Early Childhood Professionals

You are essential

Early childhood professionals are the backbone of a broad network of programs and services that keeps Nebraska’s communities and state working. Child care operators and staff, family engagement specialists and others all represent a diverse, highly skilled and essential segment of our statewide workforce.

But Nebraska’s early childhood professionals face a growing array of challenges that make it increasingly difficult to enter, remain and thrive in this crucial field of work. This includes an array of regulatory obstacles and financial challenges that affect the ability of caregivers and educators to keep their doors open and meet the needs of the children, families and communities they serve.

Stand up for your profession

If you are an early childhood professional, your insight is needed to help us create policy solutions that will help develop a stronger and more rewarding early childhood system in Nebraska.

• Get connected to others working in your field through organizations like the Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children (NE AYEC), the Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative or the Nebraska Family Child Care Association (NFCCA).
• Enroll in the Nebraska Early Childhood Professional Record System (NECPRS) and Step Up to Quality. These resources give you access to services and resources to advance your professional development, improve your child care program and enable advocates to better understand the needs of early childhood workers throughout the state.
• Create a profile on the Nebraska Child Care Referral Network, a robust website that can connect you more easily with parents seeking child care services, and keep you informed about news and developments affecting early childhood professionals.