Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children, Inc.

Strengthening and supporting Nebraska’s early childhood community since 1976

Original art provided by children in T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA scholarship recipient classrooms

2010 Annual Report

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NEBRASKA AEYC

The Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children, Inc. is a state affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It began in 1976 and is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation which is led by a Board of Directors. Membership is open to anyone interested in supporting and promoting the mission of the organization. The membership fee includes membership in the local, state, regional, and national AEYC organizations.

To the members, friends and supporters of the

Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children, Inc.

We are pleased to provide this report and hope it will be of interest to you.

This past year has been a year of accomplishments and growth, as we added new projects and continued to provide high quality

in all of our programs and services.

We continue to direct our efforts and resources toward strengthening and supporting the early childhood community. Early childhood is a critical piece of

Nebraska’s infrastructure, and high quality early care and education is so important for Nebraska’s children, families, communities, and the state.

If you have any questions, please contact either: Dawn Mollenkopf, 308-865-8362, mollenkopfdl@unk.edu

Linda Zinke: 402-476-2089, lzinke@NebraskaAEYC.org

Dawn Mollenkopf, Board President Linda Zinke, Executive Director

NEBRASKA ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN

2010 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO CHILDREN AWARD

STEVE WILSON is currently Superintendent at Logan View Public School and served as Elementary Principal at Centura Public Schools for several years.

He has been a leader in collaboration to develop services for preschool children. He has served

on many committees, including the NE Association of Elementary School Principals, and Federal Relations Coordinator for the NE Council of School Administrators, as well as President of NeAEYC. In 2001, he received the National Distinguished Principal Award.

JESSIE RASMUSSEN is the Vice President of the Buffett Early Childhood Fund. She has served as a state senator, director of HHSS in Nebraska and Iowa, policy director at Nebraska Children & Families Foundation, and co-chair of the early childhood task force in the greater Metro area.

She has been a leader in advancing state and national early childhood policy and practice through collaboration. She led efforts to pass the constitutional amendment that established the Early Childhood Education Endowment Fund.

“Many things we need can wait...the child cannot. To them we cannot say tomorrow, their name is today.”

Gabriella Marella

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STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT

FEEDBACK

100% rated the Retreat Overall a 4 or 5, with 5

being Excellent.

Participant Quotes

Best Part of the Day

“Working teams—great enthusiasm”

“Networking, sharing information”

“Having young people involved all day”

“Great day for those of us that share early childhood

as a passion”

“Work teams—great to have the chance to

brainstorm and strategize”

PROJECTS

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA—

HHSS/NDE, Building Bright Futures, ARRA

Quality Enhancement Projects: Woods Charitable Fund (Lincoln) Building Bright Futures (Omaha) Infant-Toddler Quality Initiative (Lincoln) Coaching Centers—ARRA Coaching Family Child Care—ARRA

Accreditation Support Project

Community Collaboration Project: Community Services Init, Lincoln

Nature Explore™ Project

Fiscal Agent: Newborn Hearing Aid Loaner Bank

SERVICES

Advocacy & Public Awareness

Annual Report

Conferences and Conference Support

Chapter Development and Support

Legislative Breakfast

Quarterly Newsletter

Staff Training & Technical Asst

State website - www.NebraskaAEYC.org

Statewide Planning Retreat

Voice for Early Childhood

STRUCTURE OF NEBRASKA AEYC

Nebraska AEYC is a state affiliate of National AEYC, the largest early childhood association in the world. NeAEYC is structured as follows:

Two local affiliate chapters:

Lincoln AEYC: 163 members

Omaha AEYC: 189 members

Small chapters of the Nebraska AEYC:

Columbus Chapter of Nebraska AEYC: 12 members

Northeast Chapter of Nebraska AEYC: 12 members

Kearney Chapter of Nebraska AEYC: 17 members

Sarpy/Cass Chapter of Nebraska AEYC: 15 members

At-large members are unaffiliated with any chapter: 51 members

2010 STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT

The planning retreat was held in June at Mahoney State Park. The retreat was very well attended, with 45 people representing many organizations.

Four teams, a T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA team, an Advocacy/Public Awareness team, a Quality Initiatives team, and a Chapter Development team met and developed goals, including:

Meet with candidates and educate them about early childhood

Support student groups and recognize student leadership

Gather information on the early childhood workforce

Fill in gaps in services

General goal—search for additional funds to support high quality early care and education.

NEBRASKA ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

AWARDS As a new feature of the

Annual Planning Retreat, we recognized the

following two student leaders:

IVETTE PENA,

Southeast Community

College. Ivette is an

officer of the student group and

plans to continue her education.

