The Montgomery County Community Foundation announced Thursday that it has been selected as a recipient of the Early Years Initiative from Early Learning Indiana.
The Early Years Initiative is a $50 million competitive grant program focused on enhancing the learning and development of infants and toddlers in Indiana communities. The support for this initiative comes from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Through this grant, MCCF will receive $374,200 in funding to increase professional development opportunities for local child care programs and partner with the City of Crawfordsville to expand the Project Swaddle and Project Bundle programs. The Early Years Initiative places special emphasis on serving families in low-income households.
Project Swaddle and Project Bundle are home-visiting programs operated by the Crawfordsville Fire Department to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Using community paramedics and registered nurses as physician extenders, the programs provide wrap-around care for perinatal mothers, infants, and their families who face health, social, and environmental challenges.
“Project Swaddle and Project Bundle have proven highly effective, and have had an immeasurable impact that will be felt in the lives of those served for decades to come,” said Mayor Todd Barton. “The ability to further enhance these programs is a tremendous win for families in our community.”
Another key component of the grant is professional development for local child care programs. In 2022, MCCF launched professional development workshops for early childhood educators and with this grant the workshops will provide focused training for educators serving children ages infant to three. This initiative aligns with the mission of the Montgomery County Early Childhood Coalition, a leadership initiative of MCCF, which is to create a collaborative and high quality early childhood education system that supports development and early education.
“Early childhood education and ensuring the youngest members of our community get a great start in the early years is key to building a stronger, more vibrant Montgomery County,” said Kelly Taylor, CEO of the Montgomery County Community Foundation. “With this grant funding, we will be able to serve children, their families and early childhood educators to build that critical early foundation for lifelong learning.”
Maureen Weber, president and CEO of Early Learning Indiana, said, “We only have a few short years to set our youngest Hoosiers on a path to thrive in life, and the work of our grantees across the state will enable us to make the most of these years while deepening our understanding about which efforts are most effective.”
For more information about the Early Years Initiative Grant received by MCCF, visit www.mccf-in.org/news.
