Feb. 13—GREENSBURG — According to Greensburg Decatur County Economic Development Director Bryan Robbins, the recent Opportunity Expo was a great success.

Area students learned about careers and job opportunities in the area. Participation from local employers doubled when compared to the 2023 expo, with 140 jobs, 75 summer jobs and 18 internships available for students to learn about or apply to.

The expo also raised $11,000 for teacher grants; applications will be accepted in November.

At the EDC’s Feb. 8 board meeting, Robbins described the Southeastern Ag Innovation Conference as successful, also. The event attracted an estimated 55 to 60 attendees throughout the day.

Two members of the Carousel Play and Learn Center’s board of directors, Tyler Schmid and Eric Raver, spoke to the EDC board about childcare in Decatur County.

Carousel Play and Learn Center is the largest childcare provider in the county with a capacity of 116 students. However, there are currently more than 2,000 children under age 6 residing in the county, according to Robbins, and an estimated 73% of those children require childcare.

“The bottom line,” Robbins said, “is we have a great deficit in coverage, not unlike most of Indiana.”

Robbins shared that the EDC is exploring structures and best practices in childcare where partnerships with stakeholders help to address the gaps needed to sustain and expand the service.

“We feel if we can assess the trends close to home, we can assemble the right people around the table and select an approach that works best for our community,” he said.

Contact Noelle Maxwell at news@greensburgdailynews.com.