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...
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...
This is the first in a series of blog posts on the federal budget process and how Congress funds early childhood programs. As First Five Nebraska continues to move into early childhood policy work at the federal level, we’ve developed this overview of the federal...
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...
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...
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...
The second session of the 109th Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die April 17, wrapping up a busy 60-day, second session in the biennium. State senators introduced 547 bills this year, adding to the 715 from last year's 90-day session, for a combined 1,262 pieces...
The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) will hold a hearing on draft revisions for Rule 11 on April 27 at 9 a.m. CT. Title 92, Nebraska Administrative Code, Chapter 11, known as Rule 11, applies to prekindergarten programs established by public schools for children...
As the Nebraska Legislature wraps up its 2026 regular session, our work continues with the crucial role of ongoing advancements in early childhood policies. One of the ways this happens is through interim studies, which allow senators and stakeholders to gather...