Turnstone Center Receives $231,600 Grant to Support Northeast Indiana Infants and Toddlers

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (February 02, 2024)– Turnstone Center is proud to announce its selection as one of 86 recipients of the first round of Early Years Initiative funding from Early Learning Indiana. The Early Years Initiative is a $50-million competitive grant program focused on enhancing the learning and development of infants and toddlers in Indiana communities. The generous support for this initiative comes from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help Hoosier families.

Through this grant, Turnstone Center will receive $231,600 in funding to offer an intensive rehabilitative and early education program to support infants and toddlers under 4 and their families. Turnstone specializes in serving the community of people with disabilities, and this initiative will further support not only infants and toddlers with disabilities but will fully engage the whole family and caregiving network.

“Combining Turnstone’s expertise with the application of the Aspen Institute’s 2Gen model in the Early Years Program will more effectively meet the needs of and improve the care and well-being of both children with disabilities and their families,” said Luke Morgan, Chief Operations Officer at Turnstone Center.

The Early Years Program at Turnstone offers developmental screenings, home- and community-based case management, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, counseling, and parenting classes—provided virtually, at the family’s home, or at Turnstone’s fully accessible facility.

The Early Years Initiative places special emphasis on serving families in low-income households. Turnstone Center is committed to reaching out to and making a meaningful impact on the lives of families in Allen County and surrounding communities.

“We only have a few short years to set our youngest Hoosiers on a path to thrive in life, and the work of our grantees across the state will enable us to make the most of these years while deepening our understanding about which efforts are most effective,” said Early Learning Indiana President and CEO Maureen Weber.