Blog | First Five Nebraska

Nebraska Legislature convenes its 2021 session

The 107th Nebraska Legislature opened the first session of the two-year biennium this week. The first order of business was swearing in eight new senators and electing the Speaker and committee chairs. Follow FFN's social media to keep up to date on bills affecting early childhood during this year's 90-day session. Read More

January 07, 2021 | Posted in Legislation

LB773 Will Create an Early Childhood Education Workforce Task Force

Nebraska faces a shortage of high-quality early childhood educators, which impacts the ability of local communities to respond to the needs of young families. LB773 will create a representative panel that will assess the current early childhood workforce and make recommendations for growing it. Read More

January 14, 2016 | Posted in Legislation

U.S. Census: 42% of Nebraska’s Children Ages 0-5 Are At Risk

New Census data show 42% of Nebraska children ages 0-5 continue to be at risk of failing in school. They are located throughout the state and in rural and metro areas. Read More

December 10, 2015 | Posted in General

Resources to Help Nebraska Private Child Care Providers Create Strong Early Childhood Programs

Private child care providers have a role to play in helping children arrive at kindergarten ready to learn. These Nebraska-specific resources are available for providers pursuing early childhood interventions that narrow the achievement gap. Read More

December 03, 2015 | Posted in General

Resources to Help Nebraska Schools Create Strong Early Childhood Programs

Numerous funding and other resources are available to schools pursuing early childhood interventions that can close the achievement gap for Nebraska’s youngest at-risk learners. Read More

November 19, 2015 | Posted in General

Our Public-Private Partnership Provides High-Quality Learning Experiences for Our Youngest Citizens

NHHS Director Courtney Phillips: Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services has begun to implement policies that incentivize child care providers to improve their program quality, meaning more children at risk who utilize these services may have access to the kinds of environments that close the achievement gap. Read More

November 12, 2015 | Posted in General

New Study: Children in Educare Schools Narrowed the Achievement Gap

High-quality early education is especially advantageous when children start younger and continue longer, says a new report from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Read More

April 02, 2015 | Posted in Research

LB489 Provides New Option to Help Close Achievement Gap

LB489 allows child care providers to partner with school districts to receive Sixpence Early Learning Fund grants, making them critical partners in local efforts to close the achievement gap for Nebraska's youngest, most at-risk children. Read More

March 06, 2015 | Posted in Legislation

Nebraska Law Enforcement Leaders: Quality Early Care and Education Would Reduce Future Crime

Lincoln Public Safety Director Tom Casady has called on lawmakers to expand high-quality early care and education to lower crime. Casady spoke on behalf of Nebraska’s 80 members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. Read More

August 14, 2014 | Posted in General

Which is Best for Babies: ‘Baby Talk’ or Complex Sentences?

Speaking directly to babies and toddlers in rich, complex sentences like this one will help them build language and vocabulary skills by connecting words and meaning, and learning through context, said Stanford researcher Anne Fernald at a symposium last week. Read More

February 19, 2014 | Posted in Research

Tag Archives: achievement gap