Cultivating the good life.
Our mission is to maximize the potential of Nebraska’s children, youth, and families through collaboration and community-centered impact.
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1 out of 5 Nebraska children lives in poverty -
25% of youth who age out of foster care will become homeless. -
85% of brain architecture is set by age 3.
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Stories of Progress
Janelle Nissen has been involved with Nebraska Growing Readers since it began in 2023 when Laura Cady began working closely with Indian Hill as a test site for writing books and family engagement. Thanks to Nissen and Cady, it has since been a forerunner in hosting literacy events for the program. As Nissen puts it, “NGR hits our mission of that two-generational home-to-school connection as well as getting books in the home.” What Nissen is doing is building a literacy community.
This year, Million and 3 other state-level representatives from Rooted in Relationships were able to attend as well as 3 staff from the Munroe-Meyer Institute, the evaluation group for Rooted’s work. In addition, each Rooted in Relationships community sent at least 2 representatives, including coaches, coordinators, and providers.
Both Kim Chase and Amy Standley agree on a very specific detail about Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR) books: they fit well in small hands. While this may seem minor, it means that the children these early childhood professionals work with are holding the books, looking at the colorful pictures, identifying what they see; such moments are the early literacy moments NGR strives for.
