EARLY CHILDHOOD RESOURCES
The following organizations provide resources and services to children 0-8 and their families:
Child Abuse: Resources for reporting child abuse and information
Child &Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): Provides nutritious meals and snacks served to eligible children in child care centers, family day care homes, and outside-school-hours centers
Early Childhood Training Center (ECTC): Provides support and training to staff working with young children and their families, and serves as a resource to parents and families.
Early Learning Connection Partnerships (ELC): Building an effective, coordinated system for preparing, supporting and recognizing the early childhood care and education workforce in order to provide high quality programs for young children and their families.
Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary: This glossary is being made available by NAEYC and NACCRRA. The glossary is intended to serve as a guide for states to adapt and adjust as needed to meet their specific needs. The definitions are also designed to provide common understandings, or starting points, for research and national or cross-state discussions. The glossary is available at www.naeyc.org/GlossaryTraining_TA.pdf
Educational Service Units (ESU) -These facilities provide resources for children with disabilities and their families.
Health and Human Services System (HHSS) – Nebraska Health and Human Service System
- Licensing Requirements: HHSS is responsible for monitoring and support for licensed early childhood programs. Liecenses are available for Family Child Care Homes I & II, Child Care Centers, and Preschools.
- Child Care Subsidy: HHS provides financial assistance with child care expenses.
- Child Care Grants: Three different grants are available through HHSS: The ChildCare Grant Fund, Emergency Mini-Grants, and the Legally Exempt Grant Fund. These are available on a limited basis for minor building improvements, equipment to meet licensing guidelines and supplies
- (The Nebrska Department of Health and Human Services Website has updated their software – the provided link will give you a spreadsheet showing the “before and after list” of the addresses/URL’s so you can more easily find the pages you frequent or link to: DHHS Public Website Before and After URL Change List)
Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO): Developed to help build early childhood systems and support for all low income children and to encourage collaboration between Head Start and other programs.
Kids Connection: A state children’s health insurance program (SCHIP) developed as an extension of Medicaid in Nebraska. Its purpose is to provide health care to low-income uninsured children.
Licensed Child Care: This link will take you to a roster of the Licensed Child Care and Preschool programs in Nebraska.
Mourning Hope: Mourning Hope is a grief support network for children, teens, young adults and their families who have experienced the serious illness or death of someone special to them.
Munroe Meyer Institute (MMI): Specializing in working with persons with genetic disorders and developmental disabilities. The focus areas are education, research, training, and clinical services.
Nebraska Department of Education (NDE): Dedicated to serving Nebraska schools and communities with resources and information
Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition (NDVSAC): A statewide advocacy organization dedicated to the prevention and elimination of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking that provides information, support, and guidance through training and technical assistance.
Nebraska Family Child Care Association (NFCCA): Child care professionals dedicated to promoting quality child care.
Nebraska Head Start Association (NeHSA): Improving, maintaining, and enhancing Head Start quality to ensure children and families have an opoprtunity for success.
Planning Region Teams: 28 teams providing services and information about and for young children with disabilities and their families.
Prevent Child Abuse Nebraska (PCAN): Building a statewide coalition of individuals, businesses, agencies, organizations and communities committed to preventing and eliminating child abuse and neglect.
See To Learn - a pre-school eye care program that offers free vision assessments for 3 year olds by participating Doctors of Optometry.
Southeast Early Childhood Professional Development Partnership Newsletter- December 2010
Visinet, Inc. – is a family centered, home based, human services agency dedicated its resource to empowering individuals to achieve self-sufficiency by overcoming barriers to their healthy functioning. Visinet, Inc. has developed a continuum of care to assist clients with diverse needs.
Voices for Children: An independent, nonprofit orgnanizaiton committed to advocating for the best intersts of children and equipping parents, professionals and volunteers to effectively meet the deepest needs of Nebraska’s children.