Nebraska’s Early Childhood Collaborative: A Licensing Toolkit for Childcare Providers

Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative, a nonprofit, offers the Licensing Toolkit to help unlicensed providers obtain licenses, providing mentorship and $5,000 grants. It uses CCMS software for operations.

The Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative (NECC) was created to address the significant challenges faced by childcare providers. Many providers, especially those caring for one to three children, were unlicensed and struggled to meet essential health and safety guidelines. This situation highlighted a broader issue where both family and center-based providers lacked the necessary support and resources to formalize their services and operate as successful, independent small businesses. Consequently, there was a substantial gap in the supply of quality licensed childcare, leaving many providers isolated and without the means to effectively serve their communities.

NECC offers a comprehensive solution to empower childcare providers. At its core is a specialized licensing toolkit program aimed at assisting unlicensed providers in obtaining licenses and adhering to health and safety standards. This program offers essential mentorship, materials, and supplies, along with support for securing a $5,000 county startup grant. The toolkit process, guided by mentors through four stages, typically spans six months or more. NECC emphasizes the importance of bilingual mentors to effectively support Spanish-speaking providers and ensures robust programming for continuous training, learning, and professional development. Additionally, NECC integrates technology by providing its network of providers with a choice of childcare management software, including Wonderschool, Brightwheel, and Playground.

• Implement a strong mentorship component: Provide dedicated mentors who can guide providers through all stages of the licensing and business development process, which can be extensive and take six months or longer.
• Invest in Child Care Management Systems (CCMS): Introduce technology by offering providers a choice of child care management software (such as Wonderschool, Brightwheel, or Playground) to streamline administrative tasks, collect data, and show program trends.