Preschool Development Grant. Please continue to follow the PDG Newsletter for updates on
progress and achievements.
Strategic Plan Update
The Nebraska Early Childhood Strategic Plan is designed to create a more integrated system of
early childhood services for children and their families so that families can access quality early
care and education as well as other essential services to help their young children thrive.
Success in building an integrated early care and education system that provides quality care to
each child depends on coordination of community-level and statewide resources, requiring
strong relationships and effective communication among stakeholders representing all sectors
of the system.
One of the values that guides the strategic planning process is “Community Leadership and
Collaboration.” Each community across Nebraska has a unique set of characteristics, strengths,
and challenges. Community members and leaders are the experts in what is happening in and
what will work for their people.
As stakeholder engagement continues in 2021, the team looks forward to talking with
community leaders, including families and early childhood educators, to identify strategies and
action plans that support the needs of children and families. Through these conversations,
Nebraska communities will ensure that their priorities for improving access to quality early
childhood services are reflected in the strategic plan.
In the end, creating an effective early childhood system is a shared responsibility. Everyone
(parents, early childhood professionals, schools, businesses, community leaders, state agencies,
nonprofit organizations, and elected officials) has a vested interest in supporting the healthy
development and learning of each child. Working together, a comprehensive strategic plan will
be created that represents the diverse voices in communities across the state and provides
Nebraska with shared goals and priorities for action.
See the Nebraska Early Childhood Strategic Plan and other supporting materials.
For questions about the Strategic Plan contact Susan Sarver.
Needs Assessment
Update
The Needs Assessment team is working to
capture additional data about the needs and
concerns of Nebraska's most
underrepresented and underserved families.
Currently, the groundwork is being laid to
train facilitators to conduct a series of family
focus groups. Partners have identified from
community organizations to support
identifying, recruiting, and facilitating focus
groups with vulnerable families across
Nebraska. Although delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the team is elated to be
working with our community partners on this
collaborative approach and coordinated effort
to better understand families' perspectives