Thank you to State Senator Rob Dover for inviting FFN's Jodi-Renee Girón and Mike Feeken to join the childcare conversation at Northeast Community College in Norfolk on Saturday. Bringing together District 19 providers and stakeholders is a vital step toward addressing local childcare challenges and strengthening northeast Nebraska’s early childhood landscape. We appreciate Senator Dover’s commitment to this conversation! #ChildCare #Nebraska @robertdover

Folks in the Norfolk area: State Senator Rob Dover is holding a community conversation about #ChildCare on Saturday, 10/24, starting at 9 a.m. FFN is a sponsor of this event, along with Norfolk Family Coalition, Norfolk Area Childcare and Northeast Community College. We hope to see you there! #Nebraska

A landmark new report released by First Five Nebraska yesterday, “Growing with Care: Child Care and Economic Opportunity in Lancaster County,” reveals staggering numbers: Inadequate childcare costs Lincoln and Lancaster County $288.8 million in business output and $264.2 million in lost labor income annually. Report author Dr. Katie Bass, Director of Policy Research at Early Futures Partnership, which includes First Five Nebraska, emphasized that turning these numbers around will require a balanced strategy. "Strengthening the childcare system will require data-driven solutions that take access, affordability and quality into account in equal measure," said Bass. She noted that the report was produced by bringing together the childcare industry, the broader business community, the city and the county, demonstrating that area leaders are ready to take action. #ChildCare @LincolnChamber @LancasterCo_Ne @CityOfLincoln @LincolnLittles Learn more: loom.ly/z-qvEOY

"Lincoln's economy is suffering—to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars—as a result of an inadequate childcare system, and a new report digs into why that's the case. Katie Bass, co-author of 'Growing with Care' by First Five Nebraska, said it's time to find data-informed solutions to the childcare crisis. 'Not only is there a cost to action, there's a cost to inaction...If the system cannot meet the needs, our economy will suffer overall.' " journalstar.com/news/local/e…

Thank you to the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, City of Lincoln, Lancaster County and Lincoln Littles for hosting the release of "Growing with Care: Child Care and Economic Opportunity in Lancaster County" today. FFN's new report examines childcare in our area and the impact of inadequate care options for local families, businesses and communities. The findings are clear: Investing in childcare solutions is essential for building a stronger workforce and economy. Learn more: bit.ly/4siDvbd #ChildCare #Nebraska @LincolnChamber @LancasterCo_Ne @CityOfLincoln @MayorLeirion @SeanRFlowerday @LincolnLittles

New polling conducted on behalf of First Five Nebraska and the First Five Years Fund highlights an overwhelming bipartisan consensus: Childcare is a critical workforce and economic issue in Nebraska, and voters want action. Key takeaways from the poll: 73% say childcare is a crisis or major problem for working families. 76% support a state child tax credit, with 74% backing an expanded credit for families with children ages birth to age 5. 70% agree that expanding access to childcare directly strengthens Nebraska's workforce and economy. Strong bipartisan support continues for Head Start and the federal Child Care Modernization Act. Learn more in our blog post and click the Nebraska Polling Memo link for additional polling results: loom.ly/nKeVFJA To find all our blog posts at our new online home at earlyfutures.org, click on the News tab top right on the home page. #ChildCare #Nebraska #HeadStart

A special thank you to former State Senator Annette Dubas for delivering the keynote on the power of grassroots advocacy at this year's Policy Leadership Academy kickoff! With a passion for public service, Dubas previously served as the first executive director of the Nebraska Association of Behavioral Health Organizations. Today she continues her work as the central Nebraska director of programming for NAMI Nebraska, where she champions education, support and advocacy for individuals and families navigating mental health conditions. @NebraskaNAMI #Nebraska #NEleg

The 8th cohort of the Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy (PLA) kicked off in Kearney this week! Over the next five months, these emerging leaders will build their skills in grassroots advocacy, early childhood policy and leadership. Day One covered the roots and cycle of effective advocacy, how to build momentum for early childhood issues and how to research, interpret and use local data in their advocacy work. Huge thanks to our first-session speakers: Jodi-Renee Girón, PLA coordinator and FFN's grassroots and advocacy advisor; Dr. Katie Bass, director of policy research at Early Futures Partnership; Annette Dubas, former state senator and central Nebraska director of programming for @NebraskaNAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness); and Maddie Gates, community engagement lead at @LincolnLittles. #PLA #NECLeaders #Nebraska @earlyfutures