INDIANAPOLIS Lilly Endowment is investing in the future of Hoosier children and their families.A total of 68 community organizations are joining the Early Years Initiative. The initiative launched in 2023 and is already impacting more than 5,000 kids and families."This is a first-of-its-kind initiative that allowed us to launch a competitive grant opportunity for communities all across Indiana to give us ideas of projects and programs that are intended to help infants through three years old learn and develop at a rate that will ensure that they will thrive long term," Maureen Weber, President and CEO of Early Learning Indiana, said. Early Learning Indiana is a nonprofit organization focused on making sure kids have the skills they need to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. The organization operates a dozen early learning centers and works with providers across the state to improve their practice."One of the components of the Early Years Initiative was for communities to address what we know is an urgent need for infant and toddler child care all across the state," Weber said.Across the state, Early Learning Indiana estimates we have about 60% of the supply of childcare seats that we need. Through two rounds of grant funding, more than 150 organizations have now been awarded grants and joined the Early Years Initiative.There were four strategies proposed that Early Learning Indiana hoped organizations would follow in order to expand access to high-quality childcare. Parenting Preparation and Support Child Care Access and Effectiveness Early Detection and Intervention for kids with developmental needs or disabilities Early Language and LiteracyNew Beginnings in Haughville is now part of the Early Learning Initiative after being awarded a $500,000 grant."We will be offering a Parenting Academy. It's for parents and family members that have children enrolled at New Beginnings and it's also for the community as well," Evelyn Evans, Director of New Beginnings, said. New Beginnings is purchasing an evidence-based curriculum to provide a group education program for parents."We will be hiring social workers to conduct the classes, as well as do home visits. We will renovate an area in the building to provide the classes. We will purchase all the materials and supplies that the social workers will need to carry out this initiative," Evans said.Within three years of the grant, Evans hopes to see parents gain knowledge and skills to be effective parents. "We want to improve their relationship with their children and we also want to see them gain confidence in their parenting skills," Evans said.Darius Johnson's toddler sons attend New Beginnings."I simply just want to be a better parent for my kids. The new Parenting Academy will help me do so," Johnson said.Johnson appreciates how New Beginnings invests in both kids and parents. As a 21-year-old father, he's already been involved in parent support groups that have helped him learn from others. "We share our thoughts and concerns about anything parenting-wise going on with us or our kids," Johnson said. "We basically just learn about stuff like how to deal with their temper tantrums, or how to be more patient, or just how to go about learning while they're at home with us."Early Learning Indiana received $ 60 million worth of grant funding from the Lilly Endowment for the Early Years Initiative. Now, they have several years to see what impacts will be made. Awardees will report back to the organization every couple of months to track what is working and what is not so they can maximize the opportunity that they have.