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HARTINGTON — Across the country there is an urgent need for quality early care and education for our littlest learners.
Ninety-one percent of counties in Nebraska do not have enough licensed childcare slots to meet current demand and 10 counties do not have any licensed childcare programs. The childcare and education crisis is hurting families, employers, and Nebraska’s reputation as a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
Recently at the Thriving Children, Families, and Communities Conference in Kearney, attendees were encouraged to stop admiring the problem of Nebraska’s early childhood education crisis and instead find solutions to an ongoing issue that’s only getting worse in the state. One solution in helping to solve Nebraska’s early childhood education crisis is to promote opportunities in the early childhood workforce.
If you are considering a rewarding career as a family childcare business owner or you are an existing unlicensed family care program seeking to receive a state childcare license, Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative (NECC) has a tool to help you.
Through the Licensing Toolkit, NECC provides resources, materials, guidance, and support to help unlicensed and potential providers fulfill state licensing requirements, meet health and safety standards, and become a part of a professional network for family childcare business owners, all at no cost.
The Licensing Toolkit includes:
• A comprehensive Licensing Guidebook with state licensing application materials.
• Health and safety supplies required for licensing.
• Quality enhancement materials such as developmentally appropriate toys and picture books aligned with Nebraska’s Early Learning Guidelines and Family Childcare Environmental Rating Scales.
• Resources for enhancing health and safety practices, information on state-required professional development, and community connections for families and programs.
One of the unique aspects that the Licensing Toolkit offers is a mentorship program with a Quality Childcare Specialist. A Partner Mentor is available to offer guidance and support all the way through securing an operational childcare license. There are 11 Licensing Toolkit Partner Mentors across the state. Jackie Steffen, Nebraska Extension Early Childhood Educator, is a Partner Mentor serving northeast Nebraska. She is currently working with two Licensing Toolkit family childcare participants and is willing to assist others.
The ultimate goal of the Licensing Toolkit program is to support and empower licensed business owners and child educators so they can provide quality care for the families and communities they serve. If you are interested in learning more about the Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative Licensing Toolkit program, monthly orientation meetings are held virtually on Zoom the last Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. To register for the orientation meeting, email [email protected] or call Michelle Swanson, Family Childcare Network Specialist at NECC at (531) 999-3939.
More information regarding the Licensing Toolkit can be found at toolkit.nebraskaearly. org/learn-more/.
