Blog
In-kind donations help build sustainable child care businesses
Local employers have a stake in the availability of quality child care in their communities. Early childhood programs providing high-quality education and care need a number of tools to build a sustainable business, and supporting providers through in-kind donations...
Applied Connective Technologies supports child care through in-kind contribution
In Nebraska’s historically tight job market, employers are struggling to recruit and retain skilled workers. One solution to helping parents enter or stay in the workforce is through access to high-quality, affordable early childhood care and education programs. When...
New video: Understanding LB840 funding for child care
Communities across Nebraska are recognizing quality child care and education programs as a crucial component in addressing our state’s workforce crisis. Child care boosts Nebraska businesses, keeps local economies thriving and supports working families while providing...
Where we’ve landed on ARPA funds for child care
On Monday afternoon, Nebraska took one step closer to deciding how best to use its $1.04 billion allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding with the adoption of AM2580 into LB1014, which was referred out of the Appropriations Committee earlier this month....
Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy concludes with senator visits
Our Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy Class 3 brought six months of advocacy training and their years of community expertise to a powerful culmination with an in-person visit to the State Capitol on February 16. This event is the highlight of each class of the...
LB1203 helps families by waiving ‘hefty’ subsidy copayments
[Editor’s Note: Robert Patterson has been a leader at Omaha's Kids Can Community Center for the past 23 years. Kids Can is a nonprofit organization the provides early childhood and out-of-school care. He testified before the Legislature's Appropriations Committee in...
LB1203 is a one-time opportunity to stabilize Nebraska’s struggling early childhood infrastructure
LB1203, which would use a portion of Nebraska’s $1 billion allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (APRA) dollars to strengthen the state’s early childhood system, was heard by the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee this week. The bill was introduced by State...
Maternal depression screenings will help babies, families
Dr. Ann Anderson Berry is a faculty member of University of Nebraska Medical Center and Medical Director of the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPQIC). She testified on behalf of NPQIC and Children’s Hospital and Medical Center before the...
First Five Nebraska’s 2022 legislative priorities
The work of the 2022 Nebraska Legislature is well underway, with state senators meeting for floor debate in the mornings and hearings in the afternoons. Full-day debate is scheduled to begin March 8. Senators are in the process of selecting their priority bills—each...
Monitor early childhood legislation using new website features
With nearly 600 new bills introduced this session and approximately 500 carryover bills from last year, the 2022 Nebraska legislative session is shaping up to be remarkably active one for state policymakers. Among the legislation being considered in the Unicameral...
Policy Leadership Academy focuses on navigating the legislative process
With the 2022 legislative session now in full swing, the Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy (PLA) focused its January workshop on how citizen advocates can influence the policymaking process in state government. The online event featured a slate of...
Nebraska Legislature to convene in early January 2022
Nebraska State Senators will convene the 60-day session of the 107th Legislature Jan, 5, 2022. It will be the second session of the two-year biennium.