Loup Valley Childhood Initiative has recently been awarded a contract through Nebraska Children and Families Foundation to fund hiring an Early Childhood Community Coordinator as well as dollars to implement resources and education materials. This project is part of Nebraska Children’s Communities for Kids Plus initiative that seeks to engage closely with communities across Nebraska in improving the state’s early childhood landscape. Funding comes from Nebraska’s Preschool Development Grant. The coordinator will help align all local early childhood efforts to ensure the best possible outcome for children, families, and child care professionals in Valley County, with outreach to Greeley and Sherman Counties.
Communities for Kids Plus aims to build local early childhood infrastructure by developing and supporting all types of childcare providers and focusing on increasing quality, availability, affordability, and access to early childcare and education in Nebraska.
Loup Valley Childhood Initiative is thrilled to announce Katie Walmsley as their new Coordinator. Katie has already begun making connections with area childcare providers and other professionals in Valley County to assist LVCI in improving the area’s early childcare landscape.
In support of this contract, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation staff will provide assistance and expertise to:
• engage stakeholders in identifying the strengths and gaps of the current early care and education resources in the community;
• use informed decision-making to determine strategies for meeting the priority needs identified by the community and creating a business plan if needed;
• connect the coordinator and community with experts and research, best practices, implementation, quality measurements, financing, use of government/public resources, and design
• explore and assist the coordinator and community with applying for all available sources of funding (private/public grants, public funding programs such as childcare subsidy, no- or low-interest loans, etc.).
ABOUT THE PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANT BIRTH-FIVE:
In 2020, Nebraska DHHS received an award of $8.9M each year for three years for Preschool Development Grant Birth-Five (PDG) Renewal Grant. This federal grant encourages states to focus on five major activities including: aligning existing programs, maximizing parental choice, building on the success of existing programs, fostering partnerships among stakeholders, and leveraging data for continued improvement. This funding offers unique opportunities for states to consider the full range of programs, services, and funding streams that support children birth through age five and their families and empowers states to improve their systems. Learn more at www.NebraskaPDG.org
Nebraska Children and Families Foundation invests in children from birth to young adulthood with initiatives that are focused on preventing negative life outcomes. Nebraska Children does this by building strong communities that support families so their children can grow up to be thriving, productive adults. By working with community partners to understand the risks facing children at every stage of their development, Nebraska Children can identify the most effective avenues to create positive change and help Nebraska’s most vulnerable citizens reach their full potential. To learn more about Nebraska Children’s work, visit www.NebraskaChildren.org.