Elkhart County State of the Child presentation targets challenges children face in Indiana
ELKHART, Ind. -- The Indiana Youth Institute, alongside Elkhart community leaders and children advocates, are coming together to tackle some of the biggest issues affecting children in Indiana.
From mental health struggles to education gaps the ‘“Elkhart County State of Child Event” is shining a light on these challenges where you hear firsthand how organizations are planning to team-up and make a difference.
Ashley Haynes, the Vice President of the Indiana Youth Institute is putting numbers behind the challenges kids face every day and local leaders are stepping up to turn data into action.
“Our goal here today is to share with the community, primarily with those that are serving or impacting the lives of our youth in our state and in our communities, to help spark action around data, to see what the latest data is, and then have conversations and make connections about what we can do about that data to improve the lives of our kids, " said Haynes.
The event was not just about the stats, it was about the solutions, and I spoke with the people making those changes happen
“We have over 60 key data indicators, and those are all broken down at a county level today, some of the ones that we're focusing on our substance use among our youth, which is actually at a 30 year low in the state, and similarly, in Elkhart County,” said Hayes.
The Indiana Youth Institute 2025 Kids Count Data Book reveals both wins and challenges.
Positive trends such as Indiana’s highest high school graduation rate in a decade but mental health and economic struggles remain a major concern.
Jennifer Pahlak, Executive Director of Foundations for Early Childhood Excellence attended this event to not only take notes but to network in small groups and propose how they will implement change in underserved areas.
“You know you have the one that uses their words to get attention and get the emotional response from others because they need to be uplifted and validated but the ones, we are concerned about are the ones that suffer in silence, and they don’t say anything,” said Pahlak.
Anna Swatzky, the Director of The Source, a youth mental health network, says the updated data allowed them to create new initiatives to ensure real changes are made.
“Now that we have that real local information, we can work on a real local solution together,” said Swatzky.
The Tolson Center for Community Excellence is one organization taking action, offering daily check-ins and free resources like gym access, art classes and a library.
A positive outlet to make sure children have productive mental and physical outlets and to learn more about them.
Reyna Montalva the program director at the Tolson Center for Community Excellence mentioned “Some parents don't want to be educated in manners of how to raise their kids. But it's not about that. It's about learning more for kids now. It's not about how to be a friend, but rather how to be the parent that they need," said Montalva.