Language and literacy development Words are thoughts. The more words your child hears in his first years, the better positioned he will be to understand more advanced concepts in school. This does NOT mean that you need to do word…
Blog Archives
Recent Statistics for CYI’s 3-Year Implementation of LEAP Show Success in Leaps and Bounds
Can we count the ways initiatives help #youth who confront major life struggles, including #fostercare, juvenile justice experience, and homelessness? Can we assist unconnected young people on a path to success? Are there statistics to prove it?
It turns out, yes. The results are in! This data reaffirms our Connected Youth Initiative drives results, and that the LEAP initiative continues to be a success.
Read on to see how LEAP has exhibited recent and ongoing success.
Posted in News and Events, Teen/Early Adulthood
Empathy is essential: The “soft skill” that engages the whole brain
When we talk about executive functions, we’re usually talking about distinct, discrete skills that are easy to get our arms around. Empathy, while often lumped in with executive functions, is not a singular skill or character trait, but a package of skills that pulls from multiple parts of the brain. Children who are empathetic can form and sustain friendships, are more likely to behave well in class, and are less likely to engage in aggressive, antisocial, or criminal behavior.
Tagged with: brain development, early childhood, early childhood development, early childhood mental health, empathy, executive functions
Posted in Early Childhood, News and Events
Posted in Early Childhood, News and Events
Visualize and Use Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Data
By Doug Folkers, Information Systems Officer (Nebraska Department of Education)– written for the Preschool Development Grant newsletter As part of PDG grant efforts in Nebraska, the creation of a tool that lays a foundation for visualizing and using data to…
Posted in Early Childhood, Systems
$30 Million Preschool Development Grant Renewal Application Submitted
by Eva Roberts, Director of Strategic Initiatives (Buffett Early Childhood Fund) – written for the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) newsletter The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has submitted a three-year, $30 million Preschool Development Grant Renewal proposal designed…
Pyramid Model tips for parents
A major focus of the Rooted in Relationships initiative is supporting childcare programs as they implement the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children. The Pyramid Model is a framework of evidence-based practices that promote the social, emotional, and…
Posted in Early Childhood
Early Childhood Programs: Sixpence’s Role in Fighting Intergenerational Poverty
Nebraska Children’s Vice President of Early Childhood Programs, Amy Bornemeier, once spoke 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. Her words…
Posted in Early Childhood
Education, Poverty and the Achievement Gap
Lincoln Public Schools has consistently reported Nebraska’s high graduation rates throughout the past decade.
So, why do we have such a wide achievement gap?
Tagged with: achievement gap, after school programs, community learning center network, Out-of-school time, summer learning
Posted in Middle Childhood
Posted in Middle Childhood
More Than a Mommy Issue: The Lack of Childcare in Nebraska Impacts Our Economy
According to Marti Beard, Associate Vice President of Early Childhood Programs at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, a lack of early childcare is more than just a mommy issue.
Tagged with: early childhood, early childhood development, early childhood education
Posted in Early Childhood
Posted in Early Childhood
Prevention Begins with Connection: Looking Back at the Get Connected 2019 Nebraska Afterschool Conference
Prevention begins with connection. In place of problems, community leaders start solving issues by stopping them. Kids and youth need to feel connected to each other, their community, and their passions to stay out of trouble and remain motivated. And…
Tagged with: after school programs, afterschool, afterschool program
Posted in Middle Childhood, News and Events, Teen/Early Adulthood
Posted in Middle Childhood, News and Events, Teen/Early Adulthood
Growing the Good Life 