September 26 through October 2 is We Care for Kids Week, a statewide celebration to raise awareness for quality early childhood education and build support for early childhood educators. It’s an opportunity to inform, motivate and engage Nebraskans across the state....
Category: Child Development
Why we map federal poverty guidelines for Nebraska
It’s one thing to know that a significant portion of Nebraska’s youngest children begin their lives in households facing serious financial challenges. It’s another thing to see how those children are distributed across our state’s legislative districts. This week,...
NAECR selects 2022-23 Policy Fellows
The Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research (NAECR) has selected six faculty members to serve as Policy Fellows for the 2022-23 academic year. The NAECR Policy Fellows Program is designed to educate early childhood researchers on policy processes, impacts and...
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...
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...
Early development and the foundation of mental health
Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics and national partners declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. This declaration focused on the profound growth of mental health hazards associated with the global pandemic, including disruptions...
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...
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...
Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy alumni are making a difference
“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” I have a library of Mr. Rogers...
Boone Beginnings—A community celebration of quality child care
At the open house and celebration of Boone Beginnings in Albion on November 7, I realized something: I miss the power of celebrating the completion of a major community project. As a former economic development director, I experienced the opportunities of seeing...
First Five Nebraska launches enhanced, responsive website
We’re excited to announce the launch of First Five Nebraska’s new website. Featuring a fully responsive look and enhanced user experience, the new site was designed to educate and engage Nebraskans around critical early childhood news and policies in our state. “For...