MERCEDES SANCHEZ,

Metropolitan Community College.

Mercedes volunteers through service learning

and hopes one day to own a child care center.

“If you give me a fish you have fed me for a day. If you teach me to fish then you have fed me until the river is contaminated or the

shoreline seized for development. But if you teach me to organize, then when whatever the challenge, I can join

together with my peers and we will fashion our own solution.”

Barefoot Guide to Organization and Social Change

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T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA

Education

T.E.A.C.H. NEBRASKA offers scholarships for both Associate Degrees & Bachelor Degrees.

To help “bridge the gap” between the AAS degree and the university system, students can participate in a BA GAP Model, which allows them to continue at the community college while earning general education credits necessary to register as a junior.

For 2010:

20% of the students were working toward a Bachelor Degree

80% of the students were working toward an Associate Degree

In 2010, T.E.A.C.H. students earned:

1,625.5 semester credits

(For data purposes, quarter credits are converted

to semester credits)

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA

Studies of quality early childhood care and education programs indicate the best quality programs are those where staff are well educated and turnover is low. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® is designed to provide scholarship funds for those working with young children. Each scholarship addresses three key issues facing those in the early care and education field:

The education level of staff • High turnover rates • Low salaries

Nebraska became a “T.E.A.C.H. state” in 2001, and began providing scholarships in 2002. During 2010, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA served:

224 students in 47 counties

14% 2%

46%

2%

2%

1%

18%

7%

1%

7%

Colleges AttendedCentral Community College

Chadron State College

Metro Community College

Mid-Plains Community College

Northeast Community College

Peru State College

Southeast Community College

University of Nebraska- Kearney

Wayne State College

Western Nebraska Community College

T.E.A.C.H. NEBRASKA 2010 STATISTICS

7%

48%

45%

On Campus vs. Online

Other

On Campus

Online

Course Delivery Methods

The students access classes in a variety of methods. For the past year we have tracked this data. The “other” category includes: independent study, credit for experience, hybrid, other distance education classes.

T.E.A.C.H. .Early Childhood® NEBRASKA is fully enrolled for all scholarship models, in all funding sources. Although we continue to accept applications, approved

students are being placed on a waiting list until a scholarship becomes available. We are aggressively searching for additional funding.

Ethnicity American Indian 1% Asian 1% Other 1% Hispanic 9% African American 17% White 68%

Employment Positions Director Employee 3% Director Owner 5% Family Child Care 24% Teachers/Aide 68%

Employment Locations Public School 1% Faith Based 10% Head Start 14% Non Profit 20% For Profit 55%

Compensation The average salary in-crease for teachers was

just under 6%.

Students Participate in 12-month Contracts Contract #1 43% Contract #2 26% Contract #3 16% Contract #4 8% Contract #5 5% Contract #6 2% Contract #7 <1%

Student Grade Point Average:

3.67 (B+)

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T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Goethe

RECOGNITION

NeAEYC was recognized as the Service/Club/Volunteer Group of the Year at the 11th Annual Hunger & Homeless Recognition Event in Lincoln in November, 2010.

MISCELLANEOUS

LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST

This event was held in February in partnership with the Nebraska Head Start Association.

22 Senators/aides were in attendance in additional to Head Start Directors, NeAEYC staff and board members.

NeAEYC encouraged

voting during the

2010 elections.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA is a licensed program of Child Care Services Association

From a Family Child Care Provider:

“T.E.A.C.H. gave me the freedom to stand up for

what I believe in: excellent care for

children of all ages, the best in nutrition,

equitable salary, respect from other education

professionals, self-worth, & continuing education for myself in my field.”

CONGRATULATIONS 2010 GRADUATES!

8 Students completed Associate Degree

2 Students completed

Bachelor Degree

86% of T.E.A.C.H. Programs accept Child Care Subsidy

T.E.A.C.H. NEBRASKA 2010

HIGHLIGHTS

TOP TEN CLASSES T.E.A.C.H. STUDENTS TOOK IN 2010

1: Intro to Early Childhood Education

2: Observation, Assessment & Guidance

3: Preschool Child Development

4: Children with Exceptionalities

5: Family & Community Relations

6: Infant/Toddler Development & Care

7: School-Age Development & Care

8: Pre-Practicum Seminar

9: Language & Literacy

10: Expressive Arts

Funding For T.E.A.C.H. Early

Childhood® NEBRASKA

Nebraska Health and Human Services System

Nebraska Department of Education

Building Bright Futures Foundation

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act

Private donations

The average turnover rate for T.E.A.C.H.

