“Speak English!” That’s the reception Angelina Fregoso received from one parent when she was overheard speaking Spanish to a child in her care, a story she recently shared with a gathering of providers who had come to hear how they…
Blog Archives
Early Childhood Event Builds Bilingual Partnerships between Providers and Families
Posted in Uncategorized
Mission and Ministry: Kenesaw Opens its New Childcare Center, Thanks to its Committed Residents and Communities for Kids
Whether you’re a believer in fate, divine intervention, or hard work, Adams County Communities for Kids blends these elements. Find out how patience and faith created the perfect childcare center at the perfect time. Read more.
REDI for Positive Change: Nebraska Children and Families Foundation Puts into Motion Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Our organization has long driven home our objective for all Nebraskan children, youth, and families to thrive. We also understand that we can’t achieve this goal so long as racial and ethnic discrimination exists. We put our goals in motion with a Racial Equity position statement, from which we’ve then created measurable goals. Read more about our racial equity position statement and what we’re doing to put those goals in motion.
Tagged with: community well being, diversity, inclusive workplace, racial equity, racial equity diversity and inclusion, REDI
Posted in News and Events
Posted in News and Events
Resiliency in the Time of COVID-19: Americle Participates in Connected Youth Initiative and Pulls Through
Americle, a Connected Youth Initiative (CYI) participant, pushes through obstacles and continues to be her best self. Although her journey hasn’t been easy, this young woman who experienced foster care went on to accomplish great things, thanks to her resolve and Connected Youth Initiative programs.
Power in Numbers: Nebraska Children and Partners Roll Out the Latest Iteration of the Data-Rich Nebraska Community Opportunity Map
What tool reveals Nebraska’s well-being indicators? Whether you’re a policymaker, social worker, or journalist, the latest iteration of the Nebraska Community Opportunity Map puts relevant, timely data at your fingertips. We are glad to have played a part in this initiative, having served as The Nebraska Community Opportunity Map’s facilitator. As with any major project, the map was a group effort among data experts from many statewide agencies and organizations. Read about the map’s newest features.
Tagged with: Bring Up Nebraska, community opportunity map, community prevention system, community well-being, well-being indicators
Posted in News and Events
Posted in News and Events
During first year, Nebraska Child Care Referral website sees growth; new features coming to make site even more valuable for parents and providers
What began in April 2020 as a response to desperate parents seeking child care during the pandemic as well as providers who were operating at less than half capacity, a group of early childhood stakeholders collaborated to create the Nebraska Child Care Referral Network. All licensed child care homes, centers, and preschools in Nebraska can be found in the searchable database at http://www.NEChildCareReferral.org.
Posted in Early Childhood, News and Events
Raising Awareness: Sarah Experienced the Foster Care System and a Thriving Adulthood
This May, as we recognize Foster Care Awareness Month, we bring you Sarah’s story. As an organization that envisions all children, youth, and families thriving, we love to share stories like these. A young mother whose resiliency enabled her to push through life challenges as well as the pandemic, Sarah has been a state ward for, in her words, “as long as she can remember.”
Read more about how Sarah utilized her resolve and a Connected Youth Initiative program to transition into a thriving adulthood.
Tagged with: (Re)Connecting Youth, connected youth initiative, Connected Youth Initiatve, foster care, Foster Care Awareness Month, foster care system, foster youth, jim casey, jim casey youth opportunities initiative, Opportunity Passport, project everlast, Project Everlast Lincoln, Project Everlast Omaha, young parents
Posted in News and Events, Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood
Posted in News and Events, Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood
It’s Not Easy Being Green: It’s Productive! Beyond School Bells and The Bay Welcome The Greenery, a Container Farm that Teaches Entrepreneurship and 21st Century Career Skills
On Saturday, April 24, Beyond School Bells (BSB), Nebraska Children and Families Foundation’s afterschool network, and The Bay, a Lincoln youth service organization, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for this high-tech hydroponic farm. We’re grateful to The Ben Hormel Harris Foundation, which gifted The Greenery to the city of Lincoln. The Greenery is a compact growing container created by Freight Farms, a Boston-based ag-tech company. The Greenery is the equivalent to 2.5-acres worth of farmland in its contained space. BSB and the Bay have since decided to use this cutting-edge farm to bring quality STEM learning and innovation to Lincoln!
Posted in Middle Childhood, News and Events
Chasing Down and Living the Dream: Thanks to the Whole Community, Stick Creek Kids Opens its Doors!
Welcome to Wood River, Nebraska. Their Communities for Kids (C4K) core team is proud to announce the opening of their childcare center, Stick Creek Kids. But like most dreams, the team hasn’t always walked on a smooth path. But rather than backing down, they embarked on the challenging road. Together, with the help of their community, the center’s doors will open. Read more about how this community accomplished this remarkable feat.
The Little Collaboration that Could
For those who have been following the series of collaboration start-ups, you may be wondering what’s on the other end. How does a partnership move from an idea to a fully realized and functional project? This month, you’ll hear the story of an idea that germinated between several people and grew over the span of five years into a multi-organizational collaboration that has found statewide success and is sprouting roots in the national community. Read more.
Tagged with: early childhood, early childhood education, preschool, preschool development grant, Rooted in Relationships, step up to quality
Posted in Early Childhood
Posted in Early Childhood
