On October 1, Beyond School Bells (BSB), Nebraska Children and Families Foundation’s dedicated network of afterschool professionals, opened a new web portal that will accept CARES Act applications from licensed school-age and school-based providers who have been impacted by the pandemic.
From the recipient of Sixpence home visits to becoming a young mom, then a home visitor, read Yesenia’s uplifting story.
COVID or not, this year’s GetConnected Conference participants’ engaged and enjoyed quality virtual time!
On January 15, 2020, Casey Family Programs, the largest private foundation whose aim is to minimize the need for foster care while creating communities of hope, awarded Bring Up Nebraska with the Jim Casey Building Communities of Hope Award.
Nebraska Children and Families Foundation is proud to lead this prevention partnership.
Starting from September 16, 2020, Beyond School Bells will partake in STEM Next and partners’ Million Girls Moonshot launch. As we prepare for lift-off, we feel it’s worth mentioning that we are thankful to STEM Next who awarded Beyond School Bells a year-long grant to lead the effort in Nebraska! Read more about how Beyond School Bells is preparing for lift-off!
Four years ago, a frightened, pregnant 16-year-old walked through Fremont Sixpence’s doors. Lauren said that in addition to being scared, the young woman was disconnected from her relatives.
Read about how this young mother’s resolve and Fremont Sixpence helped her to push through difficulties and into her own triumphant light.
Lately, the future of kids going back to school has been uncertain. Happily, when Beyond School Bells’ teamed up with Big Red Keno, a Think Make Create Lab rolled into Family Service Lincoln. The future was hopeful once again! Read more about how our next generation of young creators made the most of this mobile makerspace!
Long before the pandemic, Connected Youth Initiative’s Project Everlast Omaha, its partners, and the community has offered programs to assist unconnected youth. The term “unconnected youth” refers to young people between the ages of 14-25 years of age who have experienced the foster care system, juvenile justice system and/or probation, homelessness, or human trafficking. Find out more about Project Everlast Omaha’s efforts to support unconnected youth!
On Arbor Day weekend, April 24-26, youth and their communities across Nebraska participated in a statewide Tree-A-Thon to plant and celebrate trees.
BSB kicked off the Tree-A-Thon alongside Arbor Day Foundation, Natural Resource Districts, Audubon Nebraska, Nebraska Forest Service, and The University of Nebraska. As with any major initiative, this project constituted more than just tree-planting; BSB and its partners had a larger mission in mind.
Whether you’re contemplating, starting, improving, or sustaining a high quality afterschool or summer learning experience, the process takes work. Beyond School Bells has launched its new Toolkit to help. For those thinking about creating an Expanded Learning Opportunity (ELO), the toolkit provides planning guidelines and funding structures. To start a program, this resource contains hiring and leadership strategies. To improve an ELO, explore curricular ideas and career-readiness best practices. Finally, sustain your ELO with resources for partnerships, advocacy, and messaging.
Growing the Good Life 