Our vision: All Nebraska children begin kindergarten with the experience they need to become successful students and productive citizens.
41% of Nebraska’s children ages 0-5, or 62,287, are at risk of failing in school.
Science and data drive our work. A child’s ability to learn is built upon a neurological foundation that begins before birth and is largely in place by age 5. The quality of a child’s earliest experiences, interactions and relationships physically shape the neural architecture of the developing brain during those first five years. The strength of that architecture affects learning capacity and the ability to regulate emotions for the rest of the child’s life.
Parents are a child's first and most important teachers.
First Five Nebraska:
- Works in the legislative arena and with state government partners to create effective early childhood policies.
- Promotes high-quality, accountable early childhood programs and effective outcomes for children at risk of failing in school.
- Provides objective data analysis, research results and other resources to policymakers and early childhood professionals.
- Educates citizens on how early childhood affects their lives, communities and the future of our state.
Changing public policy by changing the public conversation for Nebraska’s youngest children.
