Blog | First Five Nebraska

New Sixpence School-Child Care Provider Partnerships a Game Changer

The Sixpence Board of Trustees announced a new grant opportunity this week that transforms how communities can work together to support early learning opportunities. Read More

October 02, 2015 | Posted in Legislation

Senator Mello: Nebraska is Well-Positioned to Continue to Invest in Our Children, Grow Our Economy

Appropriations Committee Chair Mello sees tremendous opportunity for policymakers to improve the lives of Nebraska's children and families while continuing to build on our state’s overall economic momentum. Read More

July 16, 2015 | Posted in Legislation

Nebraska is Poised to Take Innovative Step to Meet the Needs of At-Risk Kids

The partnership formed between Sixpence Early Learning Fund and Step Up to Quality in LB547 will mean that more kids at risk will benefit from early care and education programs that meet the rigorous, high-quality standards known to narrow the achievement gap. Read More

March 26, 2015 | Posted in Legislation

Common Ground is Key

Child care and education fall under the purview of two different systems in Nebraska, and each approaches early childhood from a unique standpoint. For the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees child care, the issue revolves around ensuring that children’s fundamental requirements for health and safety are met while in care. Nebraska’s education system, on the other hand, focuses on whether children begin kindergarten ready to learn and prepared to advance academically. The science of early childhood development tells us that these two aspects of child development shouldn’t be addressed as separate considerations. Early child care environments are, or ought to be, learning environments—just as the health and safety of young children are necessary for quality learning to occur. Read More

March 17, 2015 | Posted in Legislation

LB489 Provides New Option to Help Close Achievement Gap

LB489 allows child care providers to partner with school districts to receive Sixpence Early Learning Fund grants, making them critical partners in local efforts to close the achievement gap for Nebraska's youngest, most at-risk children. Read More

March 06, 2015 | Posted in Legislation

York Public Schools Superintendent Mike Lucas: Opportunity Knocks—Expanding Sixpence in 2015

As public school educators and administrators, we deal directly with the outcomes of children’s earliest learning experiences. All too often, it’s alarmingly easy for our teachers to tell which students are likely to succeed or struggle in our classrooms within the first days of kindergarten. Read More

February 25, 2015 | Posted in Legislation

Quality, Accountability, Results: Hallmarks of Wise Investments in Early Childhood

In recent years, Nebraska has opened new opportunities for genuine investment in the development of children who stand to lose or gain the most from their earliest experiences. Among these, the Sixpence Early Learning Fund rises to the top as an investment opportunity that meets the most stringent criteria for quality, fiscal accountability and demonstrable results. Read More

February 20, 2015 | Posted in General

Researchers: Sixpence Program is Delivering Positive Results

The Nebraska Legislature’s Education Committee is touring a Sixpence program in Broken Bow today to learn more about the innovative public-private partnership before holding a public hearing on its visioning process for a statewide strategic plan for education as mandated by LB1103. Read More

October 16, 2014 | Posted in General Legislation

Sixpence Engages Parents to Close the Achievement Gap

At-risk children under age 3 in Nebraska currently face long odds to gain access to high-quality early childhood learning opportunities. Estimates are that only 1 in 10 at-risk Nebraska children have access to early learning experiences that close the achievement gap by age 3. Read More

May 15, 2014 | Posted in General

Celebrate Arbor Day and Nebraska’s Pioneer Spirit

Today is Arbor Day, a holiday pioneered by Nebraska’s J. Sterling Morton in 1872. Morton started the holiday to beautify Nebraska’s prairies, which naturally lacked trees. Morton recognized that trees would help Nebraska farmers create windbreaks and conserve soil, as well as make the state appear less desolate to investors and others passing through. Read More

April 25, 2014 | Posted in General

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