PLAINFIELD, Ind. – With child care becoming a key workforce issue in the Indiana Uplands region, Regional Opportunity Initiatives has been awarded a $40,000 grant from Duke Energy Foundation and the Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation (IEDAF) to help three child care providers conduct facility expansion feasibility assessments.

The funding from the foundations is among $150,000 in grants to four organizations and projects focused on improving access to affordable child care in Indiana communities.

Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) is a nonprofit that works to advance economic and community prosperity in the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands region – Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen and Washington.

In 2021, Indiana Uplands counties first began examining how they might improve their child care landscape and early learning outcomes in collaboration with ROI and Monroe Smart Start, an early learning leadership initiative of the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. In the years since, each Indiana Uplands county has established or expanded early learning coalitions comprised of local community foundations, early education providers, school systems, community economic and development organizations, employers and other organizations. These county coalitions have conducted research, identified best practices, and developed locally specific early care and education strategic plans in collaboration with ROI, defining proposed activities to increase access to high-quality early care and education opportunities.

ROI plans to utilize this $40,000 grant to help fund comprehensive building expansion and feasibility assessments for three child care providers: Bloomington Center for Global Children, Bloomington’s Covenant Christian Early Learning Place and the Oak St. Village Project in Loogootee. These assessments, conducted by IFF, a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) working in collaboration with CDFI Friendly Bloomington, will analyze facility changes needed to maximize seat capacity and high-quality learning at each center, including space design, construction planning, and potential financing needs and opportunities.

“Much of the Indiana Uplands region is considered a child care desert, with an estimated 75% of children under age six needing care because all adults in the home are working,” said Julie Halbig, vice president for Economic and Community Development at ROI. “Fortunately, we have many great collaborators who have identified county-level strategies to increase access to affordable child care, and these three facilities have each already begun exploring how they might expand to serve more children in their communities.

“We’re extremely grateful that Duke Energy and the IEDAF have made it possible to expedite the expansion efforts of these facilities that will fill critical child care gaps in our region,” added Halbig.

If all three are able to expand their facilities as estimated, the impact on regional child care access would be more than 130 new child care seats, benefiting 280 children collectively in Monroe and Martin counties.

“We know that Indiana’s child care challenges are complex, and we hope this grant will help Regional Opportunity Initiatives develop the solutions needed to support working parents and the local economy,” said Erin Schneider, managing director of economic development at Duke Energy. “We’re looking forward to seeing how their work removes significant barriers for parents and caretakers to participate and advance in the workforce.”

“Access to quality, affordable child care is not just a family issue – it’s an economic imperative,” said Matt Kavgian, executive director of the Indiana Economic Development Association. “When parents can fully participate in the workforce, businesses thrive, communities grow, and Indiana becomes a more competitive place to live and work. Investing in child care solutions is investing in the strength and stability of our economy.”

State and local government entities, local and regional economic development agencies, and public and private nonprofit organizations were eligible to apply for grant funding. This new round of grants follows more than $100,000 in funding awarded through the foundations in 2024 to five organizations in Indiana working to close the child care gap in new and innovative ways.

In September 2024, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce released a report examining the impact of child care challenges on Indiana’s economy. The study found that Indiana loses out on an estimated $4.22 billion annually for the state’s economy, including a $1.17 billion annual loss in tax revenue, due to shortfalls in child care. According to the report, only 61% of children needing care statewide can be served through existing capacity.

Duke Energy Foundation

Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation

Supporting the economic development profession, the Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation provides scholarships and other support to tomorrow’s economic development leaders.