Katie Bass is the Policy Research Manager for First Five Nebraska where she leads the organization’s efforts to provide policy makers and the public with the information they need to understand and address Nebraska’s early childhood system. Her recent work includes evaluating the impact of expanded subsidy eligibility, assessing the economic impact of lack of adequate child care on Nebraska’s economy and understanding the costs of high-quality child care and what that means for Nebraska’s child care providers and working families. Katie is a McCook native who received an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a B.A. from Hastings College. She currently co-chairs the Nebraska Early Childhood Data Coalition and is a member of the UNK KNEW Advisory Board.