Duke, IEDA award $115,000 to support child care

The Duke Foundation and the Indiana Economic Development Association (IEDA) Foundation announced $115,000 in grants will be awarded to five organizations working to assess and address child care gaps in Indiana communities.

In recent years, the cost of child care has skyrocketed, and the number of licensed child care providers has shrunk. These challenges have put a strain on working parents and their employers. In response, Duke Energy and IEDA launched a first-of-its-kind child care innovation grant program to provide financial support to communities willing to approach this issue in new and innovative ways.

One of the recipients of the grant money was the Community Foundation of Huntington County. They will receive $30,000 toward their efforts.

The Community Foundation of Huntington County intends to start up a Child Care Business Lab, which will serve as a platform for developing and connecting aspiring entrepreneurs with turnkey models, training support and access to capital investment and start-up opportunities. The goal is to attract and support sustainable, high-quality child care businesses that, over time, will bridge the child care gap for working families in Huntington County.