Child welfare agencies across the country are responsible for the well-being of more than half a million children. Unfortunately, children and youth in foster care are the most educationally at-risk of all student populations. Due placement interruptions and the school transfers that tend to follow, only about 54% of foster…...
Breakfast Matters: Breakfast and Learning
When we think about children’s educational successes, there are a lot of factors that immediately come to mind. Things like teacher quality and a child’s own intellectual abilities are obvious ones. So it may come as a surprise to some that breakfast is another essential component to education. Facilitating and…...
LB 625: Change income eligibility provisions relating to federal child care assistance
As introduced: LB 625 changes provisions relating to child care subsidies and requires the Department of Health and Human Services to provide child care assistance to families with incomes up to 185% of the federal poverty level. Introducing Senator(s): Conrad (priority); Nordquist Committee: Health and Human Services Committee Hearing Date:…...
LB 507: Adopt the Step Up to Quality Child Care Act (QRIS)
As introduced: LB 507 adopts the Step Up to Quality Act, putting in place a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) with a scale of steps from one to five. The system is available to all child care and early childhood education programs voluntarily, but participation is required for programs…...
School Breakfast Availability
Voices for Children in Nebraska is working with senators on an interim study looking into the school breakfast program in Nebraska. Before we can encourage senators to increase participation of this program, it is important to know how many schools and districts offer a school breakfast program currently. As of…...
Cost of Child Care
Access to quality child care is of paramount importance to the 56% of Nebraska families where all adults in the household are in the labor force (American Community Survey, 2011). LB 507 has taken steps toward ensuring the quality of child care and increasing affordability for the Nebraska families with low…...
Take action to support affordable child care!
Affordable child care is essential to keeping kids safe so parents can work. Without access to safe affordable child care, parents may be unable to work or children may be left in unsafe situations. Nebraska took a step backwards in helping parents afford child care when eligibility for child care…...
