Sixpence Early Learning Fund Board of Trustees Adds Lameakia Collier and Lindsey Stevens

LINCOLN, NE – January 6, 2026 – Lameakia Collier and Lindsey Stevens have been announced as new members of the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska Early Childhood Education Endowment Fund, better known as Sixpence.

• Lameakia Collier is the Chief Operating Officer of Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative where she ensures sustainable operational excellence, provides internal leadership, and maximizes organizational impact as a strategic advisor and functional expert.
• Lindsey Stevens is the President of the Don C. Scott Family Foundation, which strives to make an impact throughout Nebraska by providing opportunity for all people to live happy, productive and rewarding lives.

The Sixpence Board of Trustees is comprised of six members, including the Commissioner of Education (represented by proxy), the Director of Health and Human Services (represented by proxy), and four Governor-appointed members, two of whom are early childhood professionals (1 urban and 1 rural).

Sixpence provides funds and technical guidance to high-quality early childhood programs that address the unique needs of children from prenatal to age 3, focusing particularly on services for infants and toddlers who are most likely to encounter challenges to their healthy physical, cognitive and social development, putting them at risk of struggling in school and life.

The prenatal months to age 3 are a crucial period in which children are extremely vulnerable and receptive to both positive and negative experiences that can dramatically affect brain development, skill formation, emotional well-being, and physiological health. Sixpence works to support:

1. Maternal wellness during the prenatal months
2. Safe and nurturing relationships for infants and toddlers
3. Stimulating early learning experience.

Sixpence was established in 2006 when major state agencies and private philanthropy came together to create an endowment providing sustainable funding for high-quality early learning opportunities targeting Nebraska's youngest children at risk. Highlights include:

• A governor-appointed Board of Trustees.
• Award of the endowment's investment earnings to community-based early learning partnerships through a competitive grant process.
• The grant process is managed by Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, which also provides specialized guidance to promote program quality.
• Based on Sixpence's success, the State Legislature has twice approved additional investments of public funds to reach more of Nebraska's youngest children.

For more information about the Sixpence Early Learning Fund and to read its latest evaluation report, visit www.singasongofsixpence.org.

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ABOUT THE NEBRASKA EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ENDOWMENT FUND:

Since the 2006 enactment of the Nebraska Early Childhood Education Endowment Fund by Nebraska policymakers and the voting public, Sixpence has become a nationally recognized model for creative, bipartisan collaboration between legislators, state agencies, and a broad array of stakeholders at the state and local levels to ensure the healthy development of our youngest children at risk.