- Children play with crafts at the home daycare run by Janna Rodriguez, who has spent more than a decade in child care.
Photo provided by Janna Rodriguez.
For the more than 850,000 Indiana children who are infants through 9 years old, only 763 licensed child care centers exist to take care of them when their parents cannot. Because of this, a CNBC study ranked Indiana almost at the bottom for quality of life, with the worst access to child care in the country.
At the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, Indiana Senate Democrats prioritized child care in their agenda, writing that they hoped to fully fund the Child Care Development Fund(CCDF), a child care subsidy for low-income families. But with the session ending April 24, their goal did not come to fruition in the supermajority Republican General Assembly.
Indiana’s problem with child care
A 2024 study by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce found that over half of Hoosier parents miss work or class because they cannot find child care. Absenteeism and employee turnover caused by this struggle creates an estimated $3.05 billion in losses for Hoosier employers each year.
Vanessa Green Sinders, president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber, told TheStatehouseFile.com in January that child care desserts like Indiana deter potential workers from coming to the state.
Vanessa Green Sinders, Indiana Chamber of Commerce president.
Photo provided.
“We are such a great state to do business in, and we have so much economic development going on, … but that enthusiasm and that economic development is going to take more workforce,” Sinders said.
The Indiana General Assembly did not allot the appropriate amount of money in the state budget to give Hoosiers universal, affordable child care through the CCDF, On My Way Pre-K or any other program. Instead, lawmakers wrote piecemeal legislation that addressed small parts of the larger problem.
Legislation
House Bill 1253 was signed into law by Gov. Mike Braun on May 1.
During a House meeting late in the legislative session, which ended April 24, bill author Rep. Dave Heine, R-Fort Wayne, said the Senate amended the bill to no longer require children who receive child care at a school to be a child of an employee. The Senate also changed the bill to allow multi-site child care centers, like a YMCA, to be able to operate under one license.
“It really will make it easier for them to expand but also, importantly, maintain the ability of the state to, you know, inspect and hold accountable those individual sites without jeopardizing the functioning of the entire enterprise,” Sam Snideman, vice president of government relations for United Way of Central Indiana, told TheStatehouseFile.com.
Sam Snideman, vice president of government relations for United Way of Central Indiana.
Photo provided: https://www.uwci.org/executive-team
The most important Senate amendment, in Heine’s opinion, was the addition of language that allows in-home child care centers to continue operation as class two structures as long as they are licensed in that category before July 1.
“This is very important language that was added because right now, we have 43 child care facilities providing child care to approximately 800 children that could be at risk of closing down if we did not add this language,” Heine said in the House meeting.
Senate Bill 463, also signed by Braun May 1, would give a tax credit to employers who offer near or onsite child care to their employees.
Snideman said adding this option would make employers who opt into the tax credit more competitive in Indiana’s job market because employees with kids might choose to work there for child care.
The new law will also expand the Micro-Facility Pilot Program, a project that allows existing child care centers to open small, non-residential ones that serve three to 30 children.
Sinders said the Indiana Chamber supported SB 463 and HB 1253 because they attempt to make child care more affordable and accessible in Indiana.
House Bill 1248, signed into law April 10, sets aside CCDF funds for foster families who receive last-minute placements.
“We don’t want to disadvantage those folks who are doing, you know, really important work or, you know, quite honestly disrupt the care for kids who are already facing tremendous challenges.” Snideman said.
House Bill 1102, another child care bill that reached the governor’s desk, receiving his signature April 3, will allow schools to enter contracts with religiously affiliated, nonprofit pre-K sites that offer child care. Snideman said this will create more potential providers for Hoosier families.
Snideman believes the reason Indiana has not invested fully in CDDF and other government-funded child care initiatives is because the issue is so broad. But both he and Sinders believe there’s room for optimism.
“I think about it from a positive perspective,” Sinders said. “The legislature is willing to continue to work on this issue and continue to try to make progress. … Every bite at the apple helps get you to the solution.”
