Blog
LB351 seeks to remove unnecessary barriers to increase child care capacity, quality
First Five Nebraska Policy Advisor Adam Feser recently testified before the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee in support of LB351, Senator Lou Ann Linehan's bill that would make it possible for child care providers changing their license type to retain...
Report: Lack of child care in rural Nebraska impacts business, communities, crime, security
First Five Nebraska Director Jason Prokop and Strategic Partnerships Advisor Mike Feeken recently joined a virtual panel with business, law enforcement and military leaders to release a new report by Council for a Strong America (CSA), Early Childhood Programs’...
Tax guidance for early childhood providers and business owners on COVID-19 relief funding
This guide was compiled for early childhood educators and business owners to provide additional information regarding the taxable status of state and federal COVID-19 relief funds. This is not a comprehensive guide and we recommend you work directly with your tax...
Sara Howard joins FFN
We're happy to announce that former State Senator Sara Howard has joined our staff as Policy Advisor. She joins the policy team after serving eight years in the Nebraska Legislature representing District 9 in midtown Omaha. She was elected to the Omaha Public Power...
Incoming Administration proposes further economic relief for child care
Early childhood advocates received more detailed information about the Biden administration’s plans to increase the economic stability of the struggling child care industry—and the financial stability of working parents who depend on it. The $1.9 trillion proposal...
Nebraska Legislature convenes its 2021 session
The 107th Nebraska Legislature was gaveled into session yesterday for its 90-day first session. Eight new senators were sworn in and 17 senators took an oath for their second terms. New senators are Raymond Aguilar (District 35), Eliot Bostar (District 29), John...
NECC Family Child Care Network: Taking family child care professionals from surviving to thriving
The Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative’s (NECC) staffed Family Child Care Network (FCCN) offers robust business and professional development tools to help family child care educators across the state stop just surviving and start thriving. NECC recognizes a...
Katie Bass joins FFN’s Policy staff
We're happy to introduce Katie Bass as our new Data and Policy Research Advisor. Prior to joining First Five Nebraska, Katie worked to improve outcomes for Nebraska children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. In her most recent role as research...
State looks at strengthening early childhood system amid pandemic
During the past legislative session, Chairman of the Nebraska Legislature’s Appropriations Committee Senator John Stinner introduced LR390, an interim study to examine the fiscal and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nebraska’s early childhood workforce and...
What is access to reliable, quality child care really worth to Nebraska?
The answer may be as much as a 13% annual return on every dollar we invest in high-quality programs for young children, especially those most at risk. On the other hand, Nebraska researchers say we may lose nearly $1.4 billion annually if we fail to strengthen the...
First Five Nebraska, DED highlight early childhood efforts to market Nebraska
We recently partnered with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development in reaching out to prospective Nebraska residents, business owners and working parents about how early childhood education contributes to 'the good life'.
State Chamber forums: Snapshot of Nebraska’s economy
The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry is hosting its annual Fall Forums, looking at how Nebraska is faring with the pandemic and ongoing recovery efforts.