MY NEBRASKA STORY
Every family, business and community in Nebraska has a story—full of hope, imagination, pride and perseverance. Most of all, these are stories about the opportunities people need to live, learn, work and thrive in our hometowns.
How those stories unfold depends a great deal on the decisions we make about the care and education of our youngest children. That means quality child care must play a key role in how we work together to create prosperous, successful communities.
How does child care fit into our story?
A community’s economic development and prosperity depend upon quality child care. Amazing things happen when we work to meet our child care needs:
Local businesses can improve workplace productivity and build a more stable employee base
Working parents can pursue their careers and provide for the needs of their children and families
Communities as a whole can attract and retain young families and develop a more dynamic workforce
Quality child care makes it happen by creating economic opportunity in the present and preparing young Nebraskans to thrive in the future.
How can everyone play a part in strengthening quality child care?
It’s up to all of us—including business and civic leaders, economic developers, working parents and professional educators—to work together to make quality child care part of our community’s success story. But each of us can play a distinct role in shaping where that story goes next.
Business Leaders
Business leaders implement family-friend workplace policies and partner with local child care providers to increase program capacity and access to quality services.
Economic Development Leaders
Economic development leaders can facilitate conversations, reach out to local child care providers and make the town’s commerce network more accessible to them.
Child Care Providers
Child care providers can actively represent themselves as an economic asset to their hometowns and play a more visible role in the local business community.
K-12 Educators
K-12 educators and administrators can pursue partnerships with local child care programs, share resources and help align curriculums to prepare young children to be successful in kindergarten and beyond.
Parents
Parents can advocate for quality in the child care options available to them and work with employers to remain fully engaged and productive in the local workforce.
Here to help you tell your Nebraska story
First Five Nebraska has partnered with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation/ Communities for Kids and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to create this hub of resources to widen local conversations about quality child care, prosperity and quality of life in our state and its communities.
We’re here to help you move your Nebraska story forward. Reach out to First Five Nebraska using the contact form below.
