Communities for Kids and Nebraska Children and Families Foundation
provide the Core Community Team and the greater community background
information on the child care industry along with other resources that
help center the conversation around the importance of brain development
in children, as well as child care’s link to strong communities.
Detailed demographic information is prepared along with relevant
information that highlights the strengths and gaps of the community
related to early childhood. The community then identifies innovative
solutions to address challenges, and these strategies, combined with
local research and assessment, are included in a customized Community
Plan. The community also receives technical support, business modeling,
leadership and policy training, and ongoing project implementation
supports.
Communities that are invited to participate in Communities for Kids can expect the following:
Events that educate community members about the link between
quality child care, rural economic development, and viable communities
The Core Community Team will increase their capacity to drive
change by identifying resources and focusing their efforts on
innovations that make a difference in the quality and supply of child
care
A thorough assessment and analysis of the current child care supply
and demand, as well as evaluation of community factors impacting the
local child care supply
Access to Nebraska Children’s expertise, resources, and tools, including research and financial modeling
Connection to early childhood experts in a wide range of topics
A Community Plan that includes innovative solutions generated by
the community through a facilitated discussion and assessment process
Support and business improvement services to existing family child care providers and child care centers
The Core Team, identified in the community’s application, is a
core group of local leaders who become champions of child care as an
economic development strategy. These community leaders will receive
specific training and technical assistance throughout the process from
Nebraska Children. The Core Team will provide leadership to identify
solutions to the community’s child care challenges.
How does the greater community participate?
Through
demonstration and guided support, Nebraska Children prepares the Core
Team to talk about the child care needs in the community through crafted
presentations tailored for different audiences, such as with businesses
and in the greater community. One of the keystone activities of the
overall effort is a community meeting to discuss the identified needs
for child care in the community and lead the discussion on specific
action outcomes the community chooses to pursue.
While the broader conversation around child care needs continues,
Nebraska Children and other early childhood and business experts will
work directly with local child care centers and family child care
providers on their business needs. This could include a one-year
subscription to Early Childhood Exchange, web-based early childhood
resources, and one-on-one individualized consultation to identify needs
to help support long-term sustainability efforts and profitability of
their programs.
How can my community get involved?
The
Communities for Kids initiative is based on the fundamental idea that
thriving communities are greater than their current challenges. By
mobilizing and coming together around a current issue, analyzing data,
and understanding the community’s needs, a community action plan can
steer the core leadership group to the right-sized solution.