State Policy
First Five Nebraska monitors and advances state-level legislative and administrative policies that address Nebraska’s most urgent early childhood issues.
LB304 becomes law, ensuring more Nebraska families continue to have access to affordable child care.
In 2021, LB485 temporarily increased families’ access to the child care assistance by raising household income eligibility from 130% to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Under that legislation, the current income eligibility level was set to expire in October 2026, which would cause thousands of newly eligible families to lose access to this critical support, once again making Nebraska one of the most restrictive states in the nation for child care assistance.
During the 2026 legislative session, state lawmakers acted on the opportunity to remove the sunset on the current income eligibility level by passing LB304, making the 185% FPL threshold permanent for access to child care assistance. LB 304 has now officially become law. Now is the time to thank legislators for recognizing the importance of child care assistance to the financial stability of families, the strength of our workforce and the economic wellbeing of our communities.
Elizabeth Lopez Everett
Deputy Director, Public Policy Manager