Indianapolis has a preschool crisis. Give voters a choice to fund it.
When my first son was born, I was flooded with questions: sleep schedules, screen time, how to assemble a car seat without losing my mind. But as he's gotten older, one question has risen above the rest: Will he be ready for school?
Like so many parents, I've learned what researchers, educators and employers have known for decades. A child's earliest years are some of the most important. Access to high-quality early childhood education shapes a child's academic success, emotional development and long-term ability to contribute to society.
Unfortunately, access to that opportunity is slipping further out of reach for too many families in Indianapolis. Indianapolis Public Schools recently announced it would no longer offer free pre-K starting in the 2025–2026 school year. Families could be asked to pay as much as $570 a month, if they can even find a seat. In a city already struggling with childcare deserts, stagnant wages and learning loss, this isn't just a logistical problem. It's a crisis.
This isn't IPS's fault. It's the result of chronic underinvestment in early learning, made worse by outdated state policy. Fewer than 10% of Indiana's 4-year-olds qualify for the state's On My Way Pre-K program. There just aren't enough dollars or options to meet the need.
That's why I introduced legislation that would allow local communities to step up where the state has stepped back. And I'll offer it again in the 2026 Indiana General Assembly session.
My bill would give counties the ability to hold a referendum to fund early childhood education for 3- and 4-year-olds. If approved by voters, those funds could support a mix of providers: public schools, charter schools, private centers and even churches. Programs would operate under the guidance of trusted partners, like United Way or Early Learning Indiana. It's a local solution to a statewide problem, rooted in community choice and accountability.
The idea isn't ideological. It is focused on outcomes.
Studies show that for every dollar invested in early childhood education, communities can see up to $12 in return through reduced remediation, lower incarceration rates and higher future earnings. Pre-K isn't a luxury. It's an economic development strategy, a public safety tool and a workforce investment plan, all in one.
There's no sugarcoating it: Passing a bill is just the first step in building a universal preschool system. Voters will need to approve it. We will need to recruit teachers, convert facilities and invest in the capacity of current and potential local providers. But these steps are doable, especially with a strong coalition of parents, educators, elected officials and business leaders as advocates.
If we want to build a stronger K-12 system in Indianapolis, we have to start by building a stronger foundation. That means making sure every child enters kindergarten ready to learn, regardless of their ZIP code or their parents' income.
The path forward is clear. It's practical. It's popular. And it's possible, if we choose to act.
Indianapolis deserves a serious plan for universal preschool. Let's give local communities the chance to lead.
State Rep. Blake Johnson, D-Indianapolis, represents Indiana House District 100.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Universal pre-K can come to Indiana. Here's how. | Opinion
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Indianapolis has a preschool crisis. Give voters a choice to fund it.
When my first son was born, I was flooded with questions: sleep schedules, screen time, how to assemble a car seat without losing my mind. But as he's gotten older, one question has risen above the rest: Will he be ready for school? Like so many parents, I've learned what researchers, educators and employers have known for decades. A child's earliest years are some of the most important. Access to high-quality early childhood education shapes a child's academic success, emotional development and long-term ability to contribute to society. Unfortunately, access to that opportunity is slipping further out of reach for too many families in Indianapolis. Indianapolis Public Schools recently announced it would no longer offer free pre-K starting in the 2025–2026 school year. Families could be asked to pay as much as $570 a month, if they can even find a seat. In a city already struggling with childcare deserts, stagnant wages and learning loss, this isn't just a logistical problem. It's a crisis. This isn't IPS's fault. It's the result of chronic underinvestment in early learning, made worse by outdated state policy. Fewer than 10% of Indiana's 4-year-olds qualify for the state's On My Way Pre-K program. There just aren't enough dollars or options to meet the need. That's why I introduced legislation that would allow local communities to step up where the state has stepped back. And I'll offer it again in the 2026 Indiana General Assembly session. My bill would give counties the ability to hold a referendum to fund early childhood education for 3- and 4-year-olds. If approved by voters, those funds could support a mix of providers: public schools, charter schools, private centers and even churches. Programs would operate under the guidance of trusted partners, like United Way or Early Learning Indiana. It's a local solution to a statewide problem, rooted in community choice and accountability. The idea isn't ideological. It is focused on outcomes. Studies show that for every dollar invested in early childhood education, communities can see up to $12 in return through reduced remediation, lower incarceration rates and higher future earnings. Pre-K isn't a luxury. It's an economic development strategy, a public safety tool and a workforce investment plan, all in one. There's no sugarcoating it: Passing a bill is just the first step in building a universal preschool system. Voters will need to approve it. We will need to recruit teachers, convert facilities and invest in the capacity of current and potential local providers. But these steps are doable, especially with a strong coalition of parents, educators, elected officials and business leaders as advocates. If we want to build a stronger K-12 system in Indianapolis, we have to start by building a stronger foundation. That means making sure every child enters kindergarten ready to learn, regardless of their ZIP code or their parents' income. The path forward is clear. It's practical. It's popular. And it's possible, if we choose to act. Indianapolis deserves a serious plan for universal preschool. Let's give local communities the chance to lead. State Rep. Blake Johnson, D-Indianapolis, represents Indiana House District 100. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Universal pre-K can come to Indiana. Here's how. | Opinion
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis has a preschool crisis. Give voters a choice to fund it.
