Transforming Early Care and Education for the Future
Early childhood education plays a vital role in our state, from providing high-quality learning opportunities in a child’s most critical development years to the economic benefits of helping families maintain employment and contribute to community growth. However, with rising costs, declining enrollment and staffing challenges, child care providers have had to continually rebuild operations — all while they continued to support the state’s frontline workers and keep children healthy and safe through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recognizing early childhood education’s importance to the state and its families, Indiana’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning is working with public and private partners to strengthen the system for the future, including strategies to grow system capacity and sustainability and increase access to high-quality programs.
System Goals and Priorities
Under the Holcomb administration, the focus on early care and education is growing in our state in important ways. Together with Indiana’s Early Learning Advisory Committee and the Indiana Department of Education’s Office of Kindergarten Readiness, we are working to ensure that Hoosier children – especially those most vulnerable – have access to early learning opportunities that prepare them with the foundational skills required for success in kindergarten and beyond. Our priorities include:
Improve learning and
readiness for kindergarten
Increase the supply and sustainability of high-quality providers
Increase affordability, particularly for vulnerable families
Improve and increase system capacity
The Early Learning Advisory Committee membership is appointed by the governor and includes representation from OECOSL, the Indiana Department of Education Office of Kindergarten Readiness, and the Indiana Head Start State Collaboration Office. The Committee’s work is focused on ensuring that children ages birth to 8 years and their families have access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education programs that keep children healthy, safe and learning.
Stay Engaged
OECOSL works alongside stakeholders from across the state — including industry partners, early childhood and out-of-school time providers and community leaders — to directly inform early childhood initiatives and provide local-level insights. Hoosiers can stay up-to-date and provide input and feedback on these efforts at any time through our channels below.
