At First Five Nebraska, we are often asked, “What does the average Nebraska family pay for child care?” And as much as we’d like to give a single number, the truth is that the child care market is complex, and the price families pay for child care depends on several...
Category: Child Care
Home visiting benefits babies, families
[First Five Nebraska Policy Advisor Sara Howard testified before the Lincoln City Council in support of Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird's proposal to include home visiting in the city's annual budget. This blog is adapted from Howard's written testimony.] Healthy moms and...
A Look Back: Senator Matt Williams
Editor's Note: This is part of a series of blog posts by Nebraska's term-limited senators reflecting on their time in the Nebraska Legislature. We thank State Senator Matt Williams for his dedication and service to Nebraska and District 36. Over my eight years in the...
Memorial Health Care Systems supports employees with on-site child care
Nebraska continued its 11th straight month of record employment in May, according to information released by Governor Ricketts, and the state's 1.9% unemployment rate remains the lowest in the nation. Nebraska also ranks No. 1 in the U.S. for labor force...
We Care for Kids campaign launches across Nebraska
It’s the role of parents to ensure their children benefit from safe, loving and stimulating experiences to help them learn and grow. That’s true whether they are being cared for at home with family, with a neighbor or in another setting. It’s also true that a great...
FFN to work on 5 legislative interim studies
First Five Nebraska will work with state senators on five interim studies this year. Interim studies, conducted annually after the Legislature adjourns its session sine die, give senators and legislative committees the opportunity to delve deeper into topics of policy...
New video: Funding child care efforts in McCook with LB840
McCook is leading the charge in innovative programs to boost early childhood quality and access through Local Option Municipal Economic Development Funds, known as LB840. Passed by the Nebraska Legislature in 1991, LB840 authorized cities and villages to collect and...
Elevate22 child care business summit set for June 4
The Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative (NECC) is excited to host Elevate22 in person and virtually again this year! The June 4 event is an all-day summit focused on the business of early care and education. This summit offers child care businesses, big and small,...
Policy Fellows, NU Research Summit create connections among research, practice and policy
The second cohort of the Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research (NAECR) Policy Fellows program concluded April 13 with a panel presentation at the CYFS Summit on Research in Early Childhood. The Research Summit is a bi-annual event co-sponsored by the Nebraska...
In-kind donations help build sustainable child care businesses
Local employers have a stake in the availability of quality child care in their communities. Early childhood programs providing high-quality education and care need a number of tools to build a sustainable business, and supporting providers through in-kind donations...
Applied Connective Technologies supports child care through in-kind contribution
In Nebraska’s historically tight job market, employers are struggling to recruit and retain skilled workers. One solution to helping parents enter or stay in the workforce is through access to high-quality, affordable early childhood care and education programs. When...
New video: Understanding LB840 funding for child care
Communities across Nebraska are recognizing quality child care and education programs as a crucial component in addressing our state’s workforce crisis. Child care boosts Nebraska businesses, keeps local economies thriving and supports working families while providing...












