By Dr. Jeff Bird—
MUNCIE, IN—BY5 is a 501c3 organization dedicated to leading efforts in East Central Indiana to prepare children for school. It recognizes that the first 5 years of life are integral to developing the human brain and setting the tone for children’s future. The statistics are impressive: children who are ready for kindergarten are 17% more likely to graduate high school, 4X more likely to graduate from college, 20% more likely to earn a strong salary by age 40, and 46% more likely to have a full-time job.
I recently had a chance to sit with and interview Missy Modisett, the Executive Director of BY5 and Emma Dragoo, who serves the organization as Assistant Director of Childcare Resources.
Emma supports early childhood programs and professionals, providing guidance, mentoring and resources to help childcare personnel enhance their skills in caring and nurturing children. She is a lifelong Muncie resident graduating from Delta HS and Ball State University with a degree in childhood education. Before coming to BY5 she worked at Indiana AEYC (Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children), a statewide organization dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education across Indiana. She also worked at our Muncie YMCA, emphasizing nature-based early learning. She shares her love for early childhood development with many local childcare providers.
Missy Modisett serves as the Executive Director of BY5 and has been in that role since 2018.
She grew up in Henry County on a family farm, graduated from Purdue. She has always had a love for education, especially special education. She travelled with her family to relocate in upstate New York for a few years, holding several positions in education, then finally made it back to Indiana to be closer to family as her own family grew. The opportunity to lead BY5 felt like a great fit for her and her passion and skills. She was impressed by a very talented Board of Directors that persists today to provide guidance to her and her staff.
BY5, as a non-profit organization, is supported by state and federal funding, and in great part by generous support from local philanthropy, including The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Ball Brothers Foundation, and George and Francis Ball Foundation among others, and many businesses and individuals locally who share her passion for educating our children
BY5 has many programs to support childcare are organizations and caregivers/educators. Examples include The Professional Learning Institute for educator professional development. LENA GROW is a technology supported way of helping education understand the language environment children are experiencing, helping enhance adult-child interaction. General personnel support is also available to educators including classroom support and mentoring.
Missy said, “The first 5 years aren’t simply preparation for ‘real school’, they are some of the most important years of a person’s life, and they have a lasting effect on the individual, the family and society.”
BY5 is making a difference in the crucial early years from birth to kindergarten. We are lucky to have that expertise locally to give our children the best chance to reach their full potential.
