Nebraska Children and Families Foundation

10/08/2026

The Winter Wonderland Reunion is coming! ❄️

Join us Saturday, January 23, at Camp Shiloh for winter games, creative activities, hot chocolate, s'mores and sibling time.

Register today: bit.ly/CCUWinter2027

10/06/2026

Thank you, Governor Pillen and Lt. Governor Joe Kelly, for proclaiming October 22 as Lights On Afterschool Day in Nebraska!

Afterschool and summer programs give kids "real relationships, real experiences, and real places to belong. They keep young people safe, engaged, and seen during those crucial hours." – Dr. Alison O'Toole, Beyond School Bells

But 4 in 5 Nebraska kids who want to join a program don't have access. Demand is high and support is strong. What's missing is sustainable investment. From Omaha to Scottsbluff, let's keep the lights on for Nebraska's students.

10/02/2026

Our Sixpence Fall Conference has kicked off in Kearney! Attendees were welcomed by Stephanie Renn and the entire Sixpence team. Sixpence Board Chair Eric Buchanan also presented opening remarks. “You’re doing amazing work and we all need to make sure more people know about it.”

10/01/2026

Proud to be at this year’s Get Connected Conference!

Nebraska Children’s Beyond School Bells team showed up to help shine a spotlight on why afterschool programs matter so much for Nebraska kids and their families.

These programs aren’t just “extra” — they give students a safe place to learn and grow after the school day.

And we’re especially grateful for the dedicated professionals who make it happen.

09/29/2026

Meta has agreed to pay over $17 billion dollars to 47 states to settle claims that they misled the public about their platform's safety, and exposed young people to serious mental health harms.

That means that right now, all across the country, states are making key decisions about what to do with these record-breaking funds.

The settlement names afterschool programs as one of the recommended uses to repair harm, and we obviously agree. Afterschool and summer programs offer a perfect antidote to social media harms, providing kids with a safe place to connect, explore, and grow.

As a founding member of the Fund IRL coalition, we’re working to ensure that these funds are going toward on-the-ground programs and organizations that support the mental health, safety, well-being, and positive development of young people. We urge state officials to seize this opportunity to make a big investment in the health and safety of millions of young people.

Read more about the opportunity: https://bit.ly/46Pfejg
And more about Fund IRL: https://bit.ly/4xL47mu

09/29/2026

💙 Let’s keep the momentum going to help every student in Nebraska stay connected, engaged, and on track!
👉 Explore resources, tools, and strategies from the Nebraska Department of Education to help support improved attendance all year long:
Chronic Absenteeism – Nebraska Department of Education: https://tinyurl.com/4m3bnbek

09/25/2026

Our own Dr. Joe DiCostanzo and Saul Valdez of the American Institute for Boys and Men discuss a solution to Nebraska's workforce gaps in teaching and nursing and how Nebraska Children, along with other partners, are working to address it - but how everyone can play a role.

https://bit.ly/4rvZyuB

Walk into a nursing program or a teacher-prep classroom, and you’ll notice the same thing: almost no men. That’s a missed opportunity Nebraska can’t afford.

09/25/2026

Nebraska Children and Families Foundation is looking for a Principal Researcher, Education to help with our statewide early literacy initiative.

You'll play a key role in our U.S. Dept. of Education grant, helping to scale Nebraska Growing Readers Plus — a research-backed book distribution and family/teacher literacy program reaching communities across Nebraska. As Project Director on the grant, this position requires developing and managing a multi-year portfolio of contracts, budgets, and tasks. This position provides leadership to internal project staff and supports collaboration among internal staff, contracted research and implementation partners, and NDE to co-design and implement NGR+.

Learn more and apply now: https://bit.ly/4rpcum1

09/24/2026

The 2026 Get Connected Conference is nearly here! Nebraska Children and our Beyond School Bells team are proud to be part of this event to lift up afterschool programs and the dedicated professionals who serve Nebraska's students!

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