Southern Indiana Business Report
DUBOIS COUNTY – Early childhood education providers in Dubois County have an opportunity to strengthen and expand their programs through the Early Care & Education Grant. This funding opportunity is designed to increase program capacity and enhance quality in nonprofit and school-based early childhood programs, ensuring more children have access to high-quality learning experiences.
The grant is made possible by the Early Care & Education initiative of Dubois County, with funding support from the Dubois County Community Foundation. This initiative aligns with a countywide effort to expand access to high-quality early education and support the growth and sustainability of local childcare programs.
According to Early Learning Indiana’s Closing the Gap report, Dubois County has 32 early learning programs with a capacity to serve 1,036 children, or about 35% of children needing care. Infants and toddlers are served by 16 programs. The report found that high quality care is provided by 34% of programs.
Funding details
Funding will be awarded to projects that align with one or more of the following goals:
Increasing Capacity – Expanding the ability to serve more children such as:
- Adding new classrooms or age groups
- Extending operating hours to meet family needs
- Hiring additional qualified staff to reduce waitlists and improve child-to-teacher
- ratios
Advancing Quality – Enhancing program quality and meeting state and national early childhood education standards, such as:
- Pursuing licensure to meet Indiana’s childcare regulations
- Becoming a registered ministry to comply with faith-based childcare guidelines
- Advancing on Paths to QUALITY™ (PTQ), Indiana’s voluntary quality rating system
- Implementing research-based curriculum, assessment tools or professional development initiatives
Strengthening Organizational Capacity – Investing in the long-term success of early childhood programs through:
- Strategic planning for sustainable growth
- Board development and governance training
- Recruitment, training, and retention of early childhood educators
Nonprofit and school-based early childhood programs located in Dubois County are eligible to apply. Eligible organizations can apply for grants of up to $10,000. The application deadline is April 18. For more information on how to apply, contact Nicole Lampert at nicole@dccommunityfoundation.org or (812) 482-5295.