‘Closing the Gap’ report shows Indiana made steady progress in access to high-quality early learning in 2024

Indiana continues to make steady progress in access to high-quality early learning, according to Early Learning Indiana’s 2024 Closing the Gap report. Since the first report in 2021, the state has experienced incremental increases in capacity, quality, and choice; however, this year’s report also indicates that more than one-third of children in Indiana who likely need care do not have access to it.

The annual report provides a detailed examination of families’ ability to access high-quality, affordable early learning opportunities statewide, helping community leaders and early learning and child care providers better understand their community’s needs and leverage local funding to support child care access efforts.

“Access to high-quality early learning opportunities is foundational to a child’s success in kindergarten and beyond,” Early Learning Indiana President and CEO Maureen Weber said. “While notable progress has been achieved over the past four years, attaining comprehensive early learning access for all Indiana families will require continued focus and collaboration across state agencies, philanthropic organizations, businesses, and local communities.”

Key findings from the report include:

• Capacity: The number of young children who can be served by existing early learning programs has increased from 55.8 percent in 2021 to 62.3 percent in 2024. Over the past four years, 61 out of 92 counties have improved their capacity sufficiency rates. Currently, there are enough seats to serve about 203,000 of the roughly 326,000 children likely needing care (62.3 percent).
• Quality: High-quality programs, defined by Indiana’s Paths to QUALITY™ rating system, have also seen a rise. More than half of the total program capacity (52.7 percent) now exists within these top-tier programs, up from 46.1 percent in 2021. This steady increase highlights ongoing efforts to elevate the standards of early learning across the state.
• Affordability: Affordability remains a critical factor for families. In 2024, the average cost of care for one child was $8,590, with the amount increasing for multiple children or specialized types of care. On average, a family can expect to allocate 11.2 percent of their income for one child in care, with this figure varying between 5.3 percent to 14.9 percent depending on the county.
• Access Index: Combining capacity, quality, affordability, and choice, the Early Learning Access Index has shown modest improvement, increasing from 60.6 in 2021 to 63.8 in 2024. While this composite score reflects steady gains in families’ access to high-quality early learning, significant variations exist at the county level. Currently, 27 counties have moderate access to care (scores between 60 and 80) and no counties have adequate scores (scores higher than 80).

Additionally, the report highlights a series of collective efforts implemented in 2024 to enhance early learning access in Indiana, including state-awarded Child Care Expansion Grants, Employer-Sponsored Child Care Fund grants, philanthropic support through the Early Years Initiative grants and Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) grants and matching funds.

Click here to read the full report and access scores for all Indiana counties.

About Early Learning Indiana
Early Learning Indiana works statewide to provide leadership, advocacy and early childhood education services that continually improve the early learning landscape in Indiana. Early Learning Indiana operates 12 nationally accredited, high-quality Day Early Learning centers, a network of premier community-based centers used to advance the science of early learning, train the next generation of teachers and leaders, and instill knowledge and skills in the children we serve. Through regional and statewide programs, the organization works to ensure young children are empowered with essential skills to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. Learn more at EarlyLearningIN.org.