Get Your 2023 Kids Count in Nebraska Reports! We had a great turnout this week at events in Lincoln and Omaha to release the 2023 Kids Count in Nebraska Report. The commentary section in this year’s report underscores the challenges families face in accessing quality and affordable childcare across the state. The report highlights the increasing difficulty for Nebraska families in accessing licensed childcare, with a notable 17% decline in the number of licensed childcare facilities statewide from 2020 to 2022. Moreover, the capacity of licensed childcare facilities to accommodate children under the age of 6 across Nebraska's 93 counties reveals concerning gaps. Nine counties – Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Hayes, Keya Paha, Logan, McPherson, Sioux, and Thomas – lacked any licensed childcare facilities as of 2022. Additionally, 23 counties failed to meet at least 50% of the county's childcare needs and 6% of Nebraska families with children ages birth to five experienced job disruptions in 2020–21 due to childcare challenges. Even when childcare is available, the financial burden strains family budgets. In 2021, the median cost of center-based childcare for one infant in Nebraska amounted to $11,068, consuming 10% of the average married couple's income and 33% of a single mother's income in the state. “A growing portion of money earned by families at work is going toward childcare expenses,” said Josh Shirk, research coordinator at Voices for Children in Nebraska. “And yet, paradoxically, despite the high cost of childcare, the many dedicated childcare workers are not paid well and are struggling to stay on the job, jeopardizing both the accessibility and quality of care children receive.” The commentary makes policy recommendations to ease the cost burden for families while promoting greater accessibility and quality care, including expanding access to the childcare subsidy, enhancing tax credits for working families with young children in care, and targeting investments in quality granting and educator incentives. KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to track the status of children in the United States utilizing the best available data. Key indicators measure the education, social, economic, and physical well-being of children. The Kids Count in Nebraska Report, produced annually, provides pertinent information on the well-being of children in areas of health, education, economic stability, child welfare and juvenile justice. "One of our values is information: we strongly believe that you need reliable data to know where you are, so you know where you need to go," said Juliet Summers, Executive Director of Voices for Children. "We are proud to be able to offer this free resource to individuals, communities, and policymakers alike so they can make decisions in the best interests of Nebraska children - and to have done so for over three decades now." If you'd like a hard copy of this year's report, please contact Josh, and he will get one to you! You can also access a pdf of the report on the front page of our website. |
