Blog Archives

Pretty Fire: Loup Valley Childhood Initiative and Partners Light Up the Stage with a Play and Dinner to Honor Childcare Providers

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

When the Loup Valley Childhood Initiative (LVCI) decided to host almost 30 early care providers for the Crane River Theatre’s moving play, Pretty Fire, the team sought to celebrate providers and a love for the performing arts. LVCI is a community-driven team that works with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation’s Communities for Kids (C4K), our early childhood initiative that provides technical expertise, supports, and solutions that suit each location’s early care and education needs for children birth-5. Read more about their innonative approach to honoring childcare providers.

Stick Creek Kids and Communities for Kids Open the Doors to Quality Early Childhood Care and Education

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

Stick Creek Kids and Nebraska Children and Families Foundation’s Communities for Kids have worked hard to arrive at their destination: more quality early care and education in Nebraska. Surprises, lessons, and discoveries were all part of seeing Stick Creek Kids brought to reality. But whenever the water levels rose, the community rose up as well.

In-Home and Center-Based Providers Agree: Circle of Security Classroom™ Promotes Healthy and Secure Relationships!

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Nebraska Children — 1 Comment

Imagine feeling free to try new things and explore, then being able to re-enter in for reassurance, support, and anything else you need before you set back out again. The whole time, knowing that no matter what you did or where you went, there was always that safe base for you to come back home. Read how our early childhood mental health experts and partners work throughout Nebraska to implement the Circle of Security Classroom (COSP-C™) approach, which helps teachers and childcare providers forge supportive bonds with children!

Tiny Toilets, Small Worlds, and Big Partnerships: Boone Beginnings and Communities for Kids Pave the Way for Quality

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

Boone Beginnings has been involved with Communities for Kids (C4K) since 2018. The team modeled their program with an impeccable eye for detail and other preexisting centers as examples. And yes, that includes everything down to the tiny toilets. Read the good, the challenging and the funny parts behind Boone Beginnings’ quality childcare journey.

At Home in Nebraska: McCook and Communities for Kids Support In-Home Providers

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

In 2019, when McCook decided to increase access to childcare, they didn’t know what the future would bring. In 2021, the community came incredibly far, but they’re still surging ahead. Read about their impressive strides to create quality early care and programs.

Marching to the Beat of Quality Care: Gering Communities for Kids Creates Magnetic Reminders of Providers’ Value

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

Gering Communities for Kids (C4K) prides itself in building a brighter future for their families through community engagement. As an organization that drives home the same mission, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation couldn’t agree more. In our minds, we can accomplish some incredible feats, including creating quality childcare for children 0-5. Our initiative, Communities for Kids (C4K), accomplishes this goal in partnership with communities like Gering. Read more about how this newer C4K team creates quality care solutions.

Lincoln Littles’ Story: If We Speak Up about Childcare, Our Communities Will Listen

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

We’re glad to kick off the first blog in a series that showcases Communities for Kids teams across Nebraska! What better place to start than right here in Lincoln, with Lincoln Littles? Read about how this team discovered its joys and challenges in creating childcare.

Working Overtime: Nebraska Children’s Early Childhood Staff and Childcare Providers Push through the Pandemic into Brighter Times

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

The Nebraska Children team worked overtime to ensure that childcare providers across the state were awarded almost $10 million in CARES Act funding.

The Nebraska Children team worked overtime with equally hardworking providers to ensure they received almost $10 million in CARES Act funding.

Bubbles and Blocks: How Nebraska Children and Childcare Providers Create the Foundation for Well-Being During the Pandemic

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

When the pandemic struck, early childhood programs found themselves in dire straits. With fluctuating enrollments, mortgages to pay, and children to care for, the future of childcare seemed unpredictable. Read about how Nebraska Children’s expert early childhood team worked with providers and owners of early childhood programs like Cory Quimby to ensure they could see through to the end of the pandemic.