Blog

Thanks for helping make 2016 a great year to be a kid in Nebraska.

The numbers don’t lie. This year, Nebraska received a 9th place ranking of best state to be a kid.

We’re proud of the ranking, but we’re aiming to be the best. Thanks to your ongoing support, here’s how we worked toward that goal in 2016:

Thorough Research

We shared and collected data to better understand how our kids are doing and where we are failing to meet their needs.

• The 23rd annual Kids Count in Nebraska Report paid special attention to barriers in access to opportunities for Nebraska Children of Color.
• We released three briefs on juvenile justice issues:
  • Data Snapshot: Kindergarten Court
  • Juvenile Injustice: Access to Counsel across Nebraska
  • Detained: Nebraska’s Problem with Juvenile Incarceration
• Voices staff embarked on a tour of Western Nebraska to better understand the needs of children in all parts of the state.

Skilled Advocacy

We put data into action by telling the story of Nebraska kids to our state’s leaders.

• With the hard work of our policy coordinators and staff during the legislative session, we celebrated 5 victories for kids in 2016.
• We released our Pro-Kid Policy Plan – focusing on the areas of child welfare, health, economic stability, and juvenile justice.

Engaging the Community

We frequently called upon community partners to help us highlight issues that affect Nebraska children and families.

• Voices co-hosted a screening of the documentary Prison Kids, proving that we can do better than incarceration when it comes to giving kids a second chance to succeed.
• We discussed the high cost of being poor in Nebraska, a state with an extremely high rate of small debt lawsuits.
• The issue of payday lending was pushed to the forefront with a screening of The Ordinance.
• We honored those who’ve made a lasting impact on the well-being of kids at the Spotlight Gala.
• We helped cultivate the next generation of advocates with our first youth policy fellowship program in partnership with Boys Town.

What’s Next

We look forward to many more victories for kids in 2017. As part of our ongoing priorities, we will continue working to ensure that:

• nearly 1/3 of our state’s kids who rely on Medicaid continue to have access to health care,
• kids in our juvenile justice system have meaningful access to counsel, and
• children of incarcerated parents have the support they need to thrive.

We are thrilled to continue this work, but we can’t do it alone. The holidays are a time of reflection and giving. As the end of the year approaches, we want to thank all of you who helped us make a difference for Nebraska kids.

With your support, we can continue working to make Nebraska the best place to be a kid. Help us ensure the success of Nebraska’s future. Donate to Voices for Children today.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Thank you to taking the time to share!