Celebrating a Year of Progress: 2023 Achievements at Nebraska Children

The achievements of Nebraska Children and Families Foundation throughout 2023 have showcased our commitment to fostering community well-being and creating partnerships for a brighter future.

As we reflect on a year of achievements and meaningful milestones, Nebraska Children would like to extend our gratitude to our invaluable partners and generous donors who have been instrumental in making this year a success. Your support, dedication, and collaboration have been the driving force behind fostering stronger communities, empowering youth, and creating lasting change across Nebraska.

This is not an all-encompassing list. We have outlined some milestones along with how they are impacting lives of children and families in Nebraska. Much, much more work has been done behind the scenes and is currently being done to ensure families can thrive in 2024.

Advancing Community Well-Being

• Lived Experience Inclusivity: Incorporated perspectives of individuals with direct experiences in state systems into the Statewide Plan for Community Well-being, fostering a more comprehensive and representative approach.
• Strengthening Collaboratives: We put significant effort into the growth of Collaborative infrastructure, particularly in learning networks for coordinators and navigators, creating stronger ties among community and state-level partners.
• Anti-Trafficking Measures: Under the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking grant project, Nebraska Children supports two specialized Multi-Disciplinary Teams, dedicated to anti-trafficking efforts that serve Douglas, Sarpy, and Lancaster County. These teams collaborate to provide a wraparound, trauma-informed response, working to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and youth impacted by these crimes. Lancaster’s team reviewed cases involving 287 children, encompassing 245 from Lancaster County and 42 from rural areas, while Douglas and Sarpy collectively reviewed 29 cases, contributing significantly to the anti-trafficking initiatives in the region.
• Enhanced Immigrant Support: The Immigrant Youth and Families Taskforce has undergone significant expansion, with Nebraska Children working in partnership with communities and partners at the state, national, and international levels. Collaborators range from immigrant service organizations, consulates, and advocates to refugee services, and individuals with lived experience. Additionally, the establishment of a Spanish central navigation statewide line stands as an essential resource, facilitating connections for Spanish speakers at local levels. This innovative approach serves as an access point, effectively reducing barriers and enhancing support for immigrant communities.
• Preventative Support for Older Youth: The Connected Youth Initiative (CYI) coaching program positively impacted 1,673 young adults, while 278 individuals participated in the Education and Training Voucher program, resulting in the awarding of 390 ETV vouchers. Additionally, CYI provided essential support to 403 pregnant and parenting youth throughout Nebraska this year.

Strides in Growth and Innovation

• Production of Community School Resources: Forged a partnership with the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) to produce a Community Schools Roadmap and Case Stories, empowering schools to engage in community-centered educational approaches.
• Expanded Learning Opportunities for School-Aged Children: Beyond School Bells (BSB) underwent significant growth, aligning with the recognition by the US Department of Education, Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), and statewide school districts of the crucial role Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) play in addressing disrupted learning post-COVID. Notable achievements include a partnership with NDE to support ESSER III-funded ELO programs in over 20 Nebraska districts, an unprecedented $11 million federal investment.
  Additionally, through collaboration with the Peter Kiewit Foundation, BSB launched a rural ELO Engineering Pathways initiative across four communities. This innovative project aims to create hands-on ELO experiences, led by high school and college students, introducing rural youth to STEM fields and engineering careers from elementary through college. We also expanded programs like the Conservation Management Summer Internships to nurture environmental awareness and enhancing outdoor education experiences.

Progress Through Enhanced Access and Partnerships

• Increased Child Care Capacity and Quality: Communities for Kids (C4K) expanded into its seventh cohort, incorporating six new communities, bringing total partnerships to 63 communities partnering to create access to quality early child care and education. Participation in Step Up to Quality surged across all cohorts, witnessing a 17% rise in capacity within C4K Communities and a 2.3% increase in childcare programs. Additionally, 27 childcare programs received ARPA capacity-building grants, to create approximately 1,729 additional spaces for children.
• Launched Calming Corners and Nebraska Growing Readers Programs: Calming Corners is a project created through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Nebraska Children. This opportunity allows licensed childcare providers to learn about the importance of offering a safe, calming space in their early child care environments. Nebraska Growing Readers Initiative is a partnership between NDE, Nebraska Family Engagement Center, Unite for Literacy, and Nebraska Children to get more than a half-million books into households with young Nebraskans. Books are distributed through Nebraska Children’s Sixpence platform. The objective is to get parents and family members involved in reading with children daily.
• Improved Accessibility to Early Childhood Resources: Rooted in Relationships (RiR) facilitated Pyramid Model implementation, aiding 50 early childhood coaches and 321 center-based providers across 147 programs, positively impacting over 2,971 children. The Pyramid Model gives child care providers evidence-based tools for guiding children to recognize and manage their emotions, make safe and responsible choices, and build caring relationships with other children and their teachers. Six Rooted communities offered Pyramid Model training and coaching in Spanish, along with Parents Interacting with Infants (PIWI) materials. These translation services are a pioneering effort for this national model previously unavailable in this language.
• Evidence-Based Home Visitation Services: Sixpence has become a Parents As Teachers Affiliate, allowing six school districts to use DHHS/Family First Prevention dollars to pay for evidence-based home visitation services. Grounded in the latest research, Parents as Teachers develops curricula that support a parent’s role in promoting school readiness and healthy development of children. This voluntary home visiting service is customized for each family and child.