Snideman is even more confident about the possibility of universal child care in Indiana’s future.
“We are committed to expanding opportunities for Hoosiers in this space,” he said, “which means we will be committed to this long, incremental process of us getting to a place where eventually, you know, every family in our state who wants and needs to send their kids to pre-K or to child care will have that opportunity.”
TheStatehouseFile.com is publishing this article as part of the Statehouse Reporting Project, a collaborative effort by collegiate journalism programs operating in statehouses across the country.
Indiana’s new child care laws take small bites out of the larger issue
Hoosier History Highlights
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| Answers 1. Peony 2. Corydon, Indiana 3. 92 counties 4. Bison |
USI walks off to 8-7 win on Slack RBI Eagles win their 4th OVC series of the season
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana junior shortstop Clayton Slack knocked in the game-winning RBI with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to give the Screaming Eagles an 8-7 win over Southeast Missouri State University Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI, which has won three-straight games, is 24-26 overall and 12-11 OVC, while SEMO is 27-23, 13-10 OVC.
The fourth OVC series win of the season matches the total USI had all of last season, while the walk-off winner was the sixth of the year for the squad and the second by Slack.
The Eagles flew out to a 2-0 lead with a tally in the first and second innings. Junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens crossed the plate with the first USI run on a base hit by sophomore third baseman Parker Martin, while junior first baseman Kannon Coakley scored the second run on a ground out by senior leftfielder BJ Banyon.
The Redhawks tied the score with solo home runs in the third and fourth innings. USI would regain the lead, 3-2, when Kitchens scored for the second time in the game on a ground out by junior catcher Micajah Wall.
SEMO would bounce back in the top of the sixth with a four-run frame to lead 6-3. The three-run margin would last until the bottom of the seventh when USI exploded for a four-run rally of its own to regain the lead, 7-6.
Coakley started the rally with a two-run double to pull the Eagles to within one, 6-5. Slack would knock in Coakley with the 6-6 tying run on a double before senior centerfielder Khi Holiday drove in the junior shortstop with the lead run on a single.
After SEMO tied the game, 7-7, with its third home run of the game in the top of the ninth, Slack sent USI home 8-7 winners with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center field. USI had loaded the bases with a walk by Wall, a single by sophomore second baseman Anthony Umbach, and a hit batter by Coakley.
USI senior right-hander Ian Anderson picked up the win for the Eagles in relief. Anderson (4-2), who is tied for the team lead in victories this season, allowed one run on three hits (one the ninth inning home run), and struck out one in his frame of work.
The Eagles got an impressive start from junior right-hander Andres Gonzalez. Gonzalez gave up three runs on six hits in 5.1 innings of work, while striking out two. The 5.1 innings of work were Gonzalez’s second-longest outing of the season.
UE Archaeology and Anthropology Students Gain Global Experience Through Summer Excavations and Internships
EVANSVILLE, IND. This summer, University of Evansville (UE) archaeology and anthropology majors will take part in archaeological projects around the world and abroad to gain valuable hands-on experience in field, lab, and museum settings.
Two students will work alongside UE faculty members at two different sites in Greece: one will join Assistant Professor of Archaeology Rebekah McKay on the Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Survey Project, and one will join Professor Emeritus Pat Thomas at Iklaina.
Other students will participate in excavations at Roman Aguntum in Austria, a Spanish Civil War site in Spain, a Roman Iron Age fort and prehistoric cemetery in Scotland, a Dominican friary in Ireland, and a Mayan city in Belize. Students will also take part in a World War II forensic archaeology field school in Germany and an underwater shipwreck survey in Turks and Caicos.
Closer to home, three students will participate in USI’s excavations in the Ouiatenon Preserve near West Lafayette, Ind.; one will take part in the Center for American Archeology Field School at Kampsville, Ill.; and one will participate in the Noble-Wieting Field School, Ill. Students will also gain valuable experience through internships in the Archives Division, Missouri Secretary of State’s Office; the St. Charles County, Mo., Heritage Museum; the Greene County Historical Society Museum, Pa.; the Morris Museum in N.J.; and with the Army Corps of Engineers.
