School Matters: MCCSC Bucks State Trend by Expanding Pre-K

Not long ago, the cost of childcare for Ryan Still’s two young children was $22,000 a year. He was earning $38,000 as a caseworker for the Bloomington Housing Authority. The situation wasn’t sustainable. 

“We were living but just kind of surviving,” he said, adding that the family sometimes relied on food banks for groceries and the Monroe County Community Kitchen for meals. 

Circumstances changed when the Monroe County Community School Corporation expanded its preschool programs with funding from a property tax referendum. Early learning costs are now heavily subsidized. Still pays $360 a month. 

“I’d say it’s been pretty lifesaving,” the 31-year-old said. He worries less about paying the bills, and he and the kids were even able to take a vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and tack on a trip to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. 

“They get to experience things and have a better life,” Still said, referring to Liam, 5, and Lila, almost 4. “And a lot of that is just not having exorbitant childcare expenses.”

Families like Still’s were what MCCSC administrators and the school board had in mind when they asked the community to support a referendum for a tax increase for early learning in 2023. Voters agreed, even though they had approved a tax increase the previous year to increase teacher and staff pay.  

The 2023 referendum generates about $6 million a year for early learning. It also pays for free school supplies. Across Indiana, however, preschool funding has been cut. Centers have closed, and thousands of children are waiting for affordable programs.  

“While children across the state are losing access to early learning, and centers in the state are going out of business, we are in an extremely fortunate situation,” said Tim Dowling, MCCSC director of early learning and enrollment. “Thanks for the support of our community, we are expanding access to early learning.” 

Indiana had been expanding support for early learning, with pandemic relief funds boosting the effort. But it came to a halt as federal money ran out. State officials slashed enrollment in On My Way Pre-K, a state-funded program for low-income parents who are working or in school. The state implemented a waitlist for Child Care and Development Fund childcare vouchers and cut reimbursements to providers.  

A recent report by the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute found that only one in five eligible children would be served by the state’s childcare support programs this year. It said that hundreds of thousands of Hoosier children “are not able to access this system.” 

Childcare costs got the attention of Governor Mike Braun. He tapped the state budget surplus to invest $200 million, reducing but not eliminating the CCDF waitlist. Brain said the next state budget should include $200 million a year for the program.  

Hanan Osman, CEO of the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children, welcomed the $200 million and said ongoing support is essential. As cuts took effect, she said, Indiana lost nearly 400 childcare providers since September 2025.

The Braun administration has also proposed reducing regulations, including education and training requirements, to reduce costs. Osman said such an approach is wrong-headed. 

“Affordability of childcare should not come on the back of quality of childcare,” she said. 

MCCSC provides pre-kindergarten for 4-year-olds at all its elementary schools. It covers at least half of the $8,000 annual cost of the program. Children in families that make less than 225% of the poverty level — $74,250 for a family of four — attend for free.  

It also provides preschool for 3-year-olds at six elementary schools and the district’s Early Learning Center on Miller Drive. Preschool for 3-year-olds is free for families that make less than 225% of the poverty level. Those with higher incomes pay full price.

MCCSC also helps pay for district resident children to attend eight “partner” preschools. It provides transportation for almost 200 students in the 4-year-old program; they ride to and from school on buses equipped with safety harnesses. 

Referendum funding let MCCSC double the size of its programs in the 2024-25 school year, the first year of the expansion, Dowling said. Last year and this year, enrollment remained stable. Registration for 2026-27 is ongoing as the school year begins. 

Dowling said the curriculum is play-based and developmentally appropriate. District assessments in the spring of 2026 found that 76% of children who completed the pre-K program were “kindergarten ready,” up from 12% at the start of the school year. 

“We feel like that’s really strong data to show our program is working,” he said.

Still, who shares custody of his two children with his former wife, is now director of real estate development for the Bloomington Housing Authority. In that capacity, he helped develop the Dr. Marvin Chandler Early Learning Center, a housing and childcare facility. 

Bloomington and Monroe County officials supported the project by allocating federal American Rescue Act funds. “Roughly 30 childcare spots will open because, locally, at least, they’ve seen the value of supporting childcare,” Still said.

As for his children, he said they learned and developed skills last year in their classes at Grandview Elementary School. Just as importantly, they made friends and had fun.

This year, after moving to a new neighborhood, Lila is in the pre-K program at Fairview Elementary School, and Liam is starting kindergarten at the Bloomington Project School. 

“They’ve loved it,” he said. “They’ve had a really good time.” 

Editor’s note: One of the author’s grandchildren participated in the MCCSC pre-K program in 2024-25.