All of Nebraska’s children deserve the opportunity to grow up to be happy, healthy, successful adults. Our state does many things right, and there is no doubt that our’s is a great state to be a kid. But despite our many successes as a state, there are things we need…...
The Cost of Being Poor
Thanks to all who attended the event on Friday,”The Cost of Being Poor: How Small Debt Lawsuits are Hurting Nebraska Families.” At the event, speaker Paul Kiel from Propublica shared the findings from him research for the article “For Nebraska’s Poor, Get Sick and Get Sued” and local panelists State…...
National School Lunch Week
This week, we are joining President Obama, schools, communities, and advocates across the nation in celebrating National School Lunch Week. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was created 70 years ago as lawmakers recognized that child nutrition, particularly throughout the school day, was a top national priority. Most importantly, the…...
Voices Releases 2016 Vote Kids Candidate Survey
Child policy issues often receive little discussion within campaigns and elections. This is not because candidates and the public do not care about the issues. They do. But child policy issues often do not lend themselves to simple sound bites. They are not considered “hot button” issues that shape many…...
Neighborhood Opportunity in Nebraska
Child development and well-being is influenced not only by a child’s home environment but also by the neighborhood in which he/she lives. Neighborhoods vary in the resources they provide, such as in school quality, parks and other public spaces, child care centers, and health care availability. Additionally, poverty rates, adult…...
TANF Asset Limits Provide a Barrier to Financial Stability
Programs such as Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) should provide support to families as they work toward financial independence. Structured properly, these programs can greatly benefit children and their families. However, programs do not always function as effectively as they could. A recent…...
Back to School: Is Your School a Hunger-Free Zone?
August means that it’s back to school season in Nebraska! As students and teachers gear up for a full year of learning in the classroom, we at Voices are turning our attention to an important factor in academic success: proper nutrition. Research tells us that hunger negatively impacts academic performance,…...
2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book: Family and Community
In June, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book – an annual ranking of states on 16 key indicators of child well-being in the areas of Economic Well-being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. In this year’s Data Book, Nebraska received an overall ranking of…...
2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book: Economic Well-being
Last week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book – an annual ranking of states on 16 key indicators of child well-being in the areas of Economic Well-being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. In this year’s Data Book, Nebraska received an overall ranking of…...