“We are thrilled to see our majors taking part in these diverse summer opportunities,” said Dr. Jennie Ebeling, Professor of Archaeology. “Students will have the opportunity to research, preserve, and interpret the past while also learning valuable technical skills for their future careers.”
City Council Meeting MAY 12, 2025
MAY 12, 2025
5:30 P.M.
AGENDA
| I. | INTRODUCTION |
05-12-2025 Agenda Attachment:
| II. | APPROVAL OF MEETING MEMORANDUM |
04-28-2025 Memo Attachment:
| III. | REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS |
| IV. | SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY |
| V. | CONSENT AGENDA: FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS |
A. ORDINANCE R-2025-09 An Ordinance to Rezone Certain Real Estate in the City of Evansville, State of Indiana, More Commonly Known as 801 Adams Ave Owner: Kenneth Rich Requested Change: R2 to R3 Ward: 4 Carothers Representative: Cori Walton, Keller Williams Capital Realty R-2025-09 Attachment:
B. ORDINANCE R-2025-10 An Ordinance to Rezone Certain Real Estate in the City of Evansville, State of Indiana, More Commonly Known as 604 S Rosenberger Ave Owner: Nancy Pearce Requested Change: R1 to R2 Ward: 6 Brinkmeyer Representative: Mary Etta Kripps R-2025-10 Attachment:
C. ORDINANCE R-2025-11 An Ordinance to Rezone Certain Real Estate in the City of Evansville, State of Indiana, More Commonly Known as 503 and 507 N Sixth Ave Owner: Hartford Bakery, Inc Requested Change: R2 to M2 Ward: 6 Brinkmeyer Representative: Maria Bulkley, Kahn, Dees, Donovan & Kahn, LLP R-2025-11 Attachment:
D. ORDINANCE R-2025-12 An Ordinance to Rezone Certain Real Estate in the City of Evansville, State of Indiana, More Commonly Known as Part of 923 N First Ave Owner: 909 First Avenue Propco, LLC Requested Change: R2 to C1 Ward: 6 Brinkmeyer Representative: Margaret Braun R-2025-12 Attachment:
| VI. | COMMITTEE REPORTS |
| VII. | REGULAR AGENDA: SECOND READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS |
| VIII. | RESOLUTION DOCKET |
| IX. | MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS |
A. THE NEXT MEETING of the Common Council will be Monday, May 19, 2025 at 5:30 p.m.
B. ADDITIONAL MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS
| X. | COMMITTEE REPORTS |
| XI. | ADJOURNMENT |
USI Softball’s Long named to OVC All-Tournament Team for second time
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball sophomore infielder Sydney Long was named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Tournament Team for the second consecutive season on Saturday.
In USI’s three games at the OVC Championship Tournament in Peoria, Illinois, this week, Long started all three games at second base and went 6-11 at the plate for a .545 batting average. Long had two hits in each game and totaled three extra-base hits. Long posted an OPS of 1.545 in the tournament.
The sophomore had a big game to open the tournament in USI’s win over Lindenwood University on Wednesday, adding a run and tallying three RBIs. In Thursday’s game against Eastern Illinois University, Long hit a double and a triple. Later, Long recorded her second triple of the day in USI’s evening contest against Tennessee Tech University.
At the OVC Tournament, Southern Indiana went 1-2 as the No. 4 seed. The Screaming Eagles opened postseason play with a 5-2 win against No. 5 Lindenwood in a rematch of last weekend’s series to conclude the regular season. USI struck first in its second game against No. 1 Eastern Illinois but eventually fell to the Panthers. In a nail-biting elimination game, USI tied Tennessee Tech late, 1-1, but the Golden Eagles narrowly came ahead by a score of 2-1 to end USI’s 2025 campaign.
