Indiana Community College Receives $21.9M Early Childhood Education Grant
Credit: FatCamera / Royalty-free / Getty Images- Ivy Tech, the largest postsecondary institution in Indiana, announced in early December a three-year, $21.9 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
- The grant will provide support for Indiana’s early childhood education workforce amid a national educator shortage.
- The grant will support the implementation and development of competency assessments for prior experience, microcredentials, apprenticeships, new transfer pathways, a statewide marketing campaign, and childcare support opportunities for student parents.
Indiana’s largest postsecondary institution, Ivy Tech Community College, has been awarded a three-year, $21.9 million grant to support early childhood education workforce development.
“Indiana’s current supply of well-qualified early childhood education professionals is inadequate and hampers the state’s capacity to provide high-quality childcare options for Hoosier families. Demand for these professionals is expected to continue to grow,” according to the press release about the grant.
The large grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. is the latest in a line of endeavors to address and improve the national teacher shortage.
The grant will support the development of:
- Competency assessments to recognize skills from prior on-the-job experiences through microcredentials or academic credit
- Microcredential programs
- Federally registered early childhood apprenticeships
- Childcare opportunities for student parents
- New transfer pathways
Addressing the Educator Shortage
“One of the most pressing challenges facing early childhood in Indiana is recruiting, retaining, and compensating highly qualified individuals into the profession,” Courtney Roberts, president of the Ivy Tech Foundation, told BestColleges.
“While Ivy Tech cannot solve these challenges alone, we are eager to do our part to strengthen the pipeline of early childhood professionals in Indiana that will benefit thousands of Hoosier children and parents.”
Roberts said that through the support of this grant, the community college plans to increase enrollment in its early childhood education programs by more than 100% by 2027. The goal is to ultimately graduate almost 2,000 people with industry-recognized credentials and degrees annually.
Roberts said Ivy Tech is “the largest provider of postsecondary education and training to early childhood education professionals” in the state.
Indiana, like the rest of the country, is experiencing a shortage in child educators.
Early childhood education careers can include special education teachers, daycare directors, preschool teachers, and other careers pivotal to child development.
Ivy Tech admits almost all applicants and serves many first-generation college students and nontraditional learners. Roberts said that most students attend school part time, and 60% of students are eligible for the Pell Grant.
“Among the most critical challenges facing early childhood education programs in Indiana are the recruiting, retaining, and compensating of qualified teachers and caregivers,” Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education, said in the press release.
“Though Ivy Tech cannot solve these challenges alone, we believe that its plan to expand and enhance training and education offerings has the potential to improve the quality of the early childhood workforce in significant ways, ultimately to the benefit of thousands of young children in Indiana.”
Student Supports and Workforce Initiatives
Nearly a quarter of Ivy Tech students are responsible for at least one dependent, such as a child or parent, according to Roberts.
“Ivy Tech students face barriers that many college students don’t face. Childcare is one of those barriers that impacts our students all across the state,” Roberts said. “This grant will allow Ivy Tech to explore programs, like Kids on Campus, that will help to alleviate some of these barriers.”
Kids on Campus is a National Head Start Association and Association of Community College Trustees program meant to address the childcare needs of students, while also providing early childhood education students with work experience at on-campus childcare and preschool sites.
While there are over 5 million student parents across the country, fewer than 4 in 10 earn their degree in six years.
With this grant, Ivy Tech will create short, focused early childhood education credentials and federally registered adult-based early childhood apprenticeships through partnerships with state agencies and organizations.
The new microcredentials are meant to keep students updated on the latest tools and techniques in early childhood education and will be stackable toward degrees or certifications. The competency-based trainings affiliated with these microcredentials will be intentionally aligned with state workforce needs and traditional degree pathways.
The apprenticeships will connect students and employers, so that students have the opportunity to gain relevant work experience and skills. Roberts said that apprenticeship programs often allow students to “secure employment with their host company faster and enjoy higher starting wages due to their demonstrated experience and performance.”
The American Association of School Personnel Administrators, a leading organization on legislation for school personnel with members across the country, includes addressing funding shortages and providing alternative certification programs on its list of legislative priorities.
“We know that for our students, completion can lead to generational change. It’s critical that we do all that we can to break down those barriers that stand in the way — both inside and outside the classroom,” Roberts said.