August 2024 Community Newsletter

Local Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) agencies build awareness of their services and the importance of early childhood education within the communities they serve and develop partnerships with coalitions and task forces to ensure the needs of families and early childhood programs are considered in planning efforts.

This quarterly newsletter shares what we are doing in the community, what we have coming up, and how community members can advocate for early care and education.

Frequently asked questions have been provided below related to each legislative change. Additional FAQs and resources will be added as implementation plans are finalized.

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Dagney Faulk, PhD, Michael J. Hicks, PhD, and Madelyn Ponsier found that the lack of accessible, affordable, high-quality child care is preventing women from entering the workforce.

Access the study below.

"In this brief, we examine (1) the relationship between child care availability and the level of women’s participation in the workforce, (2) the underlying financial factors that affect the demand for child care services and the supply of child care workers, and (3) an overview of public policies and programs available in Indiana."

- Child Care and Women’s Participation in the Workforce: Estimates for Indiana, June 26th, 2024

After 13 years working with CASY, Program Director Kristi Burkhart accepted a position with the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning as the new Director of Quality Practice. We look forward to seeing the great things she will do state-wide.

We are excited to announce Trisha Guinn as the Interim Program Director of CCRR. Previously the CCRR Program Resource Navigator, she will now oversee programming, projects and staff. Trisha holds a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling and has worked with youth from infancy through young adulthood for over 15 years. Her work has included advocacy, child abuse and neglect response and prevention, counseling, residential, social work, community outreach and referrals.

You can schedule a meeting with her here.

Congratulations Kristi and Trisha!

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Congratulations to all the Employer-Sponsored Child Care Grant Awardees! As you continue working on your grant project, we know you have questions. Let us help you! Join us on the second Tuesday of every month from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Eastern time to get support from your local resource and referral agency AND get questions about claim submissions answered in time for your next deadline.

Courtney Willis, Senior Project Manager and ESCCG support, will be on hand to walk you through the specifics of claim submission. Whether you need clarification on documentation requirements, reimbursement procedures or any other aspect of the ESCC grant, this is your chance to gain valuable insights directly from our team.

Please come prepared with your questions so that we can ensure a productive and informative session for everyone involved. Your participation is crucial to ensuring that you maximize the benefits of the ESCC grant and navigate the process smoothly.

If you have any urgent questions beforehand or if you are unable to attend the session, please reach out to your CCRR specialist.

Click here to register for the monthly virtual office hours. We hope to see you online!

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In honor of Provider Appreciation Day (PAD) in May, we announced the winners of our 2024 PAD Raffle!

Families nominated their favorite licensed child care program on Facebook and we drew 3 names that received prizes for their program. The winners were:

Cookie Jar Daycare "Where play time is learning time." - Vermillion County

Precious Playmates Daycare - Morgan County

The Growing Garden Learning Center Mooresville - Morgan County

Thank you for helping us recognize your local child care providers!

In 2019, the Montgomery County Community Foundation received a planning grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to convene local stakeholders to identify, prioritize and assess opportunities and challenges. MCCF and the city of Crawfordsville decided to form a task force with representatives from local government, employers, child care providers, parents, schools and nonprofit organizations. With the assistance of Transform Consulting Group, the 18-member task force spent six months completing a community needs assessment. MCCF was awarded their second grant from Lilly Endowment, which will provide funding for the creation of the Montgomery County Early Childhood Coalition and a director of early learning position.

After years of hard work, this coalition broke ground on their new Montgomery County Early Learning Center in April 2024. Learn about their $5 million investment here.

Below you can see some of the places our team has been in the last 3 months!

Midwest Academy training on Organizing, Strategy and Building People Power, Henry County Career Day at New Castle High School, Randolph County Child Care Provider Fair, Delaware County Community Baby Shower and the Indiana Perinatal Conference.

Indiana Early Intervention Conference, Putnam County Health Fair at the Greencastle pool, 2024 PIVOT Conference at Pendleton Heights High School, Martinsville HR Round Table at the Morgan County Public Library and the Owen County Access Event.

Hancock County Community Night Out, Labor of Love Summit in Indianapolis with partner CCRR agencies, Richmond Bump to Bump Event, CASY Staff Retreat, and Owen County Beach Bash back-to-school event.

The Brighter Futures Indiana Data Center offers data related to population, economics, supply and demand. These data points are relevant to many aspects of early childhood education. Whether you are a family trying to learn more about care options in your area, a provider looking to open a new business, or a community member that supports the local early childhood education market in your area – the data center is a tool for you.

Check out local, updated data at the Brighter Futures Data Dashboard

Use this form to schedule a meeting with someone from our team!

Allissa has a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in Health Administration, and a Master’s degree in Public Health. Before joining CASY her focus was on health education programs and researching ways to better the lives of the community. Her public health experience is put to use when she is presenting data on the importance of early child care and education to community leaders. Allissa is moved by the impact health disparities have on child care accessibility, quality, and affordability.

Email: atheisz@casyonline.org
Website: https://casyonline.org/ccrr_services/
Phone: 812-231-8905

Ben has a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from IUPUI. He has devoted most of his life serving Country and Community through the military, and social work. His work includes advocacy, child abuse and neglect response/prevention, community outreach and referrals. He strives to connect families to quality early care and education through referral services, webinars, and more. Ben is also looking forward to building positive relationships and sharing the importance of early childhood development and education with families and communities.

Email: bflick@casyonline.org
Website: https://casyonline.org/ccrr_services/
Phone: 812-231-8906

Jennifer has experience as a business owner, childcare teacher, preschool director, and case manager. While living in Georgia, Jennifer created an Early Childhood and Parenting Program and worked with teen moms helping them to learn essential parenting and life skills. She has three degrees from Indiana Wesleyan University, including a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership. Jennifer enjoys building positive relationships and sharing the importance of early childhood development and education with families and communities.

Email: jlee@casyonline.org
Website: https://casyonline.org/ccrr_services/
Phone: 812-231-8916