Blog Archives

Nebraska Growing Readers Books Make a Difference in an Unexpected Way

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

The Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR) program, which is a collaboration between Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, the Nebraska Department of Education, the Statewide Family Engagement Center, and Unite for Literacy, has aimed primarily at providing free books for licensed childcare providers who can share them with their families, but the books have also been distributed to other organizations where children and families can access them. Al-Hindi said he learned of the program in December of 2023 when Nghia Le, the Director of the Learning Center, showed him the books, which they thought could be useful for the adults in ESL classes to use.

Walk with Me: Rooted in Relationships Work in North Omaha

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

With trust and local ownership, has come a sincere interest in the work Rooted in relationships is doing and a desire to sustain that work within North Omaha. Temeshia Qualls says that she has seen the pieces of the puzzle come together with Rooted work and feels something meaningful is being passed on to the families they work with. But Debra Nared asks an important question: “we may have an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than us, but what happens afterward?”

Taking on the Grand Challenges of the Early Childhood Profession

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

TransformED accents Rooted in Relationships’ mission to collaborate with communities and with other state entities so as to build stronger infrastructure for early childhood mental health. As Bradley puts it, “It’s imperative to continue to collaborate with other initiatives and programs that support child care providers and the rest of the early childhood workforce. If we can figure out how to integrate practices, we can reduce redundancy and maximize impact.” What better way then for Rooted to celebrate its first 10 years and to set off on the next 10 years of working with communities and with state partners.

The Turtle Who Took Down a Tantrum

Posted on February 22, 2024 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

In January, Tucker Turtle Came to visit North Platte preschools and the local library as part of Rooted in Relationships’ work to teach children how to self-regulate emotions.

Gering C4K Is Top of the Heap

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

On November 13, 2023, high school students broke ground on a project that Superintendent Regan called “a historic moment for Gering Schools.” On the campus of Northfield Elementary , Gering High School trade students launched the build of a new 5,000-square-foot facility that will house 4 preschool classrooms.

Getting to the Roots of Rooted in Relationships: 10 Years of Community-Building Success

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

Rooted in Relationships celebrates ten years of connecting with Nebraska communities to build infant mental health infrastructure, collaborate with providers and parents to provide coaching and training for the pyramid model, and highlight childcare professionals and the important work they do.

Calming Corners Make a Difference for Childcare Providers

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Nebraska Children — 1 Comment

In the fall of this year, Nebraska Children worked closely with Lakeshore to offer early childhood providers in Nebraska free Calming Corners materials. When licensed Family I and II and Center-based providers completed a 1-hour NDE Cozy Corner training course and submitted basic demographic information, they were eligible to receive free materials from Lakeshore. The initiative continues and will offer licensed providers further chances to enroll as long as the kits last.

A Land of Weird Potatoes: The Valley Child Development Center Awarded $25,000 Grant to Continue Enhancing Edible Schoolyard Project

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

The Valley Child Development Center opened in the farming community of Red Cloud in 2018. The Center quickly found a niche when a board member’s niece, Bri and her husband Bruce, who lived in California, learned of the Edible Schoolyard, a program developed by food activist and chef Alice Waters to offer “students experiential learning opportunities that deepen their relationship with food, facilitate learning the skills of cooking and gardening” (edibleschoolyard.org).

Fremont Sixpence Car Seat Check Part of Larger Community Outreach

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

A recent car seat check held by Sixpence of Fremont, in coordination with Dodge County Head Start and Three Rivers Health Department, revealed that when it comes to car seats, things aren’t as simple as they seem.

Tagged with: car seat check, community collaboratives, community well being, early childhood, Fremont, sixpence
Posted in Early Childhood

Perla Jaimes’s Long Trip to School and How Sixpence Helped Her along the Way

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Nebraska Children — 1 Comment

In some ways this story begins as a trip to school. Perla Jaimes describes walking with her mother and younger sister. She remembers it was dark; she remembers it was cold. And on the other end of this walk a new school waited.

Tagged with: early childhood development, early childhood education, family assistance, sixpence
Posted in Early Childhood