high-quality early childhood education - First Five Nebraska

Common Ground is Key

by First Five Nebraska | Mar 17 2015 | Legislation

Child care and education fall under the purview of two different systems in Nebraska, and each approaches early childhood from a unique standpoint. For the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees child care, the issue revolves around ensuring that children’s fundamental requirements for health and safety are met while in care. Nebraska’s education system, on the other hand, focuses on whether children begin kindergarten ready to learn and prepared to advance academically. The science of early childhood development tells us that these two aspects of child development shouldn’t be addressed as separate considerations. Early child care environments are, or ought to be, learning environments—just as the health and safety of young children are necessary for quality learning to occur.

LB489 Provides New Option to Help Close Achievement Gap

by First Five Nebraska | Mar 6 2015 | Legislation

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.

Quality, Accountability, Results: Hallmarks of Wise Investments in Early Childhood

by First Five Nebraska | Feb 20 2015 | General

In recent years, Nebraska has opened new opportunities for genuine investment in the development of children who stand to lose or gain the most from their earliest experiences. Among these, the Sixpence Early Learning Fund rises to the top as an investment opportunity that meets the most stringent criteria for quality, fiscal accountability and demonstrable results.

High-Quality Early Learning is Requisite in Senate Bill Signed into Law

by First Five Nebraska | Nov 20 2014 | Legislation

This week President Obama signed S.1086, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, into law. The bill, as described in a previous blogpost, reauthorizes funds through fiscal year 2020 for child care investments, and includes high-quality early learning as a requisite component.

Educare Winnebago: The school that hope built

by First Five Nebraska | Oct 23 2014 | Child Care, Child Development

Deliah Kearnes knew something remarkable had happened when her daughter recently told her what she wanted to do when she grew up. For months, Kearnes had watched anxiously as her child struggled to learn and develop a sense of belonging in a child care setting. When the new Educare Winnebago opened its doors earlier this year, however, that began to change.

Researchers: Sixpence Program is Delivering Positive Results

by First Five Nebraska | Oct 16 2014 | General, Legislation

The Nebraska Legislature’s Education Committee is touring a Sixpence program in Broken Bow today to learn more about the innovative public-private partnership before holding a public hearing on its visioning process for a statewide strategic plan for education as mandated by LB1103.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine: Link Between School Failure and Crime is Undeniable

by First Five Nebraska | Oct 8 2014 | General, Legislation

As a County Attorney, it’s my job to do everything possible to protect the public. Putting people behind bars who commit crimes is one way I do that. But I know from my personal experiences in the courtroom that we can’t simply arrest, prosecute and incarcerate our way out of our crime problems. We have to implement strategies that keep people from turning to crime in the first place.

Step Up to Quality RFP Release and Announcement

by First Five Nebraska | Aug 24 2014 | General

In 2013, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB507, establishing the Step Up to Quality Child Care Act – resulting in Nebraska’s Early Childhood Quality Rating and Improvement System. The implementation of Step Up to Quality is in the early stages but much has occurred in its development that will provide valuable information for moving forward.

75% of Young Americans Are Unfit for Military Service

by First Five Nebraska | May 29 2014 | General

An astonishing 75% of young adults in the U.S. could not qualify to join the military due to (1) failure to meet the educational requirements, (2) criminal convictions, or (3) being overweight. Moreover, one in five U.S. military recruits score too low on the Armed Forces Qualification Test to join the Army.

Quality Early Childhood Education Impacts High School Graduation Rates

by First Five Nebraska | May 22 2014 | General

Thousands of Nebraska high school seniors will graduate in the next couple of weeks and celebrate the milestone with family and friends. Graduating high school is a significant achievement that impacts the well-being of our state.

Health Benefits of Early Childhood Education Seen 30 Years Later

by First Five Nebraska | May 2 2014 | Research

Quality early childhood education leads to healthy lifestyle choices that help prevent chronic disease, says Nobel prize-winning economist James Heckman. Professor Heckman released new longitudinal findings of adults who participated in the Abecedarian study as children, and says they show that quality early education have long-lasting health benefits that could lead to reduced health care spending.

Nebraska Early Childhood Research Is in the Spotlight

by First Five Nebraska | Apr 15 2014 | Research

Challenges facing rural parents who lack higher education are affecting their children’s early development in language and other areas, said Dr. Lynne Vernon-Feagans last week at the annual CYFS Summit on Research in Early Childhood in Lincoln.

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