GREENFIELD -- Infants and toddlers of Greenfield-Central staff will soon have a place to be cared for because of a grant from Early Learning Indiana.
G-C administrators received news last month that $350,000 was awarded to open up a childcare facility for the 2025-26 school year. It will meet a need for families in Greenfield, and help attract and retain quality teachers for the community, according to a press release from the school corporation.
"We're just really excited to grow our early childcare program to include birth to age three," said Robin LeClaire, director of student services for G-C schools. "We've had a program for ages 3-5 for quite some time, and that's been growing. We're excited to see that birth to 3 program, and see that growing as well. We're very grateful our school board has been supportive in growing the early childhood program in Greenfield."
The grant will pay for start-up costs of the program, including nine staff members for the first year and equipment, from cribs and toys, high chairs and bottles.
It will serve 28 children in total: eight infants, 10 toddlers ages 1-2, and 10 children ages 2-3. Each of the three rooms will have a leader and two additional childcare providers.
Early Years Initiative is a nonprofit organization that began in 2023 and is made possible by $60 million in grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. The organization works to ensure young children are empowered with essential skills to thrive in kindergarten and beyond.
G-C was among 68 community organizations that received $23 million in grants from ELI to help meet the needs of infants and toddlers of Hoosier families, according to earlylearningin.org.
G-C applied for the grant to assist staff with the need for childcare, said Dawn Sonsini, director of preschool and early learning for the school corporation.
"Finding high-quality childcare is challenging as the demand is great," she said. "We are always looking for ways to attract and retain staff, and offering childcare is one strategy that has been successful in neighboring districts. We applied for the grant in hopes to be awarded initial funding to launch childcare and extend our current programming."
A recent survey of G-C staff showed that 23 staff members have immediate interest.
"We believe offering childcare in a centralized location in Greenfield will allow staff in all buildings access," Sonsini said. "We also believe offering childcare will be a marketing strategy to attract new educators. It eliminates the many fears associated with choosing childcare for a child, especially when the school district is dedicated to providing a high-quality experience. We want staff to build trust with the staff that their children are in good hands throughout the day."
The location of the facility for early childcare has not yet been determined. G-C is looking for a site to house the birth-age 3 program. The corporation's preschool program has shown great success and currently occupies eight classrooms in two locations. School leaders hope to have similar success with this program.
Sonsini said they are also exploring how to use a curriculum for children 3 and younger. They want the curriculum to focus on developing oral language of babies and toddlers.
The benefits to G-C staff are clear. Childcare for teachers would go hand-in-hand with their calendar, offering families a chance to be together during school breaks. That also offers a cost-savings for teachers, since many private childcare options require payment year-round.
Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin noted that there is a shortage of childcare facilities in Greenfield, and G-C wants to be a part of the solution.
"Providing a daycare for infants will be a great benefit to our staff members," Olin said. "We intend to use a centralized location that offers this service at a very competitive rate, while staffing it with highly-qualified and caring professionals. I definitely think this service will make us attractive to the educators we want in our schools."