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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
High-quality early education is especially advantageous when children start younger and continue longer, says a new report from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.
LB489 allows child care providers to partner with school districts to receive Sixpence Early Learning Fund grants, making them critical partners in local efforts to close the achievement gap for Nebraska's youngest, most at-risk children.
Lincoln Public Safety Director Tom Casady has called on lawmakers to expand high-quality early care and education to lower crime. Casady spoke on behalf of Nebraska’s 80 members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.
Speaking directly to babies and toddlers in rich, complex sentences like this one will help them build language and vocabulary skills by connecting words and meaning, and learning through context, said Stanford researcher Anne Fernald at a symposium last week.