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…
Blog Archives
Building Back the Love: Beyond School Bells and NGR Partner in Literacy Projects
A partnership between Nebraska Children and Families Foundation’s Beyond School Bells (BSB), Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR), Unite for Literacy, and Linked to Literacy funds literacy efforts. In March of this year, by offering grants of up to $2,500 for literacy projects connected to summer programming, Beyond School Bells implemented what Education Commisioner Brian Maher described as the Department of Education’s vision of fostering “a culture of proficient and lifelong readers in Nebraska.”
Tagged with: afterschool, Alliance Recreation Center, Beatrice Learning After-School Time, beyond school bells, child literacy, early childhood, early literacy, education, family, Gothernburg Impact Center, Linked to Literacy, literacy, Nebraska Department of Education, Nebraska Growing Readers, reading, Summer programs, Unite for Literacy, Wakefield Summer Program
Posted in Early Childhood, Middle Childhood
Posted in Early Childhood, Middle Childhood
Innovation Invitational 2025: Innovating Amidst Uncertainty
The Beyond School Bells Innovation Invitational focused on empowering youth through purpose-driven afterschool programs. Key discussions addressed the challenges youth face, emphasizing belonging, engagement, and community. Experts encouraged educators to foster resilience and growth, while innovative initiatives aim to enhance Nebraska’s Expanded Learning Opportunities, ultimately inspiring young leaders and shaping future educational experiences.
Tagged with: afterschool, beyond school bells, education, expanded learning opportunities, learning, technology
Posted in Middle Childhood, News and Events, Uncategorized
Posted in Middle Childhood, News and Events, Uncategorized
Rooted in Relationships Receives National Recognition for Pioneering Efforts in Advancing Childhood Mental Health
Rooted in Relationships (RiR) is an initiative by Nebraska Children aimed at transforming early childhood mental health through community collaboration. By providing childcare providers with training, RiR addresses behavioral challenges in young children, enhancing their social-emotional skills. Recently, the team was recognized nationally for their work.
Engineering Pathway Project: Inspiring Youth STEM Leaders in Nebraska
The Engineering Pathway Program in Nebraska ignites student interest in STEM fields through hands-on projects and mentorship. Launched by Beyond School Bells and the Peter Kiewit Foundation, it fosters interconnected learning from elementary to high school, highlighting girls, rural youth, and underserved communities, while nurturing future engineers and leaders like mentee Britney Alarcon-Panzi.
Building Community in the Heart of Cherry County: Expanded Learning Opportunities in Valentine, Nebraska
Driven by a mission to create positive change for Nebraska’s children, Beyond School Bells focuses on providing K-12 students with high-quality expanded learning opportunities (ELOs) that promote hands-on, engaged learning. The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and Beyond School Bells…
Tagged with: afterschool, beyond school bells, community, Community-Building, education, expanded learning opportunities, Nebraska, news, schools, STEM, Valentine
Posted in Middle Childhood, Teen/Early Adulthood, Uncategorized
Posted in Middle Childhood, Teen/Early Adulthood, Uncategorized
You’ve Got Mail
Renae Norenberg, who has owned and operated Nae’s Away from Home childcare in Fremont since 1990, says, “my kids just get ecstatic. They watch for the mail. It’s like they know when those books are going to be coming. They want to open the door to see if they have a little box on the porch. We can’t open them fast enough.” Norenberg is talking about the free boxes of NGR books that are sent to early childhood educators who are registered with the program.
Literacy as a Little Community Magic
Janelle Nissen has been involved with Nebraska Growing Readers since it began in 2023 when Laura Cady began working closely with Indian Hill as a test site for writing books and family engagement. Thanks to Nissen and Cady, it has since been a forerunner in hosting literacy events for the program. As Nissen puts it, “NGR hits our mission of that two-generational home-to-school connection as well as getting books in the home.” What Nissen is doing is building a literacy community.
Books in Little Hands
Both Kim Chase and Amy Standley agree on a very specific detail about Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR) books: they fit well in small hands. While this may seem minor, it means that the children these early childhood professionals work with are holding the books, looking at the colorful pictures, identifying what they see; such moments are the early literacy moments NGR strives for.
Nebraska Growing Readers Books Make a Difference in an Unexpected Way
The Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR) program, which is a collaboration between Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, the Nebraska Department of Education, the Statewide Family Engagement Center, and Unite for Literacy, has aimed primarily at providing free books for licensed childcare providers who can share them with their families, but the books have also been distributed to other organizations where children and families can access them. Al-Hindi said he learned of the program in December of 2023 when Nghia Le, the Director of the Learning Center, showed him the books, which they thought could be useful for the adults in ESL classes to use.
Tagged with: early childhood, Early Childhood, early childhood development, early childhood education, early literacy, education, Metropolitan Community College, Nebraska Growing Readers, North Learning Community Center Parent University, preschool, Statewide Family Engagement Center, Unite for Literacy
Posted in Early Childhood
Posted in Early Childhood
Growing the Good Life 