November 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 highlights what we are doing in the community, work being done in the early education field and how community members can advocate for early care and education.

Early Learning Indiana (ELI) announced that 68 community organizations have joined the Early Years Initiative receiving $23 million in grants to help them meet the developmental needs of infants and toddlers and surround Hoosier families with the resources to capitalize on the opportunities for learning that occur from birth to age 3.

Learn more here: https://earlylearningin.org/early-years-initiative/

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A new study from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Early Learning Indiana explains how child care affects Indiana's workforce. They found that $4.22 billion is lost in Indiana's economy every year due to child care issues.

Learn more about how it impacts families, employers and the state's economy. here: www.indianachamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Untapped_INDIANA_072924_DIGITAL.pdf

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The Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce received $600,000 in funding from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to create the Childcare Connections Employer Grant program. This program helps regional employers with child care tuition reimbursement.

Take the Employer Feedback Survey to help the Chamber understand the current child care incentives offered and to help guide best practices for distributing the funds. Eligible businesses can receive funds to cover up to 30% of high-quality (Paths to QUALITY Level 3 or 4) child care costs for children under age 3.

𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲: surveymonkey.com/r/36NR3VJ

September was the end of our fiscal year! Here is a sneak peek of some of the information in our annual report.

Click on the team picture below to watch the video on our Facebook page!

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We participated in the Empowering Futures: Child and Family Services Industry Experience on October 1, 2024. Eastern Indiana Works and the East Central Educational Service Center (ECESC) hosted the event, which was part of the Teacher-Industry Experiences in Indiana initiative. Six educators and industry experts came together for a day of immersive learning and collaboration, focusing on early childhood education and the critical role of child and family services.

Educators were given an exclusive tour of a local child care facility, where they learned about innovative approaches to early childhood education. Teachers and industry professionals shared ideas on connecting classroom instruction with career pathways in child and family services. These discussions emphasized the importance of collaboration between educators and industry partners to address the growing demand for quality childcare and family support services.

Representatives from Bev’s Kindergarten Prep & Childcare, Chances and Services for Youth (CASY) CCRR, and Firefly Children & Family Alliance shared insights on current industry needs, workforce challenges, and the importance of preparing the next generation for careers in early childhood education and family services. The discussion also touched on integrating technology, soft skills development, and real-world applications in the classroom.

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

Annual World Breastfeeding Month hosted by WIC at NineStar Connect in Greenfield, Firefly's Region 12 Service Provider Fair in Connersville, and Vivd Smiles Back to School Fair in Terre Haute.

Exploration into Work event in Delaware County, Region 13 Provider Fair in Bloomington, Child Care Resource and Referral Network Kickoff, Richmond Housing Authority / Eastern Indiana Works Job and Resource Fair, Veterans Resource and Hiring Fair in Richmond, Henry County STEAM Maker Fair, and the Parke County Early Care and Education Community Celebration.

Shelbyville Middle School resource fair during parent teacher conferences, Terre Haute Community Baby Shower, Fiesta Terre Haute, Wayne County System of Care Mixer, Henry County Baby Boo, Putnam County Community Connect, and Firefly's Region 14 Provider Fair.

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