Blog
Thank You, Nebraska
As many of you may know, today is my last day at First Five Nebraska.
LB773 Will Create an Early Childhood Education Workforce Task Force
Nebraska faces a shortage of high-quality early childhood educators, which impacts the ability of local communities to respond to the needs of young families. LB773 will create a representative panel that will assess the current early childhood workforce and make recommendations for growing it.
104th Nebraska Legislature, Second Session, Convenes
The 104th Nebraska Legislature, Second Session, convened at 10 a.m. Wednesday. In his opening address to senators, Speaker Galen Hadley said the Legislature will address every priority bill this session.
U.S. Census 2014 American Community Survey Completed
New Census data allows comparisons of five-year segments for the first time.
U.S. Census: 42% of Nebraska’s Children Ages 0-5 Are At Risk
New Census data show 42% of Nebraska children ages 0-5 continue to be at risk of failing in school. They are located throughout the state and in rural and metro areas.
Resources to Help Nebraska Private Child Care Providers Create Strong Early Childhood Programs
Private child care providers have a role to play in helping children arrive at kindergarten ready to learn. These Nebraska-specific resources are available for providers pursuing early childhood interventions that narrow the achievement gap.
Resources to Help Nebraska Schools Create Strong Early Childhood Programs
Numerous funding and other resources are available to schools pursuing early childhood interventions that can close the achievement gap for Nebraska’s youngest at-risk learners.
Our Public-Private Partnership Provides High-Quality Learning Experiences for Our Youngest Citizens
NHHS Director Courtney Phillips: Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services has begun to implement policies that incentivize child care providers to improve their program quality, meaning more children at risk who utilize these services may have access to the kinds of environments that close the achievement gap.
Read Aloud to a Child This Month
Governor Pete Ricketts has named November Read Aloud to a Child Month. Read Aloud Nebraska has some suggestions and recommended books for reading aloud to infants and toddlers.
Gates Foundation to Expand Investment in Early Childhood
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is ramping up investment in quality early childhood programs to support success in kindergarten and beyond.
New Study: Gap in School Readiness Emerges from Early Vocabulary
A new study finds that children with larger oral vocabularies by age 2 arrived at kindergarten better prepared academically and behaviorally than their peers.
BECI Working to Ensure State’s Children At Risk Are Served by High-Quality Early Childhood Educators
The Buffett Early Childhood Institute recently hosted more than 120 people from higher education, the Nebraska departments of Education and Health and Human Services and other agencies and national consultants to discuss strategies to ensure that all Nebraska children at risk are served by high-quality early childhood educators.