First Five Nebraska (FFN) today kicked off a public education campaign promoting the Child Care Tax Credit and School Readiness Tax Credit. The refundable and nonrefundable tax credits are designed to help address key challenges facing child care providers and the...
Category: Economic Development
Governor’s Ag & Economic Development Summit highlights child care crisis
Child care was featured alongside housing in a panel discussion and was the subject of one of four Action Hour conversations at the 2024 Governor’s Ag & Economic Development Summit in Kearney on August 8. The lack of available child care throughout Nebraska...
New cost estimation tool examines cost of providing quality child care
The Nebraska Child Care Cost Model, a new tool developed in collaboration with First Five Nebraska and Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies (P5FS), examines how the expense of delivering high-quality child care services relates to the actual revenue earned by providers....
LB856 would increase child care worker recruitment and retention
State Senator John Fredrickson, representing District 20 in central west Omaha, introduced LB856, which excludes all earned and unearned income for child care subsidy applications if the applicant or household member is self-employed at a licensed child care program...
FFN 2024 priority legislation focuses on child care, maternal health, literacy, home visiting
The Second Session of the 108th Nebraska Legislature convened January 3 for a 60-day session. In his State of the State address to lawmakers, Governor Pillen prioritized property taxes, regulatory barriers and affordable housing, and also emphasized the importance of...
Apprenticeships can help build Nebraska’s early childhood workforce
Tracy Gordon is executive director of the Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children (Nebraska AEYC). She testified before the Nebraska Legislature's Education Committee December 1, 2023, on LR251, an interim study introduced by State Senator Robert...
LR251: Apprenticeships offer new pathways to enter the early childhood workforce
Apprenticeship programs are emerging as a viable recruitment and retention tool for the early childhood workforce. First Five Nebraska thanks State Senator Robert Dover (District 19) for introducing LR251, an interim study looking at how apprenticeships could be used...
State Senator Eliot Bostar receives Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Champion award
State Senator Eliot Bostar (District 29) is the inaugural recipient of the Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Champion Award at a presentation ceremony at the State Capitol. The award was founded this year by First Five Nebraska and will be presented annually to...
Policy Leadership Academy Class 5 is underway
The fifth class of the Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy is underway! Twenty-six citizen advocates met up for the first time in Ogallala for an orientation dinner and the first of five workshops. Representing Nebraska from the western border all the...
FFN testifies on child care cost model, background checks
The Nebraska Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony October 11 on two interim studies, Legislative Resolutions LR151 and LR191. Interim studies are conducted after the Legislature has adjourned sine die and give senators and committees the...
Tell state senators how breakdowns in background checks hurt child care
Alert: Submit an online comment to the Nebraska Legislature by noon Central Time on October 10, 2023 The Nebraska Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee will hold a hearing October 11 on interim study LR191, introduced by State Senator Teresa Ibach to...
Thriving Children conference draws early childhood, community leaders from across the state
Last week, First Five Nebraska joined the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Nebraska Departments of Education and Economic Development, Nebraska Economic Developers Association and a wide array of early childhood organizations and community groups in...