NGR, an initiative of the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, has partnered with Schuyler and other communities like it to provide books in areas where they are harder to find or to populations who benefit from access to free books.
Blog Archives
Alliance Innovates with Circle of Security Classroom
Shawna Rischling first became aware of COSP through her teaching in a preschool classroom for the Alliance Public School system. Her program is funded by Sixpence, which requires programs to serve at-risk children in the community, and the initiative told her of a new training in COSP. Circle of Security trains parents and other caregivers in developing strong bonds that give their children the security and confidence to explore, learn, grow, and build positive relationships.
Tagged with: Alliance early childhood education, Buffett Early Childhood Institute, circle of security, Circle of Security - Parenting, Circle of security classroom, early childhood, early childhood development, early childhood education, early childhood mental health, Rooted in Relationships, sixpence
Posted in Early Childhood
Posted in Early Childhood
Not Just a One and Done for Nebraska Growing Readers’ Local Writers
Since its beginning, NGR has made creating stories that speak to the diverse landscapes, the experiences, the languages, and the cultures of Nebraska a central part of its mission. And now, NGR is not only encouraging such local content, it is working with writer’s in a series of workshops to create Nebraska-related books. Kim Parsons has lived in Schuyler for over 50 years and is writing a book about the sweet corn farming that has been a part of her family for 21 years.
Tagged with: books, early childhood, Early Childhood, early literacy, Early Reading, Nebraska Growing Readers, Nebraska Writers, reading, Schuyler, Unite for Literacy
Posted in Early Childhood
Posted in Early Childhood
A Rare Book for Jeter and His Mom
Sixpence Vice President Stephanni Renn asked Maddie to write a book about Jeter for the new Nebraska Growing Readers program supported by Sixpence , which resulted in Rare is Beautiful. In June of 2024, Maddie and Jeter were able to attend an MFDM conference at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and were provided with copies of the book to distribute there.
Tagged with: early childhood, Early Childhood, early childhood development, early literacy, Nebraska Growing Readers, sixpence, Unite for Literacy
Posted in Early Childhood, Uncategorized
Posted in Early Childhood, Uncategorized
A Legacy of Service: Veterans and Child Care Group Unite for Community Benefit
The community of Thedford, population 211, lives inside one of the 11 Nebraska counties that were classified as a child care desert when they began partnering with the C4K initiative in 2023. The entirety of the county had no licensed child care at all, and residents were worried their town was dying. They applied for American Rescue Plan/LB1014 funding, and as soon as they got their notice of award, got right to work.
Tagged with: child care, communities for kids, early childhood, early childhood education, early years
Posted in Early Childhood, Uncategorized
Posted in Early Childhood, Uncategorized
Ainsworth, a Group of Moms, and C4K’s Secret Sauce
“Give a group of moms a problem that impacts their children and they will get it done,” say Karen O’Hare, President of the board for the Ainsworth Child Development Center. The Ainsworth community came together to serve the local need for childcare.
Tagged with: Ainsworth, childcare, Childcare Centers, communities for kids, early childhood, early childhood development, early childhood education
Posted in Early Childhood, Uncategorized
Posted in Early Childhood, Uncategorized
Rooted’s Neighborhood Approach Makes a Difference in South Omaha
Rooted in Relationshsips offered Pyramid Model training to South Omaha early childhood professionals entirely in Spanish, translated materials and resources, and emphasized a neighborhood approach that encouraged community ownership of the work being done. Stacy Scholten says they held planning meetings and provider collaboration meetings in Spanish, as well as conducting training and coaching in Spanish. And because the Rooted’s name didn’t translate well into Spanish, they instead collaborated with the local group to call the project, Cultivando Generaciones Futuras.
You’ve Got Mail
Renae Norenberg, who has owned and operated Nae’s Away from Home childcare in Fremont since 1990, says, “my kids just get ecstatic. They watch for the mail. It’s like they know when those books are going to be coming. They want to open the door to see if they have a little box on the porch. We can’t open them fast enough.” Norenberg is talking about the free boxes of NGR books that are sent to early childhood educators who are registered with the program.
Putting Down Permanent Roots: Rooted in Relationships as Lynne Brehm Retires
Rooted in Relationships now faces an existential moment: what will the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation initiative that celebrated its first 10 years in 2023 look like without the woman who started it all?
Literacy as a Little Community Magic
Janelle Nissen has been involved with Nebraska Growing Readers since it began in 2023 when Laura Cady began working closely with Indian Hill as a test site for writing books and family engagement. Thanks to Nissen and Cady, it has since been a forerunner in hosting literacy events for the program. As Nissen puts it, “NGR hits our mission of that two-generational home-to-school connection as well as getting books in the home.” What Nissen is doing is building a literacy community.
Growing the Good Life 