About Us
Building Brighter Beginnings

Our Mission

To help foster thriving communities in Adams and Wells counties by making quality early care and education available to every family, empowering parents and children alike to reach their full potential.
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Our Story
Imagine Early, composed of professionals from Adams and Wells counties who are passionate about our youngest citizens, announced its official launch in May 2023. In February 2024, the group announced the hire of its first executive director, Ashleigh King.
Imagine Early sprouted from the Adams-Wells Early Childhood Coalition. The coalition had been formally meeting monthly since the summer of 2022 to address regional and local concerns related to access to quality early childhood education, including expanding capacity of childcare providers for local families.
Before joining together as a coalition, the counties have had individuals meeting separately over a period of years to discuss childcare needs in their respective communities. Due to the similarities and longstanding partnerships between the two counties, Adams and Wells decided to join forces to tackle this critical need in both communities. The Adams Wells Manufacturing Alliance currently serves as the fiscal sponsor for Imagine Early, and we are grateful for their support.
The ultimate goal for Imagine Early is not only to better prepare children for preschool and kindergarten but to alleviate strains on the workforce. Feedback from local families and employers indicates it can be difficult to find quality and affordable childcare providers for young children, at times preventing employees from working.
“It has become undeniably clear that access to and affordability of early learning opportunities in Adams and Wells counties are a glaring issue, and one that we must address,” said Colton Bickel, Economic Development Director for Adams County and the Imagine Early board president. “The needs and issues have been discussed, but now it’s time for action. We believe that Imagine Early hiring a director will produce the results needed to change the tide for early learning opportunities for Adams and Wells counties.”
Imagine Early and the coalition have been and will continue to be greatly assisted by Northeast Indiana Regional Early Childhood Coordinator Allie Sutherland. Jennifer Hunter and Jason Barnes of Gensyn Design also helped the group get started as well.
“On the Northeast Indiana regional level as we work to connect our communities to advance early learning and ensure all children in Northeast Indiana have access to quality affordable childcare, Adams and Wells Counties have been leaders in demonstrating the power of counties coming together,” Sutherland says. “We look forward to continuing to support their work and to continuing to learn from this partnership to help strengthen the region.”
Imagine Early’s initiatives so far have been graciously funded by various sources, including but not limited to the Wells County Commissioners, Adams County Commissioners, Wells County Foundation, Adams County Community Foundation, and Ambassador Enterprises.
Our Board
Meet Our Director
Ashleigh King
My name is Ashleigh King and I moved to Wells County in 2004. I’ve been married to my husband Justin since 2005 and we have a son, Tucker. Originally from Virgina with a passion for healthcare I spent my first 11 years working for Caylor Nickel Clinic, now known as Bluffton Medical Group. Climbing to leadership through my healthcare career, my passion to do more in this community continued to grow. I was given the opportunity to work for Family Centered Services, an amazing nonprofit rooted in Bluffton. During those 4 years I realized the need for childcare and the importance of early childhood for our youngest citizens. I quicky realized had I not been able to find affordable childcare with a loving provider, I would not be able to share my story with you today and share the efforts of Imagine Early. We often forget that parents/caregivers have goals and dreams too. Many of these parents/caregivers put their careers on hold to care for their children due to lack of availability or affordability for childcare in our area. Let’s change that!


Colton Bickel
President

Julie Meitzer
Secretary

Allie Sutherland
NEIECC Coordinator

Erin Prible
Board Member

Kalie Neal
Board Member

Jessica Bricker
Vice President

Teri Hogg
Treasurer
Thank you to our
Funding Partners
Finding grants and funding can be a challenging process.
Here are some of the best places to start your search:

The Adams County Community Foundation

The Wells County Foundation
Commissioner of Adams County
Commissioner of Wells County
Join Our Efforts
Imagine Early will grow to be a group of community members from Adams and Wells County who meet monthly to discuss the challenges we see within our communities and how we can collaborate. Are you a parent, caregiver, employer or community member sharing the same passion? Can you dedicate an hour once a month to meet like minded individuals? If so reach out, I would love to have you join our coalition!