HEA’s Model of Change

HEA supports Networks of business, school and community stakeholders to develop Pilot Projects to design, test and adopt solutions to improve local education outcomes.

Foundations for Learning

Through HEA, community stakeholders work together to provide every child in Elkhart County with a strong foundation for learning. We equip children and families with tools to develop social, cognitive and executive function skills.

Child and Family

Building the capacity of the adults that interact with children.

Early Learning

With a strong foundation, young people are able to become lifelong learners.

Student Pathways

Developing a strong, aligned talent pipeline for our community.

Every kid deserves a chance of a prosperous future. Our community is determined to make this right a reality for all Elkhart County residents.

Our Challenge

The lifeblood of our traditional Midwestern community is a sporadically robust manufacturing economy. Over the last 100 years, we’ve experienced extreme cycles of boom and bust. With each cycle, income gaps widen and poverty increases. Each transition strains the resources of our municipalities, businesses, social service providers, and schools.

Why does this happen?

Research shows a connection between our fluctuating economy and a historic lack of educational attainment and workforce preparedness.

We know that swells and dips in the economy are likely to continue. The question is: how prepared will we be?
We cannot change the ocean but we can build a stronger ship.

Solutions and Success

In 2012, our community formed an alliance of educators, business, and community leaders to improve education outcomes. Since then, HEA has launched over 20 education Networks and Pilot Programs and raised millions of dollars for educational advancement in Elkhart County through grants and private funding.

The alliance continues to show the effectiveness of community collaboration around a common cause.