Early Education
Early Education
We believe every child – from birth through 6th grade – deserves access to high-quality, developmentally appropriate experiences that prepare them to thrive in school, career, and life. Creating lasting change requires more than isolated programs – it demands whole-child, system level strategies that align classrooms, communities, and policy around shared outcomes.
Tyler Stock
Early Education Program Officer
Less than
40%
of Evansville area children are ‘Kindergarten Ready’
Less than
50%
of area students are at or above grade level for middle school math
The Change We Hope to See
More children arriving at kindergarten ready to learn
More 3rd graders meet or exceed grade level benchmarks for school success
More 8th graders meet or exceed grade level benchmarks for school success
Less student absenteeism
Children and Families have a higher sense of belonging within their unique educational attainment journey
Early Education Partnerships
As an organization committed to systems level change, Welborn partners with organizations who believe that every child ought to be supported holistically—arriving ready for school, reaching key academic benchmarks, and staying on a path to long-term success cultivating flourishing communities.
Our Current Early Education Priorities
Cradle-to-Career Continuums
Initiatives that are focused on seamless transitions from early childhood through the elementary grades where the greatest impact is made. We prioritize early learning & development initiatives, school-based supports, and place-based community partnerships that work in unison.
Integrated Academic, Social, & Emotional Supports
Initiatives focused on equipping and empowering individuals and families with the resources and skills they need to flourish.
Data-Driven Personalization
Initiatives that use child-level and disaggregated data to personalize support, identify gaps early, and ensure timely intervention. Data isn’t just a metric—it’s a tool for addressing educational disparity and continuous improvement.
Supportive Environments
Initiatives that support safe spaces. Children succeed when their environments—homes, classrooms, neighborhoods—are places of belonging and care. We support environments that address a person’s lived experiences with individualized intention.
What is a Cradle-to-Career?
Cradle-to-Career is a framework that outlines the lifespan of a person’s development, emphasizing the importance of coordinated support and resources from early childhood through to entering the workforce and beyond. Its goal is to ensure that individuals have equitable opportunities to succeed at every stage of their life, ultimately leading to positive personal, educational, and economic outcomes.
Resource Highlights
Building a Strong Foundation Through Investment in Early Learning
This is 2021 White Paper on Early Learning in Evansville & Vanderburgh County was produced by Transform Consulting Group and funded by Welborn. The ultimate goal being to inform strategies that are created and owned by community stakeholders to advance equitable access to and the expansion of high-quality early learning.
A State of E Report on a Region's Cradle-to-Career
This is a 2022 report documenting the Cradle-to-Career continuum and was produced by For Evansville. This report provides an overview of the Evansville region’s Cradle-to-Career pathway, gives a synthesis of public education data for our five counties, and shines a spotlight on a few examples of current progress.
2025 INDIANA KIDS COUNT DATA BOOK
Indiana Youth Insitute’s 2025 Indiana KIDS COUNT® Data Book serves as the leading data resource on the well-being of Hoosier youth. Now in its 31st edition, the Data Book offers an overview of child well-being across Indiana and includes insights along with actionable steps you can take to support children at the local, state, and national levels. A national KIDS COUNT Data Book—featuring comparable data for the entire United States—is produced each year by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Do you know Grow?
Grow is a platform designed to resource and empower community stakeholders from all sectors, generations, and experience levels. Grow provides trusted resources, training opportunities, and regional data.
Additional Resources
Early Education Path to Impact
Our Path to Impact is the process by which the positive change that we believe our communities need will be realized through the focus on the priorities listed above.
A State of E Report on our Region’s Cradle-to-Career
This is a 2022 report documenting the Cradle-to-Career continuum and was produced by For Evansville. This report provides an overview of the Evansville region’s Cradle-to-Career pathway, gives a synthesis of public education data for our five counties, and shines a spotlight on a few examples of current progress.
2025 Indiana Kids Count Data Book
Indiana Youth Insitute’s 2025 Indiana KIDS COUNT® Data Book serves as the leading data resource on the well-being of Hoosier youth. Now in its 31st edition, the Data Book offers an overview of child well-being across Indiana and includes insights along with actionable steps you can take to support children at the local, state, and national levels. A national KIDS COUNT Data Book—featuring comparable data for the entire United States—is produced each year by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Building a Strong Foundation Through Investment in Early Learning
This is 2021 White Paper on Early Learning in Evansville & Vanderburgh County was produced by Transform Consulting Group and funded by Welborn. The ultimate goal being to inform strategies that are created and owned by community stakeholders to advance equitable access to and the expansion of high-quality early learning.
Do you know Grow?
Grow is a platform designed to resource and empower community stakeholders from all sectors, generations, and experience levels. Grow provides trusted resources, training opportunities, and regional data.