NEWS
Transforming Early Childhood in Elkhart County
Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded a $7.5 million grant to fuel the progress of Building Strong Brains. The Community Foundation is the financial agent for the grant, which resulted from hard work by a number of community partners and amazing philanthropy in the early stages of the Lilly GIFT VIII process. (Read this press release for more...
Stronger Families, Stronger Futures: Join CAPS’ Nurturing Care Groups
At Building Strong Brains, we believe that when families have the right support, children are better prepared to succeed. That’s why we’re excited to share a new opportunity for parents and caregivers in Elkhart County—CAPS’ Nurturing Care Groups. What Are Nurturing Care Groups? Nurturing Care Groups are volunteer-led support groups for expecting...
Triple P for Baby Group at Elkhart Public Library
Starting March 18, the Elkhart Public Library’s main branch downtown will host the first-ever Triple P for Baby group sessions. This multi-week series is designed specifically for parents of babies one year old or younger, as well as expecting parents—and it’s completely FREE! In this in-person series, parents will learn how to support their...
Congratulating Candy Yoder
Candy Yoder will retire from her role as Chief Program Officer at the Community Foundation of Elkhart County at the end of 2024. Candy joined CAPS in 1989 as a program coordinator and served as president and CEO beginning in 2009. She joined the Community Foundation of Elkhart County in 2018, leading the grant committees in selecting areas of...
Celebrating Progress and Looking to the Future
On November 13, the Building Strong Brains coalition convened at Goshen College to celebrate the collective progress and continue to identify ways to advance this important early childhood work. Teams shared about their current work and planning for next steps. Below are highlights shared by the teams. Maternal and Child Health Action Team...
Quality Child Care and Early Learning Environments
Engaging and Growing the Elkhart County Family Child Care Network The Family Child Care Network (FCCN) is growing in Elkhart County. In November, family child care providers gathered to enjoy a meal, celebrate their work, and learn more about early childhood programs and services, including those provided by CAPS, Maple City Health Care Center,...
Visible Network Labs launched in November
The Data Support Team launched Visible Network Labs in November. With the help of Visible Network Labs, we’ll gain deeper insights into our community networks and create visual tools to better understand our partnerships, highlight strengths, and pinpoint gaps in our ecosystem. Learn more at this LINK.
Website Refresh and Social Media
The Communications Support Team engaged with the work of refreshing the Building Strong Brains website and launching social media to evolve with the coalition work. We will be adding additional content to the site to continue to make it a valuable resource for our collective work in Elkhart County. Click on the LINK to visit the website. Social...
Responding to Coalition Input
The Building Strong Brains coalition has consistently highlighted the importance of understanding all factors that influence a young child’s ability to thrive. Recognizing that Economic Self-Sufficiency plays a vital role in a family’s stability and a child’s success, the coalition acknowledges the need for ongoing evolution in its work. The...
Listening to Community Resource Navigators
Building Strong Brains convened 40 Community Resource Navigators from eight community organizations in October to listen to community resource navigators who are experts in the experiences of families with young children in Elkhart County. Jeanette Harder, PhD, MSW, LSW, MSW Program Director, and Professor of Social Work at Goshen College, led...
Join us in this effort
Join Our Email List to Receive Updates or Get Involved
©2026 Building Strong Brains