FFN Director Jason Prokop testified on investing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in Nebraska's early childhood workforce during a hearing of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee this month. He was among the invited testifiers on LR178 and LR179, interim studies introduced by State Senators Anna Wishart and Machaela Cavanaugh on how to allocate Nebraska's portion of ARPA relief dollars.

The child care industry was among the hardest hit by the economic fallout of the pandemic. Left unaddressed, Prokop suggested that decreases in programs and staff are likely to result in cascading losses to Nebraska's economy, marketability and quality of life. FFN's recommendations included wage supplements for child care workers, scholarships to offset the cost of early childhood degree programs and recruitment and retention incentives to anchor professional talent in the child care industry.

It has been indicated that Governor Ricketts will offer his recommendations to the Nebraska Legislature early in the 2022 legislative session and the allocation process will be handled like a budget bill with public hearings in the Appropriations Committee, committee recommendations and full floor debate among senators. Read more

Redistricting special session concludes: The Legislature adjourned its 13-day special session to redraw political district boundaries based on 2020 Census data. New boundaries were established for Nebraska's three Congressional districts, state Legislature, Board of Education, judiciary, NU Board of Regents and the Public Service Commission.

FFN policy recommendations: Read Policy Advisor Sara Howard's legislative testimony and policy suggestions on two interim studies examining maternal and child well-being.

State Senator Tony Vargas's LR221: Maternal/child mortality and morbidity

State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh's LR142: Maternal depression

FFN Director Jason Prokop will lead a discussion on how Nebraska's child care crisis is amplifying our statewide workforce crisis and what actions can be taken to address those challenges. The panel discussion will be a breakout session at the Nebraska State Chamber's Economic Development Summit. Joining Prokop on the panel will be Kyla Habrock from Hastings Early Childhood Development Center, Erin Branch of Branch Ranch Child Care and Marti Beard with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation. Learn more and register

FFN's policy team and University of Nebraska early childhood researchers began a series of conversations this month to learn more about each others' work.

We're excited for this opportunity and to explore possible collaborations to improve the lives of Nebraska children and families. The conversations are part of the University's Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research (NAECR) Policy Fellows program.

FFN was honored to collaborate with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development in its effort to draw talent to the state as we build back from the pandemic. Unique, locally developed programs in Wood River, McCook and Lincoln provide young children with high-quality early care and learning and allow parents the opportunity to grow their careers and businesses.

See Early Childhood & Bold Beginnings | Visit the campaign website

PBS NewsHour aired an update to its July week-long series on the lack of affordable, quality child care in the U.S., "Raising Our Future: America’s Child Care Dilemma." Shickley and McCook were again featured for their innovative local solutions along with interviews with a Nebraska business owner, parents and child care providers. The Nebraska section begins at 29:15 in the program. Watch now