Child care providers have an easier path to meeting the needs of working parents and their communities with passage of LB351 in the Nebraska Legislature. Introduced by State Senator Lou Ann Linehan and signed by Governor Pete Ricketts today, the bill allows child care...
Category: Child Care
State budget proposal includes additional investments in Sixpence
Enhanced investments in Nebraska’s infants and toddlers are included in the state budget bill for FY2021/22–FY2022/23, which was presented today to the Nebraska Legislature. The bill proposes an increase of $2.5 million per year to the Nebraska Early Childhood...
Thriving Children, Families and Communities Conference set for September
High-quality early care and learning promotes children’s healthy development that sets them up for lifelong success, but it also affects parents’ ability to work and provide for their families, and communities’ ability to grow their local workforce and economy. Please...
LB351 seeks to remove unnecessary barriers to increase child care capacity, quality
First Five Nebraska Policy Advisor Adam Feser recently testified before the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee in support of LB351, Senator Lou Ann Linehan's bill that would make it possible for child care providers changing their license type to retain...
Report: Lack of child care in rural Nebraska impacts business, communities, crime, security
First Five Nebraska Director Jason Prokop and Strategic Partnerships Advisor Mike Feeken recently joined a virtual panel with business, law enforcement and military leaders to release a new report by Council for a Strong America (CSA), Early Childhood Programs’...
Legislative report highlights serious challenges for early childhood programs due to COVID-19
First Five Nebraska (FFN) recently collaborated with early childhood partners and policymakers on the release of the Appropriations Committee of the Nebraska Legislature Legislative Resolution 390 (LR390) Interim Study Report, “Examination of the Fiscal and Economic...
New report explores state, nationwide use of tax credits to spur early childhood investment
Nebraska consistently ranks among the top states with all available parents in the workforce. Before the pandemic, it ranked 5th highest among all states for working mothers of young children. Despite the high need, Nebraska faces a crisis of inadequate capacity of...
LB531: Incentivizing child care quality, capacity through private investment
The Legislature’s Revenue Committee heard testimony this week on LB531: Adopt the Nebraska Child Care Tax Credit Act. Introduced by Senator Tom Briese, District 41, the legislation would offer financial incentives to taxpayers—including businesses and individuals—to...
FFN identifies bills in the Legislature that could affect early childhood
State Senators introduced 684 new bills and 10 Constitutional amendments during the opening days of the 107th Nebraska Legislature, which convened January 6 for 90 days. If passed, the Constitutional amendments would be placed on the ballot for a vote of the people....
Incoming Administration proposes further economic relief for child care
Early childhood advocates received more detailed information about the Biden administration’s plans to increase the economic stability of the struggling child care industry—and the financial stability of working parents who depend on it. The $1.9 trillion proposal...
Nebraska Legislature convenes its 2021 session
The 107th Nebraska Legislature was gaveled into session yesterday for its 90-day first session. Eight new senators were sworn in and 17 senators took an oath for their second terms. New senators are Raymond Aguilar (District 35), Eliot Bostar (District 29), John...
NECC Family Child Care Network: Taking family child care professionals from surviving to thriving
The Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative’s (NECC) staffed Family Child Care Network (FCCN) offers robust business and professional development tools to help family child care educators across the state stop just surviving and start thriving. NECC recognizes a...