State Profile | Nebraska

The Afterschool Investments project has developed profiles for each state to provide a snapshot of the "state of afterschool," as well as an opportunity to compare afterschool activities across the country. This profile provides key data and descriptions of the afterschool landscape, which includes a range of out-of-school time programming that can occur before and after school, on weekends, and during summer months. It is designed to serve as a resource for policymakers, administrators, and providers.

• Quick Facts
• Statewide Initiatives
• Notable Local Initiatives
• Statewide Organizations
• Additional Resources
• Notes and Sources

Quick Facts

Demographics

For more demographic information, visit http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/statepro/index.html

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

CCDF Administrative Overview

Settings

Where CCDF-Subsidy school age-children are served:

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool

"Resource and referral and school-age" targeted funds:
Funds may be used for School Age Connections which is an online training for in-service credit. Funding is possible for professional development network to provide resources and technical assistance for school age care professional development therefore increasing the accessibility to meaningful training and support. Funds may also be used for Nebraska Community Learning Center Network which initiates partnerships that address a range of student, family, school and community needs in order to foster continual community/school partnerships.

Other quality activities:
Funds may be used for comprehensive consumer education, grants or loans to providers to assist in meeting State and local standards, and to monitor licensing and regulatory requirements. They may also be used for professional development, improving childcare providers’ salaries, activities promoting language, literacy, reading and math skills, activities promoting inclusive childcare, and for youth focused health programs.

Provider Reimbursement Rates

Tiered Reimbursement Rate System:
The Department pays a higher rate for programs that are accredited by state recognized accrediting bodies.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

Program Licensing Policies

Systems/Quality Supports

21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)

Return to top

Statewide Initiatives

• Nebraska Community Learning Center Network. The Network was launched in 2001 to provide state level support and advocacy for school-age afterschool programs across the state. A collaboration formed by the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation the Nebraska Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services, the Network leadership has grown to include representatives from the Early Childhood Training Center, the University of Nebraska / Lincoln, the Sherwood Foundation and the Lincoln and Omaha Community Learning Centers initiatives. With workgroups focusing on policy, partnerships and program quality the Network provides training, technical assistance, and outreach throughout the state. In 2003 and again in 2007, the Network received Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) dollars and grants from the C.S. Mott Foundation and other partners to support its activities. Currently the Network is partnering with the Early Childhood Training Center to develop core competencies for school-aged care providers. In 2009, the Network helped coordinate Nebraska’s Drop Out Prevention summit, supported by the America’s Promise Alliance. In 2009, the Network also launched a sustainability planning training program for out of school time program providers and community coalitions.
  
  
• Youth Development Collaboration Demonstration Project. The Nebraska Children and Families Foundation also administers a Positive Youth Development State and Local Collaboration grant from the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the U.S. Administration for Children and Families. One of the programmatic goals of the project is increased opportunities for positive use of time, including safe places with structured activities during non-school hours and ongoing relationships with caring adults. The project has worked closely with the Governor, who has agreed to work with his Youth Advisory Council to further integrate youth development strategies into the work of agencies in his administration.
  
  
• Lincoln Community Learning Centers Initiative. In 1998 and 2000, the Lincoln Public Schools Foundation teamed with Gallup to conduct interviews and focus groups to gauge public support for community learning centers (CLCs). When the assessment showed strong support for the community learning center concept, the Lincoln Public Schools Foundation convened key business, government, and school leaders to move toward a community school initiative. This group formed the initiative’s Leadership Council, which is charged with guiding development and long-term financing. The initiative coordinates various State and Federal youth development funding streams that support these school-based programs for low income students. Lincoln’s CLC initiative also supports community development and parent involvement activities at its school-based centers. Work at the neighborhood and center level is overseen by School Neighborhood Advisory Councils (SNACs), which include parents, youth, neighborhood residents, educators, community-based organizations, and service providers who reflect the uniqueness and diversity of the surrounding neighborhood. Over the past decade this city-wide initiative has expanded to provide services in 23 high poverty schools in Lincoln and has won numerous national awards for the innovative leadership structure and diverse services provided. In 2009, the Lincoln CLC Initiative co-hosted, along with the Washington DC-based Coalition for Community Schools, a regional training workshop for communities interested in developing community-wide full service community school initiatives.
  
  
• Omaha’s Afterschool Initiatives. Over the past three years Omaha has taken significant strides in developing additional afterschool programming for school-aged youth. Building on a network of existing programs sponsored by both the Omaha Public Schools and community-based organizations, the Mayor’s office and leaders from the City’s philanthropic community created the Greater Omaha Afterschool Alliance to help provide guidance and support to afterschool program providers. These groups also collaborated to create a six school network of middle school learning centers in areas of the city that research by the University of Nebraska at Omaha indicated were poorly served. These programs combine federal funding from both the Mayor’s office and the school system with local private sector resources to initiate programs that respond to community needs. Over the past two years, Omaha also launched a significant new private sector lead initiative, termed Building Bright Futures, aimed at supporting increased collaboration between public, non-profit and private organizations to provide more opportunities for all Omaha youth to have the supports they need for success in school and in life.

