Social and emotional skills –not academic skills– are most predictive of success in kindergarten. When a 5-year-old enters kindergarten, she’ll be best positioned for success if she can sit and listen to the teacher, get along with other students, keep…
Real readiness: Social-emotional development and success in school
Tagged with: early childhood education, early childhood mental health, kindergarten, social emotional
Posted in Early Childhood
Posted in Early Childhood
Choosing a high-quality preschool program in Nebraska
If your child is already in a care setting that has a preschool program that you like, that’s great news. For many Nebraska families, however, their 3- and 4-year-olds will be starting preschool after being in a home-based setting. For…
Nebraska Children receives 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator, has just awarded Nebraska Children and Families Foundation 4 out of 4 stars for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. “We are proud to announce Nebraska Children and Families Foundation has…
Posted in Uncategorized
Preschool: Helping your child get the most out of schooling at ages 3-4
The purpose of preschool High-quality preschool programs are designed to help prepare children for kindergarten in several ways. Two of the most important areas are: Optimizing social-emotional skills by giving 3-4 year olds the opportunity to practice these skills in…
Smart Starts: School Readiness Begins at Birth
Building the brain from the beginning. By the time a child turns 3, his brain is 85% the volume of an adult brain. That means that nearly all of the neural connections that will ever form have already been set. These three…
Tagged with: ACEs, brain development, infant mental health, kindegarten, preschool, toxic stress
Posted in Early Childhood
Posted in Early Childhood
Starting Kindergarten in Nebraska: What you need to know
All children who turn 5 on or before July 31 are eligible to start public kindergarten in the state of Nebraska. No matter what their abilities, academic skills or background, Nebraska schools will be ready to meet their needs. Even if a…
Project Everlast Councils Celebrate Foster Youth Awareness Month
This May, Project Everlast youth councils across the state held events to celebrate Foster Youth Awareness Month. Here are just a few of the outstanding events that the young people put together. LINCOLN The Lincoln council held a hot dog…
Sixpence Early Learning Fund awards 16 new grants
The Trustees of the Sixpence Early Learning Fund announced this week that 16 high-quality early childhood programs serving at-risk infants and toddlers across the state will receive grant awards totaling approximately $2 million, beginning July 1, 2015. Sixpence grants are intended…
Jennifer Thielen hired as Associate Vice President, Strategic Partnerships
Nebraska Children’s development and advancement efforts now have a new face. Jennifer Thielen of Omaha has taken over the top development spot at the foundation, and is now working to secure partners in the organization’s mission to create positive change…
Posted in Uncategorized
Passage of LB 519 means more funding for afterschool and summer learning
The 2015 Legislative session was a big one for Nebraska’s children and families. Among the many bills that passed, LB 519 was signed into law — including for the first time in Nebraska, a definition of Expanded Learning Opportunity programs (which was…
Posted in Uncategorized
Growing the Good Life 