When my first son was born, I was flooded with questions: sleep schedules, screen time, how to assemble a car seat without losing my mind. But as he's gotten older, one question has risen above the rest: Will he be ready for school? Like so many parents, I've learned what researchers, educators and employers have known for decades. A child's earliest years are some of the most important. Access to high-quality early childhood education shapes a child's academic success, emotional development and long-term ability to contribute to society. Unfortunately, access to that opportunity is slipping further out of reach for too many families in Indianapolis. Indianapolis Public Schools recently announced it would no longer offer free pre-K starting in the 2025–2026 school year. Families could be asked to pay as much as $570 a month, if they can even find a seat. In a city already struggling with childcare deserts, stagnant wages and learning loss, this isn't just a logistical problem. It's a crisis. This isn't IPS's fault. It's the result of chronic underinvestment in early learning, made worse by outdated state policy. Fewer than 10% of Indiana's 4-year-olds qualify for the state's On My Way Pre-K program. There just aren't enough dollars or options to meet the need. That's why I introduced legislation that would allow local communities to step up where the state has stepped back. And I'll offer it again in the 2026 Indiana General Assembly session. My bill would give counties the ability to hold a referendum to fund early childhood education for 3- and 4-year-olds. If approved by voters, those funds could support a mix of providers: public schools, charter schools, private centers and even churches. Programs would operate under the guidance of trusted partners, like United Way or Early Learning Indiana. It's a local solution to a statewide problem, rooted in community choice and accountability. The idea isn't ideological. It is focused on outcomes. Studies show that for every dollar invested in early childhood education, communities can see up to $12 in return through reduced remediation, lower incarceration rates and higher future earnings. Pre-K isn't a luxury. It's an economic development strategy, a public safety tool and a workforce investment plan, all in one. There's no sugarcoating it: Passing a bill is just the first step in building a universal preschool system. Voters will need to approve it. We will need to recruit teachers, convert facilities and invest in the capacity of current and potential local providers. But these steps are doable, especially with a strong coalition of parents, educators, elected officials and business leaders as advocates. If we want to build a stronger K-12 system in Indianapolis, we have to start by building a stronger foundation. That means making sure every child enters kindergarten ready to learn, regardless of their ZIP code or their parents' income. The path forward is clear. It's practical. It's popular. And it's possible, if we choose to act. Indianapolis deserves a serious plan for universal preschool. Let's give local communities the chance to lead.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
First Republican Indianapolis council member joins calls for Hogsett to resign
A Republican on the Indianapolis City-County Council has joined other calls for Mayor Joe Hogsett's resignation, following an investigation into the handling of sexual harassment complaints by his former top aide and the revelation of the mayor's late-night, personal text messages to two younger women. Joshua Bain, who represents the south side of Marion County, is the first Republican on the 25-member Democrat-led council to call for Hogsett's resignation. Democrat Andy Nielsen and Democratic socialist Jesse Brown previously called on Hogsett to resign. "Calling for resignation is not something I do lightly," Bain said in a statement June 10. "But the weight of these failures — ethical, personal, and professional —demands accountability. Immediate change in leadership would be right for Indianapolis." The call from Bain follows an explosive City-County Council meeting on June 9 in which Lauren Roberts, who is one of three women who accused Hogsett's former right-hand man Thomas Cook of harassment and abuse, was forcibly dragged out of the council chambers by sheriff's deputies as she tried to make a statement to council members about her experience and the subsequent investigation. Though the calls for Hogsett's resignation are growing, it's not up to the City-County Council whether Hogsett stays in office. An impeachment process exists, but is largely controlled by the Indiana General Assembly. Recall elections also don't exist here. However, losing support