Jane Horner

Jane Horner, a native of Kokomo, Indiana, is a Purdue Consumer and Family Sciences (CFS) alumna who earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 1984. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Education from Indiana University.

Jane married her college sweetheart, Gary, a 1984 Ag Alumnus. They have 2 children, Justin and Sara, who are also Purdue graduates. They have 4 grandchildren who are their pride and joy. She has 5 siblings who are also Purdue graduates.

Jane’s career began as a lead teacher in a child care center teaching in a variety of classrooms ranging from 1 year olds to preschool and school-agers. After moving to Logansport, Indiana, with her husband, Gary, she had the opportunity to assist in opening a child care program and serve as its director for 8 years. The community had few child care programs and the waiting list quickly grew to over 100 children. Due to the demand for child care, she helped other programs get started to meet community needs. During this time, she served on the Cass County Step Ahead Council implementing Governor Bayh’s Step Ahead Comprehensive Early Childhood Grant Program. She served on the first Cass County Healthy Families advisory board. And served on a state community developing metrics to measure success of the program.

Jane then had the opportunity to become the director of Indiana University Kokomo’s child care center. She successfully developed the program into a licensed center. She received the national grant, Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS). The IUK center was one of the first centers in the country to receive the grant. The grant provided funding for low-income college students with children to assist with their child care fees.

In 2002, Jane left working with families and took a faculty position with Ivy Tech Community College. As an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, she had the opportunity to educate and empower many early childhood educators. She was instrumental in the program becoming Nationally Accredited. In 2008, she received the American Technical Education Award (ATEA) Outstanding Teacher.

In 2014, she began a career with Purdue Extension as a Health and Human Science Educator. She provided kindergarten readiness workshops, nutrition and food safety education, budgeting and financial literacy programs and programs to help people strengthen families, spend smart, and live well. She was a Mental Health First Aid trainer and Mastering Home Food Preservation trainer.

Jane has presented at local, state, and national conferences, sharing ideas and experiences from her experiences working with children, families and providers. She is also active in the communities where she works and lives. These include the Kokomo Rescue Mission, Cass County Reading Railroad, School Readiness Network, and the Indiana 4-H program. She currently is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and instructor/advisor for the state’s non-formal CDA project.