Most meaningful policy changes appear to happen in a moment.

In reality, they are often decades in the making.

For more than twenty years, the Southwest Indiana Business Regional Roundtable on Early Childhood Education has been helping business leaders understand the critical role that high-quality early learning plays in the future of our workforce. Long before child care became a statewide priority, local leaders were making the case that investing in children is also an investment in economic growth.

Welborn recognized that improving outcomes for children and families would require more than funding programs alone. It would require investing in the systems, relationships, and partnerships that shape community decisions for years to come.

Welborn has helped strengthen and advance that conversation through strategic investments, partnerships, and convening efforts that bring together employers, educators, childcare providers, and community leaders. Since 2000, Welborn has invested more than $10 million in local early learning efforts, including key investments that helped influence statewide frameworks such as Paths to Quality and the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. Welborn has also developed an Early Learning White Paper, hosted regional convenings to advance key findings, and participated in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Indiana Early Childhood Business Advisory Council. Together, these efforts have helped stakeholders see the bigger picture, gradually shifting the conversation from supporting childcare as a family service to recognizing it as essential workforce infrastructure.

Through strategic investments and sustained collaboration, Welborn has helped bring together business leaders, educators, childcare providers, economic development organizations, and community stakeholders around a common goal: expanding access to high-quality early learning opportunities and helping communities understand why those opportunities matter.

Over time, a broader understanding emerged. Childcare was no longer viewed solely as a support for families. It became increasingly recognized as a key factor in workforce participation, talent attraction, employee retention, and long-term economic competitiveness.

That growing alignment created momentum.

The momentum is evident both locally and statewide. In 2026, Indiana passed House Bill 1177, expanding employer childcare tax credits and creating new tools for communities to invest in childcare infrastructure. During the same period, business leaders, philanthropic organizations, educators, and community stakeholders in Southwest Indiana came together to secure a $1 million investment in early childhood education.

The work is far from finished, but this moment offers a glimpse of what can happen when a community commits to a long-term vision. By helping create the conditions for change, Southwest Indiana is contributing to solutions that will strengthen families, support employers, and expand opportunities for future generations.