It is clear that Nebraskans truly value both hard work and family. In yesterday’s election, Nebraskans voted to approve Initiative 425, which will increase the state minimum wage to $8/hr in 2015 and to $9/hr in 2016. The initiative received overwhelming bipartisan support, showing that Nebraskans believe that working…...
New Report Shows Progress and Needs on Child Care
Child care assistance helps ensure that kids are safe so parents can work. Ideally, our child care systems and programs should also help ensure that children are being prepared for K-12 education. Last week, the National Women’s Law Center released a new report looking at state level policies for child…...
Telling the whole story of abuse and neglect in Nebraska
In the world of child welfare, it’s an unfortunate truth that media attention is often centered on individual cases of abuse and neglect, instead of focusing on the bigger picture of what’s happening with kids and families in Nebraska’s child welfare system. This weekend, however, the story in Nebraska was…...
SPARC: What’s next for child welfare in Nebraska?
Last week, just a few days after attending the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT conference in Baltimore with hundreds of child advocates from across the country, I found myself in a much smaller room in Washington D.C. for the convening of the State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC)…...
Saying Goodbye to an Advocate
This week, Voices for Children in Nebraska is saying goodbye to one of its long-time advocates for children and families – Sarah Forrest. During Sarah’s time as Policy Coordinator for Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice at Voices for Children, we have achieved significant victories for kids. These victories were due…...
Putting Families First: How Paid Leave Helps Families Succeed
With the changing nature of the workforce, it’s getting more and more challenging to balance the demands of the jobs we need and the families we love. States around the country are starting to take the lead on establishing policies that promote more family-friendly workplaces and both businesses and families…...
