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By Courtney Dobrzykowski
Staff Writer
PLYMOUTH – $400K granted for early education in Marshall County
Early educators who were willing and able to brave the icy weather advisory watched asMarshall County was presented with nearly $350,000 for early childhood educationendeavors Tuesday evening.
United Way of Marshall County was awarded two checks from the Indiana Family andSocial Services Administration Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning: one for $239,744.56, and the other for $110,000.
The grant money was presented during a benefit dinner for those who work in the earlyeducation field around the county, and was held at Christos’ Banquet Center inPlymouth.
“There’s still a lot more work to do, and now that these awards are coming through, thereal work can begin,” said Linda Yoder, executive director of United Way of MarshallCounty. “Tonight is all about extending our deep, deep gratitude for all those involved inthis process.”
Yoder explained that the organization seeks these grants as a way to expand low-cost, high-quality childcare for low-income families in the county.
To attain a “high quality care” status, a provider needs to have a quality level three or
four.
“So in 2016, we had seven providers that were on that path, … but we were seeing some alarming things,” she said. “The alarming poverty trend among children and young adults: 41 percent of children in Marshall County live in poverty. That’s two times the
state average.”
She said that in 2016 the high quality care needs were not being met for nearly 5,000 children in the county whose parents both worked, not including those in poverty or who had parents commuting to Marshall County.
Further, in 2016, out of 36 Indiana counties with populations larger than 40,000, Marshall County was No. 34, with only 4 percent of 4-year-old children in need enrolled in high quality programs.
Yoder said this made the coalition realize that building capacity should be a priority, as well as general affordability.
With the support of grants like those awarding at Tuesday’s banquet, Yoder said the number of high quality care providers will more than double.
“When we first started talking about quality health care programs in Marshall County, we had seven providers that we had reach past a quality level three or four; by the end of 2019, we’ll have 17,” she said.