Return to top

Statewide Organizations

National AfterSchool Association Affiliate:

Nebraska School Age Care Alliance
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
PO Box 98933
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: 402-471-9274
Email: Marvie.Sullivan@hhss.state.ne.us

Statewide Child Care Resource & Referral Network:

Midwest Child Care Association
5015 Dodge Street, Suite 2
Omaha, NE 68132
Phone: 402-558-6794
Fax: 402-551-7198
Web: http://www.childcarene.org

Statewide Afterschool Network:

Nebraska Community Learning Center Network/
Nebraska Children and Families Foundation
215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 200           
Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: 402-477-6422
Web: www.NebraskaChildren.org

Return to top

Additional Resources

State Child Care Administrators:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=ccdf

State TANF Contacts:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/states/tanf-dr.htm

21st Century Community Learning Centers Contacts:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/contacts.html

Return to top

Notes and Sources

Demographics

Total population, 2008: Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008, U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of children ages 5-12, 2008: Estimates of the Resident Population by Single-Year of Age and Sex for the United States and States: July 1, 2007, U.S. Census Bureau.

Percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch rate, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Note: Most recent data.

Percent of K-12 students in Title I "schoolwide" schools, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Schools enrolling at least 40 percent of students from poor families are eligible to use Title I funds for schoolwide programs that serve all children in the school. Note: Most recent data.

Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the largest federal funding source for child care. States receive a funding allocation determined by formula and have broad flexibility to design programs that provide child care subsidies for low-income children under the age of 13 and to enhance the quality of child care for all children. Federal CCDF funding consists of mandatory, matching, and discretionary funds. Federal law requires that states spend at least 4 percent of their CCDF funds as well as additional targeted funds on activities to improve the quality and availability of child care. CCDF administrative data in this and the following sections is from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Care Bureau, as reported by States, unless otherwise noted.

FFY09 CCDF Allocation: Funding allocations are based on appropriation and do not reflect any reallotted or redistributed funds that may occur at a later date.

FFY09 state MOE plus match: In order to receive Federal matching funds, a state must expend Maintenance of Effort funds. Note that this does not capture actual expenditures, only the minimum required to draw down all available federal funds.

FFY09 Tribal CCDF Allocation: Federal CCDF Funds are awarded directly to Federally-recognized Indian Tribes.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funding: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) appropriates an additional $2 billion in one-time CCDF Discretionary funding available to State, Territory and Tribal Lead Agencies in FY09 as part of the economic stimulus package.

FFY07 total quality expenditures: This data includes FY07 and prior year funds expended for quality from each of the CCDF funding streams (mandatory, matching, and discretionary) and expenditures under targeted funds for infant and toddler, school-age care and resource and referral. This figure provides information obtained from state financial reports submitted for FY07.

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool: Portions of CCDF discretionary funds are targeted specifically for resource and referral and school-age child care activities as well as for quality expansion. (These funds are in addition to the required 4 percent minimum quality expenditure.)

Maximum rate for school-age category: Rates are listed for center-based care, family child care, and license exempt programs; where rates vary by region or county, the rate for the most populated urban area is given.

Standardized monthly school-age rate: Monthly rate for a child, age 8, in care after school during the school year at a center in the most costly district for four hours per day, 20 days per month. Calculated (in the lowest tier of a tiered system) using information from the FY2008-2009 State CCDF Plan, including rate structures, as submitted to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

Separate subsidy rates for different age ranges and Tiered Reimbursement Rate Systems: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Care Bureau. Report of State Plans FY2008-2009.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/2007/tanf_2007.html.

Program Licensing and Accreditation Policies

States with separate school-age licensing standards and states with specialized requirements for child care centers serving school-age children: National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) and National Association for Regulatory Administration, 2007 Child Care Licensing Study, see: http://www.naralicensing.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=160.

Ratio of children to adults in school-age setting: Data from the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), available at: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov.

School-based, school-age programs exempt from licensing: Research conducted by Afterschool Investments, March 2008.

Systems/Quality Supports

School-age credential: NCCIC, State Professional Development System Credentials for Individuals, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/pd-credentials.html.

Statewide quality rating system: NCCIC, Quality Rating Systems: Definitions and Statewide Systems, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/qrs-defsystems.html.

Statewide afterschool network: National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks, see: http://www.statewideafterschoolnetworks.net/.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is a state formula grant. Funds flow to states based on their share of Title I, Part A funds. Data from the U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers Office and the 21st CCLC Profile and Performance Information Collection System as of July 2009.

Return to top

The Child Care Bureau awarded a technical assistance contract to The Finance Project for the Afterschool Investments project. The goals of the Afterschool Investments project include:

• Identifying ways that state and communities are using Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidy and quality dollars to support out-of-school time programs, and sharing these practices and approaches with other states;
• Identifying administrative and implementation issues related to CCDF investments in out-of-school time programs, and providing information and context (about barriers, problems, opportunities) as well as practical tools that will help CCDF administrators make decisions; and
• Identifying other major programs and sectors that are potential partners for CCDF in supporting out-of-school time programs and providing models, strategies, and tools for coordination with other programs and sectors.

Contact Us:

Email:
afterschool@financeproject.org

Web:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/

The Finance Project
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-587-1000
Web: www.financeproject.org

The Afterschool Investments project’s State Profiles are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of noteworthy State and local initiatives across the country. Inclusion of an initiative in the Profiles does not represent an endorsement of a particular policy or practice.