Last week, First Five Nebraska joined the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Nebraska Departments of Education and Economic Development, Nebraska Economic Developers Association and a wide array of early childhood organizations and community groups in...
It’s the role of parents to ensure their children benefit from safe, loving and stimulating experiences to help them learn and grow. That’s true whether they are being cared for at home with family, with a neighbor or in another setting. It’s also true that a great...
High-quality early care and learning promotes children’s healthy development that sets them up for lifelong success, but it also affects parents’ ability to work and provide for their families, and communities’ ability to grow their local workforce and economy. Please...
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...
FFN's Elizabeth Everett tesified at a legislative hearing for LR390 this week, along with experts from the Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission, the state’s early childhood system, business and child care.
Here's FFN's breakdown of how $20 million in federal funds resulting from passage of the CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will be used to stabilize and strengthen Nebraska's child care infrastructure and other school-based education services for children.
Economic development organizations are well positioned to help local businesses remain viable during the COVID-19 emergency. Here's why it's important for child care to be included in those efforts.
It's becoming increasingly important that Nebraska stakeholders have access to early care and education data to help make decisions about how best to prepare our young children for success. FFN Policy Research Analyst Ben Baumfalk and the Early Childhood Data Coalition are working to develop an integrated data system that will collect and maintain information from various early childhood programs and services.
FFN Director Becky Veak is serving on a Buffett Early Childhood Institute commission to develop a comprehensive plan for expanding and strengthening Nebraska's early childhood workforce. The group includes leaders from state government, higher education, public schools, child care, health care, advocacy, philanthropy, practitioners and the business community.
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.
Part 3: I am particularly excited about the possibilities that exist for schools and communities in providing high-quality services to families with young children. In our school, in our communities and as a state I see three areas where we have tremendous opportunities to improve.
Part 2: As an educator and as a Nebraskan, I'm excited about the development of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska. I'm motivated by the Institute’s vision to “make Nebraska the best place in the nation to be a baby.” I want my community to be a part of that vision.