The initiative seeks to improve childcare and the quality of life for children and families in the region. Joining Indiana State University in the initiative are Ivy Tech Terre Haute and Lilly Endowment’s College and Community Collaboration.
Indiana State University has announced its involvement in the “Grow Up in West Central Indiana” initiative, a plan to help improve the quality of life for children and families in the West Central region of Indiana. The university will be partnering with Ivy Tech Terre Haute and Lilly Endowment’s College and Community Collaboration to pursue the initiative.
According to an article on Indiana State University’s website, Dr. Mike Godard, the university’s president, was quoted as saying of the school’s involvement, “We are honored to be part of this transformative effort. Focusing on the well-being of children and families in our region ensures a brighter future for West Central Indiana. Indiana State University has been training teachers since 1865, and we plan to use this data to help our faculty, students, and community partners understand the need for quality early childhood education to support families and the workforce.”
The website for the initiative describes its mission as “to provide a safe, stimulating, and supportive environment where every child in the region thrives and allows for the community to organically grow through workforce, population, and opportunities.”
The initiative includes four major components: first, it seeks to expand the accessibility of high-quality childcare; second, it seeks to partner with local organizations to provide opportunities for local employers to contribute to childcare initiatives; third, it seeks to increase opportunities for early childhood educators’ professional development; and finally, it seeks to find funding opportunities to ensure childcare improvements will continue to be plausible and championed.
The way in which Indiana State University will contribute to the success of the “Grow Up in West Central Indiana” initiative is mainly by expanding its existing Early Childhood Education Center to enhance its social work, public health, and teacher education programs. The counties that are the focus of the initiative are Clay, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion, and Vigo, and the work to be done there will foster early childhood development and learning opportunities through supporting families, employers, and childcare providers.
For more information about Indiana State University, visit the school’s website.