First Five Nebraska is an initiative of Early Futures Partnership
First Five Nebraska is an initiative of Early Futures Partnership
What does a bank have to do with child care? For rural communities, the answer is: quite a lot. When a community does not have enough child care, parents can have trouble getting to work. Employers can have trouble finding workers. Child care providers may have long...
This op-ed by Nebraskan Mark Haba was published in the Lincoln Journal Star on September 29: bit.ly/47pWIOD I'm a past Policy Council member and current board member at Head Start Child & Family Development Program, Inc. I am also a parent board member at Region...
Early Futures Partnership submitted this comment on the Administration's proposed changes to Head Start. We urge Nebraskans to learn more about the proposal and submit their own comment in opposition before the October 6 deadline. Learn more about the proposed changes...
FFN policy staff will testify at four hearings for interim studies this week. They are among the seven studies we're working on with state senators this year. Interim studies allow senators to explore topics they're interested in, and often lead to legislation. As...
On August 6, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the most significant Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Head Start Program Performance Standards in its decades-long history. The NPRM is the first stage in a long process—one that can take...
Investing in children’s lives during their earliest years helps them build the foundation for all future learning, development, health and academic achievement. One proven way to support families is through evidence-based home visiting programs. These programs pair...
Last July, President Trump signed H.R. 1 into law, making significant changes to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other social service programs. Among the many changes in this new law were work requirements for certain Medicaid...
Nebraskans deserve the best from their elected officials. They expect us to listen, to deliberate with respect, to work together. Sometimes we fall short, but more than once this session, we got it right. On January 8, I stood united with many of my colleagues in the...
This blog post was originally published as an op-ed in the Nebraska Examiner. One of the most common questions First Five Nebraska (FFN) receives from policymakers and community leaders is “What’s the average cost of child care in Nebraska?” The short answer: more...
On May 12, the federal Office of Head Start published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to rescind 2024 Head Start teacher wage regulations. The regulations required creation of wage scales and progress toward pay parity by 2031, with Head Start...
Editor's Note: State Senator Bob Hallstrom (District 1) introduced Legislative Resolution 296 in the Unicameral this year. The resolution supports reimbursing family child care homes in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) at the higher Tier 1 rate and...
For the past nine years, First Five Nebraska has been investing in advocates—people with conviction and a readiness to take the next step in their advocacy journey and move from personal passion to public policy. The magic of policy advocacy and community organizing...