Elevating Youth Empowerment and Advocacy

• Youth Leadership Opportunities: Notable achievements in engaging youth through initiatives like youth advisory councils, design studios, and successful presentations at state and national conferences, demonstrate ways Nebraska Children advocates for the importance of incorporating youth voice. The Nebraska Children Youth Advisory Board presented at the Nebraska Juvenile Justice Conference in May. Professionals attending the conference learned about the value of youth voice and why involving young people in discussions is essential.
• Financial Readiness in Youth: Participants in the Opportunity Passport program collectively saved a substantial $400k, generously matched by $1.1 million in funding, resulting in a $1.5 million investment towards financial stability for youth and families. Notably, this included the acquisition of 134 vehicles, meaning more young adults had reliable transportation to work and school. The program welcomed 350 new participants in 2023 while empowering 480 individuals to complete the comprehensive 8-part financial literacy training.
• 20 Years of Reconnecting Siblings. In 2023, Camp Catch-Up celebrated its 20^th anniversary with Nebraska Governor Pillen declaring June as Camp Catch-Up month in Nebraska. Camp Catch-Up is designed to bring together children who have been separated through foster care placements. This year, campers participated in the traditional summer and fall camps, and new events including a holiday gathering at Mahoney State Park and “Boo in the Zoo” in Scottsbluff. In addition, campers and staff presented at the American Counseling Association (ACA) and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) conferences to exchange stories and experiences.

Collaborative Progress in Community Services

• Legal Advocacy Support for Families: Nebraska Children enabled preventative legal advocacy for 3,000 families, diverting many cases from juvenile court involvement while working alongside Legal Aid of Nebraska and the local Community Collaboratives.
• Housing Support: Facilitated Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) when it went live in September 2023. Nebraska Children has 17 contracts with Community Collaboratives or their partner organizations to support navigation and/or coaching for households experiencing housing instability. We are now supporting 33 navigators across the state through ERA.

Policy and System Influences:

• Legislative Impact: Nebraska Children along with the Community Collaboratives helped shape recommendations for reimagining Nebraska’s child welfare system as part of LB 1173.
• Youth Advocacy in Policy Change: The youth advocacy group’s significant policy win was regarding LB 14, which updated the Bridge to Independence program. This change ensures dozens of youth leaving the juvenile justice system receive coaching and financial assistance, aiding them in transitioning towards stable adulthood.

Strategic Program Developments

• Focus on Food Security:  The Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Program is a USDA grant managed by Nebraska Children. It aims to better connect farmers to local markets and increase food security in our communities. This year marked collaborations with Food Bank of Lincoln, the Food Bank of the Heartland, No More Empty Pots, and Care Corps Life House. These partnerships facilitated the sharing of resources, ensuring the LFPA program’s operations. In addition, LFPA secured additional funding of $1.5 million for direct food purchases, extending the program’s duration until June 2025. LFPA strives to strengthen the bond between local farmers and markets while bolstering food security in our communities.
• Expansion of Medical Pathway Prevention Program:  Prenatal Plans of Safe Care Binders have been launched in Hastings and North Platte, with plans to start implementation in Dakota County in 2024. Prenatal Plans of Safe Care Binders serve as a physical, centralized location for families, especially those pregnant and struggling with substance use/misuse, to keep resources in one place. These binders are created to stay with the family through the pregnancy and post-partum to ensure continuous care between healthcare professionals, the family and anyone else they’ve identified in their network. The overall goal of the binders is to prevent a referral to the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline, by wrapping community resources and support around the family to ensure safety.

This list of highlights isn’t exhaustive; it captures just a glimpse of the great work happening across Nebraska to support our vision of a Nebraska where all children will have the resources and support to thrive. We thank our supporters and partners for the collaborations that make this work possible. If you would like to support the mission of Nebraska Children and Families Foundation as it works to help families thrive, visit our donate page.