Perry County employers prioritized childcare in 2013 to attract workers. Their efforts are working, but now they face a new set of challenges.

The state hopes grant money set aside by lawmakers in the 2017 legislative session will help expand access to and the quality of preschool programs.

The bill looking to expand state funded pre-K also allocates $1 million for in-home digital preschool learning.

Proposed legislation to expand the state’s publicly funded preschool program is tangled up in the ongoing feud over private school vouchers.

When the General Assembly convenes for the 2017 legislative session, expanding state funded pre-K will be a top priority.

State tax revenue growth is about $75 million below projections for the fiscal year that started July 1.

The question that will face the full General Assembly is how much it will be expanded.

In a recent Chamber survey of employers, 45 percent of respondents report having unfilled positions due to a lack of qualified applicants.

Some believe every child in the state should attend pre-k on the state’s dime, others think the focus should be on low-income families.

In 2014, Pence stopped the Indiana Department of Education from applying for an $80 million grant that would have established a similar system.