When the Nebraska Family Child Care Association (NFCCA) was established in 1988, family child care was still considered “babysitting” by many. Seeing a need and driven by their dedication to quality child care, NFCCA founders created an organization to promote family child care as a profession, where family child care providers could network, have a statewide voice in legislative matters and receive training in early childhood education. These original goals are still NFCCA’s goals today.
For the past five years, I’ve been very active in working on training at our annual conference, Provider’s Day Out, held each spring. Topics presented have always been very popular, so a group of trainers have gone “on tour” and held mini-conferences throughout Nebraska. Last year, a second Provider’s Day Out was added, and plans are underway for another Provider’s Day Out conference October 20, 2018, in North Platte.
Provider’s Day Out has evolved over the years. When a fellow famiIy provider and I presented at the first Provider’s Day Out, we did a workshop called “From Junk to Jewels.” We had examples of every project we presented. (There was no such thing as PowerPoint back then. We had actual examples and handouts—that is all we knew!)
Provider’s Day Out gives attendees the opportunity to acquire some of the required 12 hours of in-service training hours each year. More importantly, it’s a way to learn and obtain valuable information to take back and utilize in their own early learning environments. It’s also a wonderful way to connect and network with those of the same mindset.
Our most recent Provider’s Day Out was just last weekend at ESU3 in LaVista. Forty-five child care professionals from various towns and cities from eastern/central Nebraska attended. We were fortunate to have Ron Mohl of Lakeshore Learning as our keynote speaker. In addition, there were several break-out sessions, and at the end of the day attendees received six approved in-service hours.
NFCCA is the only statewide association for Nebraska’s family child care profession, and I’m hopeful that this wonderful organization continues to thrive and grow for many years to come. It has been a great pleasure and honor to be a part of Nebraska Family Child Care Association. Any child care provider who would like more information can contact us via our new web page at www.nfcca.us.
Vickie Young
Retiring President, NFCCA