Nebraska students is

less than 5%

Wise Kids Child Care Center is located just off Sorenson Parkway in North Omaha. The facility is licensed to care for 90 children, ages 6 weeks to 12 years.

Six of their staff are participating in T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA through the Building Bright Futures Project and have taken 92 semester credits.

Director Colleen Imlay said, “T.E.A.C.H. benefits everyone. The employer benefits, we benefit, and the children benefit.”

Teacher Shanita Shine said, “T.E.A.C.H. helps me to reach my educational goals without the financial woes.”

Sonya, Shanita, Tiaira, Colleen, and Toneika

Program Spotlight

NeAEYC & TECHNOLOGY

In addition to a popular website (about 1,500

visits a month), NeAEYC began distributing the

newsletter electronically this year,

and set up a Facebook

page.

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QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS

ACCREDITATION

# of Accredited Centers in Nebraska:

2007: 112 2008: 87 2/20/09: 69 2/15/10 59

1/25/11 65

This number increased in 2010, but is still 47 fewer than 2007.

WOODS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

This one-year project was completed in May, 2010. Services were provided to 12 early childhood center classrooms in a low income area of Lincoln. The average improvement between the pre and post Infant Toddler ERS was 32.1 points, a huge change. The average improvement between the pre and post Early Childhood ERS was 15.1 points, also significant.

EARLY HEAD START INFANT-TODDLER QUALITY INITIATIVE

The Infant/Toddler Quality Initiative is a program partnering with community providers to enhance professionalism of participants and the quality of care provided to children and families. The Initiative operating in Lincoln is sub-contracted to the Nebraska AEYC. 11 providers participated in the QEP model. They were a combination of centers and family child care home providers. The average increase between the pre and post ERS was 32.79%, a very significant change.

A total of 77 Lancaster County providers participated in the 09-10 initiative’s training activities. Training was provided on Infant-Toddler Development, Child Abuse, Positive Behavior Support, and several other topics.

BUILDING BRIGHT FUTURES (BBF)

In 2010, this project provided services to 10 family child care home providers who cared for low income children. 8 of these providers care for children 12-24 hours a day. All 10 were African American. 76% of the children were African American, and 18% were Asian, Hispanic, Native American or “other”.

Most of this group had not been involved in previous quality initiatives, and experienced a remarkable increase between their pre and post scores. There was an 86.4% increase in one of the sections, and 60+% increases in two others.

# Large group training activities provided by staff:

46

“The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”

Albert Schweitzer

NAEYC ACCREDITATION

In 1985, NAEYC established a national, voluntary accreditation system to set standards for early childhood education programs, and to help families identify high-quality programs.

NeAEYC received funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Acct (ARRA) to provide support for Accreditation. The first retreat was held in November, and stipends were distributed to those centers receiving child care subsidy for low income children and families.

NeAEYC Quality Initiatives all have a similar format. They combine a pre and post Environment Ratings Scale (ERS) with the development of a quality improvement plan, coaching, training, and supplies for both children and professional development. The Environment Ratings Scales are either ITERS (Infant-Toddler), ECERS (Early Childhood), or FCCERS (Family Child Care).

I-T INITIATIVE-QEP Cost per Child

$249.81

Cost per Provider

$2,618.18

BBF-QEP Cost per Child

$330.31

Cost per Provider $3,413.17

WOODS-QEP Cost per Child

$166.50

Cost per Provider

$1,665.00

# Environment Ratings Scales completed by staff:

ECERS: 43 ITERS: 27 FCCERS: 44

TOTAL: 114

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NATURE EXPLORE™ PROJECTS

A growing body of evidence is showing how important it is for children to spend time outdoors. A positive outdoors experience can impact health, social-emotional development, problem solving skills, attention span, self-discipline, and self-concept.

Nebraska AEYC is part of the Nebraska Nature Action Collaborative (NeNAC), and provided support to the growing number of outdoor classrooms in Nebraska.

