In Nebraska, as across the nation, early childhood care and education is represented by a complex array of programs and services carried out under varied sponsorship and in a wide diversity of settings. This variety and complexity has resulted from both the history of the field, as well as a patchwork of funding sources and mixed oversight. Early childhood programs are generally known as preschools, home- and-center based child care settings, Head Start, early intervention, and kindergarten/primary education.
Typically early childhood is defined as the period of a child's life from birth through age 8. School age care programs extend through age 12 and serve children during the hours around the school day. School age care may be included in a child care setting that also serves children in the early childhood years.
Quality early childhood care and education programs, school age care, and family education programs support parents as they carry out their critical role as children's earliest role models and teachers. Parents access these programs and services depending on their needs and those of their children. Commonly, parents choose to participate; 1) to provide opportunities for their children to interact and learn in a wider environment than the home; 2) to provide care and education for children while parents work; 3) to meet the special needs of children with disabilities; and/or 4) to enhance their parenting skills.
All programs that serve children in this age range include both care and education. The younger the child, the more elements of care and education are intertwined. While the primary motivation for placing a child in a child care setting may be the employment status of the parent, every setting is potentially a place for children to develop and learn. When parents place a child in a Head Start program or other part day preschool, the motivation is usually more overtly to extend the child's development and learning. The extent of children's development and learning in any setting is related to the quality of the setting--regardless of the sponsorship or name of the program.
There is considerable activity to improve the quality and availability of early childhood programs in Nebraska, however, the state faces challenges shared across the nation. Consider these facts:
Nebraska is among those Midwestern states which saw rapid development of kindergarten early in this century. Only one public school district was not providing kindergarten in 1987, when legislation was enacted to require it. It is also now unusual to find a nonpublic school which does not offer kindergarten and many also provide prekindergarten programs. Although the provision of full day, every day kindergarten is a well-established trend in other states, Nebraska schools were slower to respond. The 1990's did see a dramatic rise in full-day kindergarten. By 2002, approximately one fourth of districts offered full day kindergarten.
Head Start, a federally funded and administered program begun in 1965, provides comprehensive child development services to low income children and their families. In addition to early education, Head Start includes parent involvement and health and social services. Nebraska's 18 Head Start grantees serve approximately 4200 children. While the state has benefited from expansion monies in recent years, many areas of the state are still unserved and estimates are that only about a half of eligible 3- and 4-year-old children are currently served. Click link for Head Start.
The growth of private-sector child care and preschools has paralleled that of other areas of the country. Few such facilities existed prior to the 1960's, although the first law to regulate child care was passed in 1943. The entree of women into the work force in the latter third of the 20th century spurred the growth of child care centers and family child care in homes. The interest in early learning following the beginning of Head Start created the demand for part day preschools. It is rare to find a child care facility that does not advertise that the program attends to children's early education. Consequently, approximately three-fourths of Nebraska's children participate in some type of group program prior to entering kindergarten. The majority of this early childhood care and education is provided in private-sector child care homes and centers and part-day nurseries/preschools which must meet minimum licensing requirements administered by the Nebraska Department of Social Services.
In 1967, the Legislature amended Section 79-219 R.R.S., to permit school districts to expend local funds to support prekindergarten programs. Several districts did begin programs, most supporting them with federal funds. A few were operated on a fee-for-service basis through school districts' non-profit foundations. In 1987, Section 79-219 R.R.S. was again amended to make it clear that the school district could directly operate a fee-for-service program. Several new school-based prekindergarten programs have started within the past ten years. Again, the funding sources are mixed including fee-for-service, Title1, Head Start, Even Start, State General Funds, and/or local district funds.
In 1978, the Special Education statutes were amended to require school districts to provide services to children with disabilities from birth or date of diagnosis. Services began in the fall of 1979. The enactment of federal legislation enabling more family centered service approached to families of children with disabilities from birth to age 3 resulted in the passage of the Early Intervention Act in Nebraska in 1993. The Department of Social Service and Education act as co-leads in the administration of the Act. Families of young children with disabilities are thereby able to receive better coordinated and more comprehensive services. Click here for Early Development Network.
In 1988, the State Board of Education appointed task forces to develop quality early childhood program guidelines and to advise on program and policy initiatives. These task forces worked closely with the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee Task Force on Quality, Affordable and Accessible Child Care, the body which informed the development of LB 836, the Quality Child Care Act. The State Board of Education strengthened its commitment to services and to quality in November of 1989, when, in response to Goal 1 (Early Childhood) of the National Education Goals, it designated early childhood and parent education as a legislative and programmatic focus into the 90's; this emphasis continues to the present time.
The federal Child Care and Development Block Grant was enacted in the fall of 1990; it required each state to develop a plan for utilization of the allotted funds. The implementation of the federal legislation was guided by the Quality Child Care Act LB 836 enacted in the 1991 Nebraska Legislative Session.
Nebraska's plan for the implementation of the Child Care Development Block Grant complied with the federal regulations by distributing approximately two-thirds of the allotment through vouchers to parents for the purchase of child care services. A new sliding fee schedule was developed by the Department of Social Services to coordinate several child care funding streams and permit low income families to access Child Care Assistance.
The balance of Nebraska's share of the Block Grant has supported quality enhancement efforts through the Department of Social Services, the Department of Education and the Early Childhood Training Center These efforts have included the strengthening of child care licensing, the establishment of a process to recognize quality programs, and the coordination and enhancement of early childhood training efforts. This work has required considerable collaboration among programs and agencies; Nebraska's implementation plan also created several grant funds intended to expand the supply of child care services and to enhance the quality of early childhood care and education through staff development and the strengthening of existing programs.
Nebraska is making modest progress to expand and improve services on behalf of children and their families and to provide support to personnel in early childhood care and education settings. Resources must be found to ensure that all of Nebraska's children have the quality early care and learning settings that will offer them the best chance to reach their greatest potential. To do less is to ignore what we know about the potential of quality programs and services to greatly improve the life chances of children whose families choose to participate.
Office of Early Childhood
Nebraska Department of Education
301 Centennial Mall South, Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: 402-471-3184 Fax: 402-471-0117
Webmaster:
heidi.thomas@nebraska.gov