South Bend leaders and educators gather to address challenges facing childcare and early education

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- South Bend community leaders, educators, and a national early childhood policy expert gathered Thursday evening at Howard Park Event Center for a public forum addressing the challenges facing childcare and early education in St. Joseph County.

The event featured a keynote from Dr. Dan Wuori, author of "The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education," who spoke on the importance of investing in children during their earliest developmental years, arguing that such investment leads to a more successful society and stronger economy.

"You know, we think about childcare as being almost like a broken three-legged stool. That we know that it is more expensive than most parents can pay. You know, more in in majority of states at this point than in-state college tuition or housing, but at the same time we know that for business owners in many cases it is as unprofitable as it is unaffordable for parents." says Wuori.

Also featured was Keith Kleppe, owner of East Bank Learning Center, who shared that his own path into early childhood education began through his late wife's involvement in the field. Kleppe spoke about his commitment to supporting not only the children in his care but the educators who work with them.

The forum was part of an ongoing regional conversation about the state of early childhood education and childcare access in Indiana.