Early Childhood
The coming school year will likely bring significant changes for Indianapolis schools, but the first day of school was all about building excitement and literacy skills.
A voter-approved tax increase in Monroe County has expanded early learning access and cut families’ costs. Could similar efforts succeed elsewhere in Indiana?
The $200 million one-time funding boost approved by a state committee will take some kids off the waitlist, but won’t eliminate it.
State lawmakers cut funding for the program that mails free books to children, and First Lady Maureen Braun took over fundraising for it. Nearly a year later, the program has expanded access.
Preschools are increasing their rates as Indiana makes significant cuts to its On My Way PreK program.
Mary Easley teaches early childhood education to high schoolers at the same career center where she developed her love of teaching.
The program serves 85 Indiana counties but only two ZIP codes in Marion County, leaving more than 60,000 kids in the county without access.
Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said the goal is to identify which children need additional support in their early years.
We toured schools looking for engaged students, creative classwork, and more.
The district wants to alleviate waitlists and accommodate all pre-K-5 students who need care.
Making the program available to more children was a priority for Gov. Eric Holcomb this year.
Providers hope the stress of maintaining safety protocols to keep the virus at bay will ease.
Manual is no longer just a high school. Day Early Learning has converted administrative offices and an auditorium into child care rooms to serve Indy’s south side.
A long-term study of On My Way Pre-K in Indiana found that the academic benefits didn’t fade, as some other programs have seen.
Kosciusko County was 2,000 child care seats short in 2018. The county and Wawasee Schools worked together to add more.
Child care report rates access, quality, and choices for Indiana counties
To reduce kindergarten anxiety, one Indianapolis charter school runs a summer boot camp to get them excited about school
Indiana is leveraging federal stimulus funds to offer more vouchers for low-income families to send children to pre-K and child care.
Indiana students not enrolled in preschool or kindergarten miss early education that helps them social and self-regulation skills to thrive in school.
Indiana’s Upstart program seeks to show benefits of virtual preschool lessons for 4-year-olds from low-income families