INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Mike Braun visited an Indianapolis early childhood center on Thursday after his announcement of a $200 million investment in CCDF vouchers.

That money can start helping low-income families next month. 43,000 kids rely on those vouchers in Indiana, and 14,000 more vouchers will come thanks to this new funding.

During his visit, Braun met with staff and kids learning in their classrooms. St. Mary’s Early Childhood Center executive director Michelle Radomsky said the visit showed the governor’s commitment to expanding access to crucial education at an early age.

“We want all children in Indiana to be able to have affordable, accessible early childhood education, and we want to be a part of that conversation, because we feel like we do know how to provide it,” Radomsky said.

St. Mary’s Early Childhood Center is one of several childcare providers across Indiana that could benefit from this new funding for CCDF vouchers. About 17-18% of the 200 kids enrolled across their four locations take advantage of CCDF or On May Way Pre-K vouchers.

With 14,000 kids on the CCDF waitlist, Braun said it is important for families to start seeing some relief. He explained the budget will not open up again until the state legislature wants to in January.

“That’s probably wise to make sure that what we’re seeing in positive cash flow keeps knocking it out of the park, so we ought to be in good shape next year to take on some stuff, more so than what we’ve even done in the past,” Braun said.

The governor said private investment can supplement the state’s funding of CCDF.

State Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis) supports the governor’s $200 million proposal, but said the problem should have been addressed sooner to prevent daycare closures.

He said this new funding is a good starting point, but there is $100 million in the Financial Responsibility and Opportunity Growth fund that could be moved to CCDF vouchers.

“I would encourage our governor to next year as we craft the budget to make sure that we put more money in the budget next year for CCDF to help our families,” Porter said. “These are Hoosiers.”

Radomsky said long-term investment in kids will set them up for success throughout their education and into adulthood.