On any given day, there are approximately 3,300 children and youth in out-of-home placement due to foster care in Nebraska.1 Nearly 100 days ago, H.R. 5456, the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016, received bipartisan support from the U.S. House of Representatives and landed on the Senate floor. Since then, more than 20 U.S. … Continue reading Time for Congress to put families first
Here’s a look at what our Connected Youth Initiative programs have been up to in the past month. Poetry Project kicks off this month Project Everlast Omaha is doing something special with its young people this fall: the Poetry Project workshop. This project gives young people a chance to find their voices by working with … Continue reading September Connected Youth Initiative roundup
For many of us, memories of our childhood birthdays include parties, gifts, and making a wish as we blew out the candles on a special cake, surrounded by our loved ones. Seems like a pretty typical birthday for a kid, right? But that’s not every child’s experience. In September 2013, a youth involved with the … Continue reading Bringing a little extra “happy” to “happy birthday!”
This summer, Nebraska Children’s Associate Vice President of Early Childhood Programs Amy Bornemeier had the opportunity to speak to the Intergenerational Poverty Task Force about early childhood programs like Sixpence and their role in the task force’s goal of breaking the cycle of poverty. Amy’s message was one of empathy, inviting attendees to put themselves in … Continue reading Sixpence’s role in fighting intergenerational poverty
In Nebraska, we are blessed with one of the nation’s best public school systems, thanks to long-term investments by generations of Nebraskans in the future of our state and our most precious resource: our youth. While we at Nebraska Children are driven by our mission to provide all youth with the support they need to … Continue reading Summer wrap-up: Keeping kids learning outside of school hours
The first-ever Nebraska Young Child Institute (NYCI) conference is in the books, and we couldn’t be happier with how the event unfolded. More than 500 people gathered in Kearney on June 27-28 to highlight the existing early childhood efforts underway as well as discuss where there are still gaps and barriers for our youngest citizens … Continue reading NYCI Conference Recap: Coming together for a common good
We’re eagerly anticipating this year’s Changemakers luncheon, not least because this year’s keynote speaker is author, social activist, and actor Victor Rivas Rivers! Learn a little more about Victor below, then be sure to join us September 12 to hear his whole story. Nebraska Children: Why is a strong community so important to a … Continue reading Changemakers Spotlight: Victor Rivas Rivers
Over the course of six weeks, the Nebraska Children blog has invited Jeff Cole, Associate Vice President of School-Community Partnerships for Beyond School Bells, to write some guest posts sharing his program’s work. In my final installment as guest blogger, I will focus on what Beyond School Bells has found to be the heart of … Continue reading Beyond School Bells, part 6: Community partnerships
More than 40 people attended the 2nd Annual Youth Employment Community Capacity Building Event on June 16 at the Lincoln Community Foundation. Together, the group spent the day taking an honest look at the successes, barriers, and possibilities surrounding employment and employment retention for unconnected youth. Organized by the Lincoln Education/Employment Committee and facilitated by … Continue reading A day dedicated to youth employment success
Over the course of six weeks, the Nebraska Children blog has invited Jeff Cole, Associate Vice President of School-Community Partnerships for Beyond School Bells, to write some guest posts sharing his program’s work. My previous posts have focused on Beyond School Bells’ role in supporting and developing high-quality, school-based, community-powered afterschool and summer programs – … Continue reading Beyond School Bells, part 5: A QuESTT