NATURE EXPLORE™ PROJECTS

Child Care Sites: Blue River Family Resource Ctr, Crete

Buzy Kidz Day Care, Omaha

CEDARS Downtown ECD, Lincoln

Chadron State College, Chadron

Child Saving Institute, Omaha

Dimensions Ed. Research Foundation, Lincoln

Doane College, Crete

First Covenant Church, Omaha

Hand in Hand Child Care, Lincoln

Imagination Station, Omaha

James R. Russell CDC, Omaha

Montessori Children’s Academy, Omaha

Montessori Children’s House, Omaha

Nared’s Pee Wee Palace, Omaha

Only Quality Kids, Bellevue

Outback Adventures Preschool, Lincoln

Ruth Staples CD Laboratory, Lincoln

St. John’s CDC, Seward

Public Sites: Arbor Day Tree Farm Adventure,

Nebraska City

Camp Maha/Great Plains Girl Scouts, Papillion

Gifford Farm Education Ctr, Bellevue

Pioneers Park Nature Center, Lincoln

Head Start Sites: CNCS, Broken Bow

CNCS, Columbus

CFDC, Grand Island

Public School Sites: Bellevue Public School, Bellevue

Boyd Elementary, Omaha

Centura Public, Cairo

Clay County, Fairfield

Clay County, Lawrence

EC Discovery Garden, Bancroft

Golden Hills Elem, Bellevue

Gomez Heritage, Omaha

Kearney Public, Kearney

Kellom Elementary, Omaha

Liberty Elementary, Omaha

McPhee Elementary, Lincoln

Mt. View Elementary, Omaha

Omaha EC Center, Omaha

Prescott Elementary, Lincoln

Sheridan Elementary, Lincoln

Spring Lake, Omaha

Webster County, Blue Hill

NEBRASKA CLASSROOMS

Photos provided by Individual programs

CDC=Child Development Center, EC=Early Childhood, CD=Child Development, CNCS=Central Nebraska Community Ser-vices, CFDC=Child & Family Development Corporation

Certified Nature Explore Classrooms Imagination Station

Kellom

Prescott Elementary

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order”. John Burroughs

St. John’s

Nared’s

Sheridan Grand Island

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NEBRASKA AEYC STAFF

Gina DeFreece, Special Projects Coordinator: gdefreece@NebraskaAEYC.org, 402-476-5672 Connie Fishburn, Office Assistant: cfishburn@NebraskaAEYC.org, 402-476-5663

Tracy Gordon, Special Projects Coordinator: tgordon@NebraskaAEYC.org, 402-476-5662 Jennifer Harris, Accountant: jharris@NebraskaAEYC.org, 402-476-5671

Pat Hoffschneider, Office Manager: phoff44@hotmail.com, 402-476-2092 Cindy Jennett, Special Projects Coordinator: cjennett11@NebraskaAEYC.org , 402-476-5653

Brandee Lengel, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA Manager: TEACH@NebraskaAEYC.org, 402-476-5668 or 1-877-656-2005

Linda Zinke, Executive Director: lzinke@NebraskaAEYC.org, 402-476-2089 FAX: 402-476-5665

www.NebraskaAEYC.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS JANUARY 1, 2010 - DECEMBER 31, 2010

Executive Committee President: Dawn Mollenkopf, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Nebraska at Kearney

Past President: Steve Wilson, Superintendent, Logan View Schools, Hooper Secretary: Pat Enevoldsen, Instructor, Southeast Community College, Lincoln

Treasurer: Linda Sullivan, Finance Manager, Family Service, Lincoln

Members Gina Battey, Rainbow Factory Preschool, Omaha

Karen Decker, Sugar & Spice Child Care Center Director, Kearney Jennifer Haggart, Coordinator, ECCOA, Omaha

Amber McCants, Family Child Care Provider, Lincoln Kim Madsen, ED, Professor, Chadron State College, Chadron

Linda Maslowski, Consultant, Lincoln Deb Ross, Executive Director, Child & Family Development Program, Hastings

Sue Ellen Wall, JD, Attorney, Wall Law Office, Lincoln Kathy Zadina, St. Bonaventure Child Care Center Director, Columbus

Jose Zapata, Executive Director, Central Nebraska Community Services, Loup City

Ex-Officio Public Policy Chair: Sarah Ann Kotchian, JD, EC Coordinator, Building Bright Futures, Omaha

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA Advisory Committee

Beth Brewer, Metropolitan Community College, Omaha

Jackie Hahn, Nebraska Indian Community Colleges, S. Sioux City

Sue Jensen, HHSS Children’s Services Licensing, Grand Island

Crystal Kozak, Southeast Community College, Lincoln

Diane Lewis, Health & Human Services System, Lincoln

Paula Thompson, Central Nebraska Community Services, Loup City

Kelly Vanness, Platte Valley Early Childhood Training Coalition, Columbus

Roxanne Vipond, Grand Island Public Schools, Grand Island

Jeanne Webb, Central Community College, Grand Island

Nebraska AEYC Staff

Pictured left to right:

Connie, Tracy, Linda, Gina,

Pat, Brandee, Cindy, Jennifer