By SYDNEY KENT
Hope is on the horizon for parents struggling to afford safe and high-quality childcare for their children in Wells and Adams counties.
An estimated 1,277 childcare spots are available in Wells County — a far cry from the estimated 3,059 children that need it. Of the available positions, many families struggle to cover the rising cost of care. For reference, childcare in Wells County costs $126.57 weekly on average. Comparatively, childcare in Adams County costs $140.57 weekly.
Imagine Early, created in 2023, is the newest of 11 coalitions in the region under the Northeast Indiana Early Childhood Coalition. The NEIECC aims to create strong early childhood opportunities in the region.
Imagine Early is made up of community leaders from both Wells and Adams counties, hiring its first Executive Director, Ashleigh King, in March. King said she is an advocate and resource for local families. She hopes to change the path for her future grandchildren and friends’ children in terms of childcare.
NEIECC Regional Director, Allie Sutherland, detailed the unpaved path that highlighted the need for the over arching organization. She first recognized the complex issues and vulnerable positions parents face when seeking childcare after moving to Indiana five years ago.
“It was August. We were looking for childcare. And they were like, call us back in June,” Sutherland recounted her shock at the nearly year-long wait. “We had made decisions at this point. We bought a house, thinking this was going to be our income. I had struggled and I had never considered that I might have to leave the workforce until then. That’s not what I wanted to do.”
Sutherland’s situation, similar to countless others throughout the state, led her to develop the NEIECC. Through her work, Sutherland said she realized that one county could not tackle the issue alone.
“We saw that there were several counties that already had coalitions,” Sutherland said. “Kosciusko and Noble counties were starting to make traction and figuring out ways to build more capacity. We decided to figure out what we could do to help, talking about best practices at the county and state levels. We wanted to build coalitions in each county in the region that did not have one.”
Sutherland said the program is truly a “community initiative” with too many organizations and people involved to name. Through a grant from the Don Wood Foundation, the NEIECC plans to launch a GIS mapping project to anticipate future childcare needs based on changes in housing and employment.
“We’re working on connecting with partners statewide for grassroots advocacy,” Sutherland explained. “We know our little corner can be coordinated, but it will be much more powerful if we can connect with the state and employers.”
Each coalition tackles similar challenges in each county, coming together to share ideas and seek solutions on a larger level. Throughout each region, including Wells County, Sutherland highlighted two conflicting problems — childcare is too expensive for families to afford, and childcare does not cost enough for providers to provide.
“We want childcare highly regulated, as the safety of children and quality care is the most important,” Sutherland said. “And yet, we have to help providers run more sustainably. Suppose the only way to increase revenue is to increase tuition — that passes the cost down to families. It is not sustainable.”
Sutherland explained that the only form of assistance available to help families cover the costs of childcare currently is a voucher program. To qualify, families must be at 150 percent of the federal poverty line or below.
“That means if you are a family of four making $48,000 or more per year,” Sutherland explained. “You’re barely surviving. If you are making that as a family of four, you are really struggling. And yet — there is no help for you.”
Sutherland explained that for two-parent, single-income homes, the biggest barrier to joining or rejoining the workforce is the cost and availability of child care. While researching programs in surrounding states, the NEIECC learned about the Tri-Share program in Michigan.
Through the program, the cost of an employee’s child care is shared equally among the employer, the employee, and the State of Michigan — a three-way split — with coordination being provided regionally by a Tri-Share facilitator hub.
In May, the NEIECC was awarded a $5 million grant by the Allen County Economic Development Commission. The grant will help with the organization’s goals, including building a local Tri-Share Plus program to help families across all 11 counties in the region pay for childcare.
“It cuts down the cost for the family, but it doesn’t solve the capacity issue,” King noted. “There is a lack of availability (of providers). One goal of the coalition with the grant is to help provide resources for funding and expansion for childcare services.”
With the funding, Sutherland hopes to see the seeds planted by the organization begin to bloom.
“This grant is truly historic,” Sutherland emphasized. “These investments haven’t been made locally. Our local commission being able to do this is really powerful. We ultimately hope to create better beginnings for children. We want to make sure we give them the best possible start.”
King hopes to host local events in the future to partner with employers, providers, and parents for childcare solutions. King can be reached at ashleigh@imagineearly.org.
sydney@news-banner.com
