Blog | First Five Nebraska

Work Begins on Governor’s Education and Workforce Roundtable

LB773 was introduced to create the Early Childhood Workforce Development Task Force. Rather than have the bill advance this session, a strategic decision was made to work collaboratively with Governor Pete Ricketts' new Education and Workforce Roundtable to identify issues and solutions impacting students' in the early childhood-to-workforce pipeline. Read More

February 19, 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

Early Experiences Shape Brain Architecture

Babies are born ready to learn. At birth, the brain contains about 100 billion neurons that are connected by synapses carrying electrochemical signals in response to stimuli from the world around us. During the earliest years, those synapses are firing at an astonishing rate, and they become the neural foundation upon which everything else is built. Read More

December 18, 2014 | Posted in General

November is Literacy Month

Babies are born learners, and the number of quality interactions they experience in their earliest months and years heavily influences how they develop and succeed later. In recognition of the importance of early literacy and family literacy, Governor Dave Heineman has proclaimed November “Read Aloud to a Child Month." Read More

November 06, 2014 | Posted in General

The School That Hope Built

Deliah Kearnes knew something remarkable had happened when her daughter recently told her what she wanted to do when she grew up. For months, Kearnes had watched anxiously as her child struggled to learn and develop a sense of belonging in a child care setting. When the new Educare Winnebago opened its doors earlier this year, however, that began to change. Read More

October 23, 2014 | Posted in General

Building Literacy Skills Starts Early

One of the most important things parents can do to prepare their children for school is to read to them. The number of words a child knows upon entering kindergarten is a key predictor of future success, and the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that parents read aloud to babies starting at birth to build pre-literacy skills in the earliest years. And as children grow, reading aloud and talking about pictures in age-appropriate books strengthens their emerging language skills and literacy development. And the resulting closer parent-child bond boosts a child’s social-emotional development. Read More

October 02, 2014 | Posted in General

Reading to Children 15 Minutes Daily Makes a Big Impact

If a parent reads to a child just 15 minutes a day starting at birth, by kindergarten, they will have shared 456.25 hours of reading together. The benefits for the child include a larger vocabulary, plus the security and confidence that result from a parent's one-on-one attention. Read More

September 25, 2014 | Posted in General

What Does ‘Being Ready for School’ Really Mean?

On the first day of kindergarten, the child who is ready to learn is not necessarily the one who can count to 20 or name all the colors in the rainbow, rather it’s the child who can pay attention, take turns, get along with others and follow directions. Read More

August 21, 2014 | Posted in General

Sixpence Engages Parents to Close the Achievement Gap

At-risk children under age 3 in Nebraska currently face long odds to gain access to high-quality early childhood learning opportunities. Estimates are that only 1 in 10 at-risk Nebraska children have access to early learning experiences that close the achievement gap by age 3. Read More

May 15, 2014 | Posted in General

Tag Archives: age 0-5