systemic barriers have kept this vicious cycle in place, and getting free from it starts with education. Kids who don’t receive high-quality early care and learning have a harder time finding good jobs when they grow up, and the cycle just keeps going.  

Early Learning Indiana (ELI) has existed since 1899, when it was founded as Day Nursery, and today the organization works to make sure every child gets the skills they need to start kindergarten and to keeping thriving through their school years and beyond. That doesn’t just mean providing early learning centers but working to advance the science of early learning and train future teachers and leaders.  

Developmentally, some years are more meaningful than others, and that’s daunting news for a lot of Indiana families. Research shows that 85% of a child’s capacity to learn has been developed by age five, and whether that foundation supports or inhibits health, social and emotional intelligence, literacy, and employment depends in large part on high-quality early education—which just hasn’t been available to everyone.  

Of the half-million Hoosier aged five and under, approximately two-thirds need early care and learning so their parents can work, but a lot of these families can’t access high-quality care. It is frankly unaffordable to many who most need it, and with the annual cost running at least $8,000 for one child, that’s understandable.  

With the help of ELI, families can overcome that huge cost obstacle and provide high-quality care to their kids. But ELI is addressing the issue of early care from more than just that one angle.  

With an entrenched and critical issue like early care and learning, tackling the problem isn’t a simple matter. Sure, providing care centers helps—and ELI runs eight Day Early Learning centers—but what’s to be done about the labor shortage that keeps many care centers from keeping up with demand? How can we ensure providers are adequately trained to provide kids what they need during these important early years?  

ELI is on the case. The organization collaborates with the Indiana Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning, Indiana’s Child Care Resource and Referral Network, and a statewide network of supporters to institute change and build supports for early care and learning providers—and the parents who rely on them.  

Because the shortage of qualified workers is only becoming more dire, ELI partners with colleges and universities to better attract and prepare the early learning workforce. The organization helps improve learning models and offers work-based professional learning programs for various roles within early learning.  

In partnership with Butler University and the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, ELI created and launched the Early Childhood Educator Certificate Program. The professional prep program incorporates inquiry-based learning and culturally responsive teaching methods, and it requires teacher mentors.  

ELI further supports early care and education providers with grant programs designed to help close the access gap and ensure families have options for high-quality early care.

In its efforts to address early care from every angle, ELI offers a search tool for parents in need of care for the young children. The Early Learning Marketplace helps families find programs in their area. They can filter programs according to their needs and claim a seat for their child as soon as they find a good fit. Because it provides quick, localized access to information, the marketplace is a huge time saver for families who have the least time to lose.  

And for employers who want to address the childcare struggle for their employees—a great benefit for reducing absenteeism and turnover and increasing productivity—Early Learning Works helps evaluate needs, compare solutions, connect employers and providers, and guide the RFP or partnership process. It’s an effective way for employers to make a difference not just for their employees and their families but for the communities in which they operate.  

ELI does an extensive amount of good through a wide range of programs focused on improving access to and quality of early care and education. Their work goes way beyond what we can cover here—and all of it serves Indiana by supporting its youngest minds. If you’d like to help ELI provide access to the care and learning that build strong foundations for young Hoosiers, here’s how to help: