This op-ed originally ran in the Lincoln Journal Star on 9/25/2026. Nebraska needs more nurses. Nebraska needs more teachers. Walk into a nursing program or a teacher-prep classroom, and you’ll notice the same thing: almost no men. That’s a missed…
Blog Archives
Imagining the Future: Older Youth Convening Brings Nebraska Partners Together for Shared Vision
Nebraska Children and Families Foundation’s Connected Youth Initiative recently hosted the Imagining the Future: Older Youth Convening, gathering 50 participants to enhance support for older youth in foster care. Young leaders emphasized the importance of community, connection, and adult support. The meeting underlined collaboration’s role in fostering positive outcomes for young people in Nebraska.
Tagged with: connected youth, foster care, news, systems change, youth leadership
Posted in Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood, Uncategorized
Posted in Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood, Uncategorized
When Young People Find Their Voice, Everyone Wins
Why Teaching Youth Advocacy Is So Important Imagine standing in front of your state’s governor at sixteen years old, presenting a carefully researched argument about a bill that could change lives — and doing it with confidence, evidence, and heart.…
From Care to Coach: Tyeisha’s Story Shows the Power of Connection
What if the person who once needed support became the one offering it? That’s exactly what happened to Tyeisha Thompson. As a young person navigating challenges as she transitioned to adulthood, she felt alone—like no one could understand her story.…
Tagged with: coaching, connected youth, connected youth initiative, connected youth nebraska, youth leadership
Posted in Teen/Early Adulthood, Uncategorized
Posted in Teen/Early Adulthood, Uncategorized
Unearthing Stories: How Nebraska Growing Readers Brings Science and Literacy Together
When children pick up a picture book about paleontologists digging for fossils, they’re not just learning vocabulary or learning to read—they’re discovering that science happens right in their own backyard. That’s exactly what happened when two Nebraska women collaborated to…
Tagged with: books, Early Childhood, early literacy, Nebraska Growing Readers, reading
Posted in Early Childhood, Uncategorized
Posted in Early Childhood, Uncategorized
Walking Together for Recovery and Safe Beginnings in North Platte
guest blog by Jessica Vogt, CoordinatorFamilies 1st Partnership (community collaborative providing services to Arthur, Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Hayes, Hitchcock, Keith, Lincoln, Perkins, and Red Willow Counties) In September, Families 1st Partnership hosted a Recovery Walk in North Platte to…
Why Nebraska Is Investing in Boys and the HEAL Economy
Nebraska is launching the Boys in HEAL initiative to engage boys in careers within healthcare, education, and literacy. By focusing on experiential learning and mentorship, the program aims to counter declining male representation in these essential fields, promote purpose-driven career choices, and ultimately strengthen communities while addressing workforce shortages.
Tagged with: afterschool, beyond school bells, education, HEAL professions, health, healthcare, mental health, teaching
Posted in Cradle to career, Middle Childhood, Teen/Early Adulthood, Uncategorized
Posted in Cradle to career, Middle Childhood, Teen/Early Adulthood, Uncategorized
Does Your Face Light Up?
by Sami Bradley, MaED. LIMHP, IMH-E®Vice President, Early Childhood Mental HealthNebraska Children and Families Foundation | Rooted in Relationships We spend a lot of time wondering what builds our children’s self-esteem. Is it the praise we give them? Is it…
When Dinosaurs Roamed the Library
At the Schuyler Library, there are parents and children gathered around a table laid out with dinosaur and patriotic red, white, and blue cookies. There are doting grandparents, representatives of Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR), and the librarian. There is the…
Posted in Early Childhood, Uncategorized
Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again on a Beyond School Bells Environmental Outing
Beyond School Bell’s Conservation Management Internship began in 2017 and has since been an opportunity for students to learn more about conservation by hearing from professionals in the field and by engaging in hands-on service learning from identifying plants, trees, and invasive species in places like Gjerlof Prairie and Glacier Creek Preserve to seeing how undergraduate students do research at UNL’s Cedar Point Research Station.
