Early Learning Community breaks ground on expansion project

All they wanted to do was dig in the dirt.

As staff members, families and supporters of Early Learning Community Preschool gathered to celebrate a milestone announcement, students of the school were far more interested in using the little toy shovels to work the ground where a new school building would stand.

Their enthusiasm was warranted — after all, this groundbreaking was a huge step forward for early childhood education in Johnson County.

“So with this expansion, we’re excited to create a warm and welcoming safe place that truly reflects the heart of our school family, where our children can be seen and heard and celebrated,” said Dawn Underwood, director of Early Learning Community.

Early Learning Community celebrated the start of its expansion project, which will add about 5,000 square feet of learning and resource space to the Whiteland school. The new building will feature additional classrooms, a resource center to support parents and families and training space to prepare future early childhood learning teachers.

The expansion will allow the school to double the number of students it serves, from about 40 currently to 80 to 100 in the future.

“As we break ground on this incredible addition to the Early Learning Community Preschool, I am filled with gratitude and anticipation. This moment today marks a new chapter for our school family, where we will continue to grow, dream big and create even more opportunities for our youngest learners, their families and the communities they serve,” Underwood said.

Early Learning Community is a non-profit community preschool founded in 2010, which provides services to children ages 3 to 5. Preschool leaders developed a curriculum to ensure that kids are ready for kindergarten.

Points of emphasis center on kindergarten readiness using programs such as Handwriting Without Tears to teach writing letters and three different types of social-emotional learning.

The need for such a school is needed in the county. According to the Indiana Early Learning Advisory Committee, 64% of children under six need care and education while their parents work in Johnson County. Despite research supporting the value of quality early learning experiences, only 26% percent of Johnson County children who need care are enrolled in high-quality early education programs.

“We have a big gap and a big need for high-quality child care in our community — specifically Whiteland, which is recognized as a child care desert, where many families continue to struggle to find accessible child care and early education opportunities for their children,” Underwood said.

Since 2020, the school has operated in its own building in Whiteland; prior to that, it had been housed in Northwest and Westwood elementary schools in Greenwood.

Having a building to call their own has been extraordinary, but the need for early childhood education is still great. That’s why school leadership pursued the expansion.

“This is something I believe families have needed for a long time,” Underwood said. “Families need to be supported.”

In November 2023, Early Learning Community leaders applied for funding through Indiana’s Child Care Expansion Grant program, offered through the Family and Social Service Administration’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning.

Out of about 300 applicants, the preschool was one of 21 chosen to receive a grant — totaling $620,000.

“This expansion grant helps to build upon FSSA’s recent work to help stabilize and grow child care in Indiana to support providers and build available child care capacity,” said Dr. Dan Rusyniak, secretary of FSSA in a press release in 2023. “These investments directly strengthen the workforce.”

Site work has started on the school’s expansion, with construction expected to be complete by May 2025.

But the groundbreaking wasn’t the only reason to celebrate. During the ceremony, Early Learning Community staff unveiled a surprise: The preschool had earned Level 4 national accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, demonstrating the highest commitment to early childhood education.

“It means we’ve gone through a thorough evaluation of our whole program — how we care for and teach children, the policies that guide our school, and even how we keep everyone healthy and safe,” said Breanna Hogan, associate director of Early Childhood Learning. “This process ensures we’re not just meeting the basic standards, but exceeding those standards.”

After school leaders and board members — as well as the students — shoveled dirt to ceremoniously kick off the project, it was time to have some fun. Kids and their parents migrated to the school’s playground, where a foam machine had turned the grassy area into a sudsy wonderland. In between playing, they could enjoy root beer floats.

At an exciting time for Early Learning Community Preschool, it was an ideal way to celebrate.

“In the spirit of all things we do here: We will play!” Hogan said.