from the council where there is a Democratic supermajority could make it more difficult for the mayor to govern. It already appears to be impacting his schedule. Hogsett had been scheduled to attend a press conference June 10 to announce a city housing initiative called "Streets to Home" but that event was canceled. More: 'We won't allow facts to be buried': Hogsett investigative report omissions raise concerns The Council's Democratic caucus released a statement yesterday stating they were let down by the mayor's behavior but stopped short of calling for a resignation. But the statement added "the mayor's past and recent conduct has compromised (public) trust and weakened the moral authority of the office." Democrats called for the city to implement several reforms, including establishing an independent human resources board to replace the city's current human resources division. The council's Republicans are also demanding that the council take several additional action steps, including an oversight hearing, more documentation from the law firm that conducted the investigation and a public addendum to the report that includes any evidence omitted from the official version. So far, just one member of the council, Democrat Ron Gibson, has released a statement in staunch support of Hogsett. IndyStar's recent reporting revealed the mayor's late-night personal texts to younger women made them feel uncomfortable, they said, and they shared those texts with Fisher Phillips investigators who were probing the Cook allegations as evidence of a troubled workplace culture under Hogsett. No mention of the texts appeared in the final report, IndyStar reported last week, even though they directly contradicted some of the report's conclusions. After the June 9 meeting, where dozens of people came to protest Hogsett, another Democrat on the council, Crista Carlino, said she was "deeply considering" calling for Hogsett's resignation. 'As someone who serves part-time, runs campaigns, evening text messages with staff are things that unfortunately have to happen," Carlino said. "We pull late nights. But the content of those, particularly around the poetry especially for a married man, gives me great pause.' Hogsett was married at the time the messages were sent but got divorced in 2023. In his call for the mayor to resign, Bain said there was a "troubling and growing pattern" of issues with the mayor, including a "lack of response" during the 2020 protests in downtown Indianapolis. "That lack of leadership left a lasting mark — on our downtown, on our public trust, and on our ability to move forward as a united city," Bain said. More: Can Indiana mayors be removed from office? There's a law, but it's rare, experts say. Fallout from the City-County Council meeting in which Roberts and her supporters were forcibly removed from the chambers continued the next day. Before the meeting, Hogsett had been scheduled to attend a press conference June 10 to announce a city housing initiative called "Streets to Home." On the day of the press conference, Hogsett's administration decided to "postpone" the meeting to an undetermined date "in light of recent events, in order to keep the focus on supporting our unhoused neighbors." Faith leaders criticized that decision and said they had suggested that someone else from the mayor's office represent the administration "out of concern for the tone, perception and effectiveness" of the event. "Last night's events at the City-County Council meeting deeply unsettled many in our community and cast a shadow over the important progress we are trying to make through the Streets to Home initiative," according to a statement from Rabbi Aaron Spiegel, Pastor David Greene and Rev. Gray Lesesne. The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis and the Baptist Ministers' Alliance also released a statement on June 10 criticizing the "disturbing revelations about sexual harassment, retaliation and silencing of victims at the highest levels of city government." Removing Roberts from the council meeting was "further traumatizing a woman who had the courage to speak truth to power." "We say with one voice: You cannot protect future victims by abandoning those already harmed. You cannot legislate equity while practicing erasure. You cannot call yourself a public servant and privately shield misconduct," the statement read. Email IndyStar Reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@ Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@ Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, by IndyStar political and government reporters This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: First GOP Indianapolis council member joins calls for Hogsett to resign
