Our Legislative Highlights report summarizes bills affecting the early learning and development of our state's youngest learners.
Legislature Adjourns Sine Die; Senators’ Bipartisan Support for Early Childhood Remains Strong
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Tag: senator kate sullivan
New Sixpence School-Child Care Provider Partnerships a Game Changer
Senators Campbell and Sullivan: Unique LB547 Partnerships Will Reach More At-Risk Children
With true bipartisanship, Nebraska senators passed and Governor Ricketts signed legislation to allow partnership between child care providers and schools to help young children receive the kinds of early experiences known to foster cognitive and character skills that lead to success in school and life.
Child Care Providers Can Be Part of the Solution in Closing the Achievement Gap
As child care professionals, we know that good quality early childhood environments matter.
Common Ground is Key
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.
2 Bills Aim to Help Close the Achievement Gap
We know that a significant number of Nebraska’s children arrive at kindergarten unprepared to learn. In fact, more than 64,000 children ages birth-5 are at risk of failing in school. Of these, about 30,000 are infants and toddlers who are not receiving the kinds of early experiences known to support strong brain development during the first three years of life.
Sixpence in Broken Bow: Where Early Learning is Hard, Soft, Squishy, Smooth, Shiny Work
It’s a beautiful, mild October afternoon in Broken Bow—a good day to get out with kids, which suits Nancy Ferguson and her colleagues nicely, although no one is quite sure how many families to expect for today’s activity.