Strong Early Start Leads to School Success

News from First Five Nebraska

August 2016

Our vision is that all Nebraska children begin kindergarten with the experience they need to become successful students and productive citizens.

The Nebraska State Board of Education approved prekindergarten programs for the 2016-17 school year with two school districts, Gothenburg Public Schools and Leigh Community Schools, offering prekindergarten for the first time.

With the two additions, 211 of Nebraska's 245 school districts offer prekindergarten because they recognize how crucial it is for students' success. Many rely on their local communities to contribute resources to meet increasing needs.

Thank you to these schools for responding to the needs of their youngest children.

Quick Links

An upcoming Early Childhood Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Sept. 16-17 will focus on play. Speakers at "Learn, Play, Grow" include Sam Meisels from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute and Kathleen Gallagher, endowed chair of UNK's early childhood program. Agenda & registration

The Complex Lives of Babies: A new documentary explores how early experiences drive babies' develop-ment.

August's topic in A Year of Play from Zero to Three: Bubbles. Ideas for talking with babies and toddlers to help them learn about bubbles, sounds and cleaning, plus books to read, songs to sing and activities for having fun while learning.

10 books to ease the transition to school for kids starting for the first time or those starting a new year.

Action Alerts and other news from

First Five Nebraska

FirstFiveNebraska.org

A Strong Early Start Leads

to Success in School

As Nebraska schools open their doors this month, some children will begin kindergarten more prepared than others. Kindergarten teachers say they can recognize very early which children will do well in school and which ones will struggle.

Children who received the kinds of early experiences that facilitate healthy brain development will arrive at school with the social and cognitive skills necessary to be successful students. They'll be able to get along with others, remember instructions, focus on tasks, deal with distractions and regulate their emotions.

In Nebraska, 64,127 children from birth to age 5, which is 42% of the children in that age group, live with risk factors that threaten their ability to develop these skills. Efforts like Sixpence , school-child care partnership grants , Step Up to Quality and prekindergarten classes throughout Nebraska are reaching children at risk in their homes, in early care and education programs and in schools to help develop skills that will help them bridge the achievement gap and start kindergarten on par with their peers. We're fortunate to live in a state where policymakers and community leaders recognize the importance of children's earliest years and have demonstrated a commitment to giving them the best chance for success.

A Look Back by Senator Colby Coash

Senator Colby Coash reflects on his eight years in the Nebraska Legislature in our blog series by term-limited senators. Thank you for your service to our state, Senator Coash!

The Day Mrs. Peatrow

Visited Kindergarten

The early years matter -- the kinds of experiences and environments our youngest children encounter determine their path -- it's up to the adults in their lives to make sure that path is a smooth one.

Additional resources:


	Shannon Cotsoradis

Organization Focuses

on Raising Quality,

Maximizing Efficiences

Shannon Cotsoradis, founding CEO of the Nebraska Early Learning Collaborative: NECC is a new organization that uses a shared-services model to maximize efficiencies and raise the quality of early childhood education programs.