by Shannon Cotsoradis, Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative
written for the Preschool Development Grant eNewsletter – July 2019
The Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative is excited to pilot a model established by All Our Kin, a nonprofit organization based in New Haven, Connecticut, for providing business coaching and consultation to family child care providers, and for supporting providers in their journey toward licensure. Over the next 18 months, NECC will provide training to family child care providers to strengthen their business practices in four Nebraska communities: Norfolk, Fremont, Lincoln, and Omaha. The model, which has been evaluated and has had 20 years of continued success in Connecticut, holds great promise for strengthening the business of family child care, which is an important part of the path to higher quality. The pilot project is intended to inform possible statewide implementation.
In the fall of 2019, NECC will launch the first business training series for family child care providers, followed by a second group of providers in early 2020. Family child care providers who complete the business training series will also have the opportunity to participate in individual business coaching. During coaching, providers will get the chance to explore and apply topics from the business series to their own program. In addition to the business training series and individual coaching, All Our Kin’s licensing toolkit, which includes both written materials and resources, is being customized for Nebraska and will also be tested in the four Nebraska communities during the pilot phase. The licensing toolkit provides materials, mentorship, and support to help unlicensed providers meet health and safety standards, fulfill state licensing requirements, and become part of a professional community.
NECC recognizes the importance of aligning this work with the other important efforts underway in Nebraska and looks forward to sharing more about this work with you as it unfolds. We welcome your feedback and ideas about how this work can add value to the Nebraska child care landscape. If you have questions or thoughts, please reach out to Shannon Cotsoradis at scotsoradis@nebraskaearly.org or at 402-953-9873.
Nebraska Children's mission is to maximize the potential of Nebraska’s children, youth, and families through collaboration and community-centered impact.
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