Indiana’s Workforce Pipeline Must Start with Early Childhood Education
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Deborah J. Curtis
With a limited number of skilled and educated workers, it seldom goes a day without hearing about the economic development challenges facing our state.These workers fulfill 21 demandsst A century economic environment in which Indiana communities must compete with other states and countries for investment and economic growth.
Labor issues remain a thorn in our great state. Indiana has a wealth of academic and workforce programs to address short-term goals, but we’re committed to building a stronger workforce pipeline that starts with us for the long-term. should also be kept on the lookout. The youngest citizens, our children. It begins with early childhood education, develops young minds, and sets children on a path of lifelong achievement.
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According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2020, only 40% of children ages 3-4 participated in an early childhood education program. Our country must do better, and Indiana must lead the way by focusing on expanding access to early childhood development programs.
Childcare is available in Indiana, but there are very few quality, research-based programs. Indiana State University’s Bay College of Education is one of the highest quality programs with the highest accreditation by the National Early Childhood Education Association. The ISU has committed to being a state leader in early childhood education, a key economic development area.
Our goal is to expand the Center’s capacity and provide a research-based model for other communities, with partners brave enough to take on this challenge. In her recent round of READI grants awarded to communities across the state, the ISU received a $1 million commitment to expand the capacity of early childhood education centers licensed by the Indiana Department of Family and Child Services. I was. The READI grant is just the beginning. It requires the involvement of higher education professionals, state support, community support, and this also requires the federal government’s role. The ISU is working to bring all these entities together to give our youngest citizens the start they deserve and need.
We can and should help our parents too. Directly related to children’s access to self-actualization and prosperity is the opportunity for Indiana parents and caregivers to reach their professional and personal aspirations. ISU’s quality early childhood development programs work with whole families and caregiver units to help children and their families reach their full potential in the state’s rapidly growing economic environment. Affordability is also important. Providing need-based financial assistance to families to help pay for this quality care can help reverse intergenerational trends in poverty.
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Indiana State University is one of the largest employers in the Wabash Valley, attracting talent throughout the state and serving as a major contributor of workers to the Indiana economy. To make a positive impact on our state’s talent pipeline, we must tap into and build on our teachers’ expertise in early childhood education. Providing this concentration of expertise is a key component in solving this workforce challenge in our home county, which is struggling with a 20% poverty rate, but communities across the state are It also helps them benefit from our early childhood education model.
Indiana expects all of us to work creatively and collaboratively to meet this economic development challenge. Indiana State University is your partner in changing the trajectory of our youngest citizens and building an even stronger and more competitive workforce.
Deborah J. Curtis, Ph.D., is President of Indiana State University.
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