Nebraska’s Ravenna area is now the 75th community to partner with Communities for Kids (C4K)! This milestone marks continued progress in expanding access to quality early childhood education across the state. With a dedicated core team, Ravenna is working towards sustainable solutions for childcare needs.
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.
“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.
On November 13, 2023, high school students broke ground on a project that Superintendent Regan called “a historic moment for Gering Schools.” On the campus of Northfield Elementary , Gering High School trade students launched the build of a new 5,000-square-foot facility that will house 4 preschool classrooms.
As we reflect on a year of achievements and meaningful milestones, Nebraska Children would like to extend our gratitude to our invaluable partners and generous donors who have been instrumental in making this year a success. Your support, dedication, and collaboration have been the driving force behind fostering stronger communities, empowering youth, and creating lasting change across Nebraska.
The Valley Child Development Center opened in the farming community of Red Cloud in 2018. The Center quickly found a niche when a board member’s niece, Bri and her husband Bruce, who lived in California, learned of the Edible Schoolyard, a program developed by food activist and chef Alice Waters to offer “students experiential learning opportunities that deepen their relationship with food, facilitate learning the skills of cooking and gardening” (edibleschoolyard.org).
“Women tend to laugh more and live longer than men,” says the woman on the stage. She’s gray-haired, bespectacled. She looks like a grandmother or a principal, and indeed she was an educator in the past. She moves away from…
Tierra Harper, Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative’s (NECC) Early Childhood Community Coordinator for Douglas County who works in tandem with Nebraska Children’s Communities for Kids, says much of her work is designed to build a community within a community. She describes…
When it comes to change, Buffett Early Childhood Institute’s Thriving Children, Families, and Communities Conference demonstrates it. So do childcare providers. So do we. Early childhood professionals had to constantly swerve throughout the pandemic to accommodate ever-changing needs. This yearly…
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.
Growing the Good Life 