2025 OVC SOFTBALL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Karlie McKenzie, Eastern Illinois (MVP)
Kendall Grover, Eastern Illinois
Briana Gonzalez, Eastern Illinois
McKenzie Oslanzi, Eastern Illinois
Anna Henderson, SIUE
Raegan Duncan, SIUE
Kaylynn Salyars, SIUE
Sydney Melton, Southeast Missouri
Madison Winkler, Southeast Missouri
Alina Schlageter, Tennessee Tech
Sydney Long, Southern Indiana
Avery Wapp, Lindenwood
Where Did Your Ancestors Come From?
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Browning Gallery and Zoom
Join the Tri-State Genealogical Society for a free virtual presentation, A Deed in the Hand is Worth Two in the Books, on Tuesday, May 13 at 6:30 PM (CT). Professional genealogist Sara Cochran will share information on how we can use land records in our research.
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Stanford leads Eagles at IU
Bloomington, Ind.—Junior Isaac Stanford raced to a third-place finish in the 1,500 meters to lead University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field Friday night at the Billy Hayes Invitational.
Stanford finished the race in three minutes, 49.96 seconds and was just over a second away from his season-best time of 3:48.74, which he ran at the Bryan Clay Invitational last month.
In addition to Stanford, the Screaming Eagles had four top-10 finishes on the night. Freshman Ben Perulfi and junior Dylan Bland were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while freshman Griffen Wheeler was ninth in the 800 meters.
Wheeler, who broke the USI freshman record in the 800 meters with his time of 1:53.04 at the Bryan Clay Invitational last month, posted another strong time of 1:54.05 Friday night.
USI concludes the 2025 season next week when it competes at the OVC Outdoor Championships May 15-17 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
USI uses big innings to take opener from SEMO, 9-6
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball scored five times in the third and three times in the fifth to win the series opener with Southeast Missouri State University, 9-6, Friday evening at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 23-26 overall and 11-11 OVC, while SEMO is 27-22, 13-9 OVC.
After spotting the Redhawks a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, Screaming Eagles followed by getting on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit to 3-1. Senior centerfielder Khi Holiday scored on a double to center field by junior first baseman Cole Kitchens to get the USI offense going.
The score would remain 3-1 until the bottom of the third when the Eagles scored five times to take a 6-3 lead. Holiday scored USI’s second run of the game on a second RBI double by Kitchens to kick off the offensive explosion.
USI sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd put the Eagles in front, 4-3, with a two-run blast to deep left center. The home run was Boyd’s sixth of the season.
The Eagles would finish the five-run explosion when junior catcher Macajah Wall sent his third home run of the season over the left field wall for a 6-3 advantage. Junior leftfielder Hunter Miller scored ahead of Wall on the home run after getting on base with an infield single.
USI extended the lead to 9-3 with a three-run frame in the fifth. Junior designated hitter Charlie Marisca doubled in Miller with the Eagles’ seventh run of the game, while junior shortstop Clayton Slack highlighted the frame with a two-out double for the eighth and ninth runs.
The 9-3 lead would last until the seventh inning when SEMO scored three times to close the gap to 9-6. Holiday robbed the Redhawks of their seventh run by taking away a home run from SEMO’s Shea McGahan by skying over the right center wall to lead off the eighth.
The Eagles held the Redhawks scoreless in the final two frames to preserve the 9-6 victory. Kitchens and Boyd finished the game with a team-high three hits each, while Kitchens, Boyd, Wall, and Slack tied for the team-high with two RBIs apiece.
USI junior left-hander Jake Porter posted his fourth win of the season, tying for the team lead in 2025. Porter (4-4) allowed three unearned runs in the first inning on three hits and two walks, while striking out four. The junior left-hander also set down 11-straight hitters between the end of the first inning and the fifth inning.
USI junior right-hander Blake Kimball followed Porter and went three innings, allowing three runs on four hits, while senior right-hander Ian Anderson closed out the game by throwing a scoreless ninth to get his team-best fourth save of the year.