A Neighborhood Ministry That Grew Into an Institution
In the St. Clair Place neighborhood, just east of downtown Indianapolis, an outreach of East Tenth United Methodist Church has become a daily home for hundreds of families. East 10th Children and Youth Center, located at 2327 E. 10th Street, has spent three decades serving children from six weeks old through age thirteen. The center was born from focus groups and a parish survey that made one thing clear: the near eastside needed a safe place where children and youth could learn and grow. A Board of Directors was chosen in April of 1995, an executive director was hired in March of 1996, and the Center was incorporated as a separate not-for-profit with 501(c)(3) status. The mission has remained rooted in the original impulse: "to provide a safe place where the spiritual, emotional, educational, and physical needs of children, youth, and their families are responded to in a holistic approach."
Executive Director Jean Casmir-Hill helped launch the Center and has continued to guide it through every chapter of growth. Her team today includes Center Director Emily, Director of Operations Jess, School-Age Coordinator Jocelyn, and East 10th at Thomas Gregg Preschool Center Director Dakota, along with lead teachers in every classroom from infant through school-age. Behind the classrooms, Facility Manager Matt keeps the building humming, and Cook Tim prepares three meals a day for children from infancy through school age.
Three Programs, One Building, and a Partner Site Next Door
East 10th organizes its work around three core programs that share staff, space, and philosophy.
Early Learning Childcare Center. The flagship program is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., year-round except for major holidays. It serves infants and children from six weeks to five years old across a multi-age infant and toddler wing and a preschool/pre-K wing. Classrooms carry warm names, including Red Birds, One's Room, Two's, Multi-Age, Preschool Room 6, Preschool Room 7, and Pre-K Room 8, each led by a teaching team. Class ratios are 1:4 for infants and toddlers, 1:10 for preschool, and 1:15 for school-age. The Center typically enrolls no more than six infants in any one room so caregivers can offer the individualized attention that the earliest years require. Floaters Mariah, Tosha, Camille, and Krista move between classrooms to give teachers a steady second set of hands.
After School. School-age children from Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School #15 and IPS #54 Brookside are picked up at the end of the school day and brought back to the Center until closing. The After School Program runs during school breaks as well, with time built in for tutoring, homework sessions, recreational activities, and service projects that help young people become well-rounded students.
Summer Days for Youth. An eight-week all-day summer camp begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. The schedule blends academic enrichment, computer classes, art camps with the Indianapolis Art Center, recreational activities, and educational field trips. Older campers have used the summers to venture to Camp Waycross and Camp Indicoso, sometimes writing home about the friends they have made and the rock walls they have climbed.
Across town, East 10th also operates the Preschool at Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School, a partner classroom under the leadership of Dakota, with lead teachers Aviana and Treyshone. The program extended the Center's reach into a public school setting in 2017.
NAEYC Accreditation and Paths to Quality Level 4
East 10th earned NAEYC accreditation in November 2019, the same year it was recognized as a Paths to Quality Level 4 provider, the highest rating in Indiana's early childhood quality system. The achievement reflects a long-running investment in curriculum and professional development. Teachers use Creative Curriculum and Teaching Strategies Gold for lesson planning and individualization, and Conscious Discipline for social-emotional learning. Conscious Discipline shapes the way the staff approaches self-regulation and the harder emotions of early childhood, while Teaching Strategies supplies the research-based framework for tracking milestones and kindergarten readiness.
Most staff members hold a National Child Development Associate credential or are working toward one; others bring associate's or bachelor's degrees in early childhood education. The leadership team prioritizes ongoing training, sending teachers each year to the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children conference for new ideas from across the country. Two professional development days each year give the entire team time to step away from the classrooms and dig deeper into early childhood practice.
What a Day Looks Like at East 10th
Learning at East 10th is play-based, organized around interest areas that invite children to explore math, science, writing, reading, dramatic play, sensory play, art, and music. Circle time and small groups add structure for children working on similar developmental goals, and observations are recorded in the Teaching Strategies system so teachers can plan next steps. On a typical winter day, school-age students may turn the Fellowship Hall into a hockey arena; on a fall afternoon, they may head to the garden to pick apples and pumpkins. The program finds ways to weave movement and imagination into the rhythm, even when the weather keeps the children indoors.
Meals are part of the day. Breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack are provided to every child, prepared on site by Cook Tim and served with milk. The Center participates in the USDA Child & Adult Care Food Program, so meals follow federal guidelines for healthy eating. Families who prefer to bring their own food can complete a meal modification form, with a doctor's statement required for medical adjustments.
Communication with parents runs through the Tadpoles family app for daily updates on meals, diaper changes, bottles, and observations, with phone calls or texts for illnesses and injuries, and email plus Facebook for center news and special events. Tuition payments go through the MyProcare parent portal. Family Handbooks lay out the policies and procedures in plain language, and a medical form is required for every child at enrollment.
Sliding-Scale Tuition, Subsidies, and the Waiting List
Tuition at East 10th is set on an income-based sliding scale that allows most families to receive a discount; the Center also accepts Child Care and Development Fund vouchers and On My Way Pre-K. There are no pickup, registration, late payment, or admission deposit fees, and parents may send their child on the days that fit their week at the sliding-scale weekly rate. An online waiting list is the first step for any family interested in enrolling; Jessica Haynes handles questions about the list, available spots, and tours at 317-637-0841.
United Methodist Roots on East Tenth Street
The Center remains a Registered Ministry of East Tenth United Methodist Church, and the language of "school family" threads through every page of its materials. The vision statement commits the Center to "a school family that fosters meaningful connections" and to developing "a strong community of learners who will then become caring positive contributors to our world." Children, youth, families, and staff are addressed as part of one intergenerational community, and the Center's outreach to outside groups, from corporate volunteers dropping off cupcakes during the holidays to camperships that send children to Camp Waycross and Camp Indicoso, is a continuation of that calling.
The Center's full name, East Tenth United Methodist Children & Youth Center, still carries the parish's identity, and the doorways between the church and the daycare remain open. Family engagement is a core part of the work, with Director of Operations Jess bringing a decade of experience into building trust with parents and surrounding neighbors.
Annual Dinner, Walking for Dreams, and Brackets for Good
Three fundraisers punctuate the year. The Annual Dinner and Silent Auction, now in its third decade, brings together donors, parents, staff, and friends for an evening of celebration that doubles as the Center's biggest night of fundraising. Walking for Dreams, a family-and-pet 5K held at Crown Hill Cemetery, joins East 10th with roughly 1,500 walkers supporting local nonprofits. Brackets for Good, the Indianapolis-based online fundraising tournament, lets donors score points for the Center during a single-elimination bracket and has brought in several thousand dollars in a single round in past campaigns.
Everyday support matters as well. Kroger shoppers can link their Plus card to East 10th using organization number DV490, and online giving is processed through Bloomerang, with donations appearing on credit card statements as "EAST TENTH UMCYC." Executive Director Jean Casmir-Hill can be reached at jcasmirhill@east10th.org or 317-339-4102 for questions about giving, sponsorships, or volunteer opportunities.
Staying in Touch
Families and supporters can stay connected through the Center's Facebook page (East10thCYC), Twitter feed (@east10thumcyc), and Instagram (@east_tenth_umcyc). The Center shares monthly newsletters, family handbooks, and medical forms with current families, and the Stay in Touch form is the doorway for volunteer inquiries, funding conversations, or general questions.
From its founding survey on East Tenth Street to today's three-floor operation, the Center has held to a simple promise: that the neighborhood's children will always have a safe, loving place to learn and grow.