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When families are working and kids are learning, Indiana's future is brighter.
Early care and education plays a vital role in our state, directly impacting children and families while creating a ripple effect on businesses and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on this critical industry, creating enrollment and staffing challenges while simultaneously increasing costs.
Indiana introduced the Build, Learn, Grow program to maximize its $1 billion in federal relief dollars with the goals of helping to build reliable child care infrastructure, creating new learning opportunities for young students and helping our communities grow. To date, the state has deployed hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, delivering relief to families and helping to stabilize provider’s businesses. While there is still much to do, we are grateful for the involvement and insight of our partners and stakeholders throughout the state who have informed and continue to inform this important work.
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Featured Initiatives
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Building Wellness
Learn MoreA shared employee assistance program for Indiana’s early care and education system.
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Program Enrollment Reporting
Learn MoreA reporting initiative to help provide insight into the early childhood education supply and demand gaps across our state and better inform ongoing relief and recovery efforts.
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Post-Award Supports for Stabilization Grants
Learn MoreOECOSL continues to provide support for awarded providers as they plan for how to use and make investments with their grant funds.
Monitoring System Recovery
Insight into child care supply and demand is critical for supporting children, families and communities. The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning launched an enrollment reporting tool in April 2021 to collect data regarding supply and demand and inform ongoing relief efforts. Over 3,000 programs are submitting monthly program enrollment data and limited workforce indicators via an easy-to-use, mobile interface. The data powers a statewide enrollment dashboard that monitors system capacity; enrollment trends by program type, quality level and geography; and open classroom teaching positions.
From April 27-Nov. 31, 2021, the maximum number of children that early care and education programs serve increased by 14.5%, max enrollment increased the most within Paths to QUALITY Level 4 programs (23.3% increase), the number of children being served in early care and education programs increased 25% and open teaching positions decreased 16.5%.
Ongoing Build, Learn, Grow Initiatives
Learn more and find FAQs about ongoing Build, Learn, Grow initiatives that continue to help providers, families and children and address the long-term sustainability of Indiana’s early childhood education system.
Listening to Providers and Communities
The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning has engaged and continues to work alongside a number of partners and stakeholders from across the state — including industry partners, early childhood and out-of-school care providers, and community leaders — to directly inform Build, Learn, Grow initiatives and provide local-level insights. In addition to these organized forums, we have established a way for any Hoosier to provide input and feedback through the Build, Learn, Grow inbox at any time.
