2025 Policy Updates
Join our policy team to learn about early childhood bills in the current session of the Nebraska Legislature at our next Policy Update on Tuesday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m.
Early Childhood Policy
We help government officials make informed, strategic decisions.
Strategic Engagement
We bring more people into the early childhood conversation.
Research & Analysis
We illuminate the issues with credible information and insight.
Successful Children. Strong Families.
Prosperous Communities.
We promote policies that support the early care, education and healthy development of our state’s youngest children—and create opportunity
for all Nebraskans.
Latest Developments
Twenty-two citizen-advocates graduated from the 2024-25 Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy on March 12, joining a growing network of alumni helping to shape early childhood policy statewide.
First Five Nebraska will continue early childhood policy update meetings via Zoom in the coming months. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media for more information.
Stay Current
Every response matters: Child Care and School Readiness Tax Credit surveys
Nebraska’s Child Care Tax Credit and School Readiness Tax Credit provide vital support to families, early childhood professionals, child care programs and communities. But to ensure their long-term success, we need input from those who have applied. Since the launch...
Home visiting can be a lifeline for families
Dez Brandt is program manager of Healthy Families America home visiting program in the Panhandle Public Health District. She testified before the Nebraska Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee in support of LB104, State Senator Jane Raybould's bill...
LB41 increases maternal testing to address rise of babies born with syphilis
Dr. Ann Anderson Berry is a faculty member of the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Medical Director of the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPQIC). She testified before the Nebraska Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on...
FFN supports funding data integration work to improve outcomes for Nebraska’s children
The Nebraska Early Childhood Integrated Data System, or ECIDS (pronounced “e-kids”), is a collaborative effort to connect and integrate data across multiple agencies and organizations that provide early childhood services to Nebraska children and families. ECIDS has...
Nebraska’s refundable child care tax credit reaches $15 million cap within seven weeks
The full $15 million reserved by the State of Nebraska for the refundable Child Care Tax Credit has been reserved within just seven weeks of the application period opening in January. Parents and legal guardians of young children have requested more than $19.3 million...
Policy Leadership Academy Class 6 advocates for maternal health and child care at the Nebraska Capitol
Members of the Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy (PLA) Class 6 spent the day at the Nebraska Capitol February 5th engaging with their State Senators. Their focus? Advocating for key bills and policies that impact maternal health and child care—two...