Crawfordsville’s Early Learning Center: Small-City, Multi-Employer Childcare Partnership

Challenges

Access, Scalability, Worker Issues

Location

Indiana

Stakeholders

Businesses, Local Government

Beneficiaries

Parents, Children, Childcare Providers

Overview

In the small town of Crawfordsville, Indiana, a coalition of city officials, a community foundation, and local employers teamed up to tackle a dire childcare shortage.

Key Impact Metrics

124 new childcare slots created
Level 4 accreditation rating from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
First new major childcare center in the city in 40+ years

Problem

Crawfordsville was designated a “childcare desert,” with less than 3% of its young children enrolled in any high-quality early childhood program. Indeed, Todd Barton, mayor of Crawfordsville, noted that the lack of childcare is a major barrier to workforce participation, impacting local businesses and families. “The business of childcare is kind of a broken model, and it doesn’t work,” Barton said. This shortage not only affected the current workforce but also posed a long-term challenge for the community’s economic future.

Solution

Mayor Barton formed a Childcare Task Force with the Montgomery County Community Foundation, major employers, and other stakeholders. The task force developed a plan to create an early learning center, ensuring that it would not negatively impact existing providers. They focused on a long-term plan, securing funding from local and state governments, businesses, and philanthropies. The early learning center, a $5 million project, is set to open in the summer of 2025, providing 124 high-quality childcare seats. Businesses were incentivized to invest in the early learning center by offering priority seating for their employees’ children. This approach helped secure significant contributions from 13 businesses, alongside government and private donors.

Results

Beneficiary Impact
Projected 50% increase in the number of children enrolled in programs classified as high-quality by Indiana's "Brighter Futures Indiana" program
Employee Impact
13 childcare providers benefiting
Financial Results
$5M raised

Replication Tips

Coalition building is key: Crawfordsville’s success came from a task force uniting public, private, and nonprofit leaders.
Secure diverse funding streams: Blend funding to reduce risk. Combine employer contributions, philanthropy, and seek public grants (state or federal).
Measure workforce outcomes: Track how the new childcare slots influence employment—e.g., do participating companies see reduced absenteeism or shorter time to fill job openings?