Essential Skills for Every Hoosier Child​

Who We Are

Early Learning Indiana is on a mission to ensure every child is empowered with essential skills to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. We do this by operating high-quality early learning centers, helping families find quality child care, partnering with teachers and providers to improve program quality and advocating for greater access to early educational opportunities for all Hoosier families.

Rooted in a Rich History with Our Eyes on the Future

Early Learning Indiana is the state’s expert and trusted voice on early childhood education. For more than 100 years, Early Learning Indiana was known as Day Nursery. Under that name, we spent more than a century building a reputation as central Indiana’s standard-bearer for excellent child care.

1899
Founded
Day Nursery Founded

The King’s Daughters Society founded Day Nursery in 1899 to provide child care for working mothers at a time when such services were scarce. Over the next several decades, Day Nursery grew and changed significantly.

1938
Day Nursery Auxiliary
Day Nursery Auxiliary Established

Day Nursery has long enjoyed great support from Day Nursery Auxiliary. The Auxiliary’s mission, then and now, was to raise money for the organization, provide volunteer services to its centers and promote its work to the community.

1985
Child Care Answers
Child Care Answers Begins

In 1985, Day Nursery began providing support and training for family child care home providers. It also instituted a resource and referral service for parents. Together these services, managed and operated by the Day Nursery Association, became collectively known as Child Care Answers.

2013
Eight Centers
Day Nursery Adds Its Eighth Center

As Day Nursery continued to grow, it added new locations throughout the city. By 2013, Day Nursery operated eight child care centers in Indianapolis and was widely regarded as the area’s most reputable and qualified nonprofit child care provider.

2014
New Name
A New Name for an Expanded Mission

Day Nursery changed its name to Early Learning Indiana in 2014 and rebranded the child care centers as Day Early Learning centers. As Early Learning Indiana, our goal is to continue being the area’s best source for child care services and resources, while embracing a larger role as an advocate and leading voice for early childhood education in Indiana. Early Learning Indiana’s board of directors officially changed the organization’s mission to reflect a statewide focus.

2016
Partnerships for Early Learners
Partnerships for Early Learners Established

Building on the organization’s new statewide focus, in late 2014, Early Learning Indiana received a $20 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to expand access and improve early childhood education quality across the state through a new initiative called Partnerships for Early Learners. The grant supports quality improvement, capacity-building, workforce development, family engagement and innovation and leadership efforts statewide.

2016
All In 4 Pre-K
All In 4 Pre-K Begins

In partnership with the United Way of Central Indiana, Early Learning Indiana helped create and launch All IN 4 Pre-K, a new coalition of families, community advocates and business leaders working together to expand access to high-quality pre-K in Indiana.

2019
Early Childhood Workforce
Building a Stronger Early Childhood Workforce

With generous support from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, Early Learning Indiana begins developing a competency-based early childhood workforce preparation program for teachers and classroom support roles that combines high-quality direct instruction with tailored, work-based learning opportunities.  The program will decrease time to competency for teachers, enhance the effectiveness of teacher preparation, improve teacher compensation and help solve the workforce challenges facing the early childhood education sector.

2019
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Renews its Support

In February 2020, Lilly Endowment Inc. renewed its commitment to Early Learning Indiana’s mission through a $15 million grant. The grant will help fund efforts to support the growth and sustainability of high-quality programs; expand programs’ participation in the state’s quality rating and improvement system; strengthen the early learning workforce through innovative models and partnerships; and create shared services to reduce persistent structural challenges within the early childhood system.

2020
The Pandemic
Leading During the Pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck Indiana and many providers closed, Early Learning Indiana opened its doors wider to serve the children of emergency responders and front-line, essential workers. With the generous support of Lilly Endowment Inc., Early Learning Indiana launched the $15 million Come Back Stronger Fund and helped 1,025 early learning providers safely operate and re-open during the pandemic.

2020
Salesforce
ELI Teams Up with Salesforce

Early Learning Indiana becomes the first early childhood education provider to use a supply-first model backed by intelligent design with a data-driven approach. The new platform helps Early Learning Indiana create an effortless experience for the families it serves while also streamlining operations for its Day Early Learning lab schools.

2020
Early Learning Works
ELI Launches Early Learning Works

As part of its efforts to reduce barriers to early childhood education access, Early Learning Indiana launched Early Learning Works in late 2020. Early Learning Works provides child care solutions to meet the unique needs of employers and their employees to help reduce turnover and absenteeism, increase productivity and better recruit skilled employees.

Being an Early Childhood Education Leader Starts with Great Leadership

Early Learning Indiana is driven by individuals with decades of experience in early childhood education policy, practice and organizational leadership.

From our most senior leaders to our administrative team, all Early Learning Indiana team members are driven by a shared passion for our mission to ensure every child is empowered with the essential skills to thrive in kindergarten and beyond.

Early Learning Indiana Board of Directors

Early Learning Indiana’s Board of Directors come from our state’s top public, private and philanthropic organizations, lending their wisdom, passion and dedication to Early Learning Indiana’s mission and success.

Andrew Perrin

Chair

PNC Financial Services

Ron Stiver

Vice Chair

IU Health

Jill Robisch

Treasurer

National Bank of Indianapolis

Stephanie Bothun

SECRETARY

Ascend Indiana

Tiffany Benjamin

Humana Foundation

Julie Dunlap

Eli Lilly & Company

Derek Grimm

Crow, LLP

Paul Krievins

Indiana State
Department of Health

Parisa Mansoori

Eskenazi Health

J. Miller

Stifel Financial

Freedom Smith

IceMiller Legal Counsel

Linda Theobald

Day Nursery Auxiliary

Alonzo Weems

Eli Lilly and Company

Anneliese Williams

Our School Leaders

Our Day Early Learning schools operate under an incredible team of experienced early childhood education leaders.

Join Our Team​

Do you have a passion for expanding access to high-quality early care and learning and ensuring every child is empowered with essential skills to thrive in kindergarten and beyond?

Our Priorities

Early Learning Indiana provides leadership, advocacy and early childhood education services to continually improve the early learning landscape in Indiana. Four key priorities drive our work.

Resources

Brighter Futures Indiana

Making the most of every moment with learning and play. Explore resources to help you support your little learner.

Day Early Learning

Experience high-quality early care and education for infants through pre-K.