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Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative (NECC)
3200 N 30th Street, Omaha NE 68111
3200 N 30th Street, Omaha NE 68111
www.nebraskaearly.org
https://www.facebook.com/NebraskaEarly/, https://www.instagram.com/nebraskaearly/, https://twitter.com/nebraskaearly, https://www.linkedin.com/company/nebraska-early-childhood-collaborative/
Shannon Cotsoradis
Chief Executive Officer
scotsoradis@nebraskaearly.org
+1 (531) 999-3905
Yes
NECC’s leadership team includes: Shannon Cotsoradis, CEO. Shannon is the architect of the vision and the overall strategy at NECC. Previously she served as the President & CEO at Kansas Action for Children, a statewide organization that advocates for children and families, and has over 20 years of experience as a senior executive in the nonprofit sector. - Sarah Ann Kotchian, COO. Sarah Ann serves as NECC’s internal leader, managing growth and ensuring sustainable operational excellence. She brings to this role deep experience in nonprofit strategy, corporate development, and early childhood care and education, and has worked extensively for nonprofits for more than 20 years to drive program, practice, and policy improvements for women, children, and families. - Dwight Lang, CFO. Dwight oversees financial and administrative services for NECC, as well as for our member centers, and brings more than 30 years of experience in financial oversight for nonprofit organizations. - Dulce Sherman, Chief HR & DEI Officer. With over 25 years of human resource experience, Dulce leads, develops, and executes NECC’s Human Resources & DEI Strategy in support of the strategic plan and the overall mission, building a culture that supports NECC’s values and considers ideas from all people. - Brandee Lengel, VP of Quality Child Care Partnerships. Brandee has worked in direct support of Nebraska childcare providers for over 30 years. She provides visionary leadership and inspired direction by managing and developing programs that enable both family and center-based childcare providers to become successful, independent, and dynamic small business owners. - Tommy Greco, VP of Impact and Innovation. Tommy leads the annual action planning related to NECC’s strategic and sustainability plan and provides leadership to maximize organizational impact through relationship-building, day-to-day operations management, and strategies to strengthen organizational culture.
Please see attached organizational chart.
At the Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative (NECC), we give parents and childcare providers the guidance and resources they need to give children the education they deserve. Our vision is More Children. Prepared for School. Prepared for Life. Since 2014, NECC has harnessed the potential of childcare providers to deliver high quality early learning opportunities through access to business resources, innovative partnerships, and educational supports. NECC has addressed the state’s childcare crisis by bravely challenging the status quo, inclusively innovating with the provider community, and taking calculated risks to meet the unique needs of those we serve. Our work in Omaha prioritizes historically distressed and racially segregated zip codes and is currently organized into three major areas of work, including our Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP), a Childcare Network, and Family and Community Services. As an EHS-CCP federal grantee, NECC partners with the Omaha Early Learning Centers, Child Saving Institute, CRCC, and Brighten Our Future Early Learning Center to deliver childcare and comprehensive developmental supports to 280 of our community’s most at-risk infants and toddlers. In 2019, NECC rapidly scaled up this program, and in less than 90 days lifted up a new partnership to serve 104 children. Our statewide Childcare Network was born out of two innovative pilot projects initiated in 2019 through a combination of local philanthropic support and federal funding. That work has now grown to serve more than 600 childcare providers in Omaha and across Nebraska, with a focus on helping build business competencies, strengthening access to technology and automation, and offering childcare licensing supports and full array of workforce development opportunities, including a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential course - the foundational credential for a childcare professional on the path to higher education and higher wages. All resources are available at no cost to providers and in both English and Spanish languages. The Childcare Network is supported through the state Preschool Development Grant and local foundations, and it was recently showcased as part of the national Promising Ventures Fellowship Class of 2020 for innovations for scaled impact. NECC’s Family and Community Services work is currently anchored by a two-generation Teen and Young Parent Program, recently selected by the Department of Health and Human Services for a $2.9 million grant facilitating expansion to 20 additional counties beyond Douglas and Sarpy. As the service backbone for Douglas County Community Response, NECC also provides emergency financial assistance to families with children. Our community services include early childhood community coordination focused on positively impacting zip codes 68111 and 68107 through strategic collaboration with childcare providers and existing resources. Through this work, NECC has and continues to build relationships with providers in our North and South Omaha communities, giving us the opportunity to expand our impact in the community through Early Learning Scholarship and Elevate Capital Funds.
Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative’s Childcare Workforce Supports
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3250000.0
Combination of capital project and service/program
NECC will support childcare businesses in North and South Omaha through three innovative projects to provide financial, facilities, and workforce supports directly to childcare businesses in our community. These programs will create fundamental, transformational change, and economic growth: 1. Our existing Early Learning Scholarships (ELS) program awards scholarship funding directly to owners of small childcare businesses in our Childcare Network, to help offset the cost of care for working families they serve. This innovative approach helps owners stabilize their operational bottom line and ensure access to quality programming resources, while at the same time helping working families bridge the gap between the cost of childcare and what they can afford, ensuring children have access to the quality care and early learning necessary to succeed in school and in life. Launched in the fall of 2021, the program currently connects over 100 underserved children to care through 28 small North and South Omaha childcare businesses that are committed to building and sustaining quality childcare services in their communities, and it is poised for exponential growth in the coming year. 2. A new Elevate Capital Fund will support childcare businesses in need of funds to improve existing physical spaces, helping to not only improve business outcomes and sustainability, but also to aesthetically impact the community through needed investment in bricks-and-mortar structure, including essentials like roof and window repairs or updated playgrounds. Funds will be distributed to providers through an existing needs-based application process and require providers to document how funds were used for capital improvements. 3. Childcare providers seeking to continue their education and advance to higher-paying childcare positions will become eligible for support though new Child Development Associate (CDA) Incentive Funds of up to $5,000 per provider. In 2021, NECC’s CDA program supported 53 providers and was recognized by the Council of Professional Development as a Gold Standard Organization for offering quality CDA coursework and preparation. With multiple points of entry, the CDA Incentive Funds will support providers at all stages of the certification process.
- Spring 2023 – Increase ELS program marketing, open program to additional North/South Omaha providers located in QCTs and continue to increase enrollment. Conduct focus groups with providers to establish processes for Elevate Capital Fund distribution and identify certified small and emerging Omaha-based construction businesses to support capital projects. Connect with providers currently enrolled in CDA programming to evaluate progress and market the CDA Incentive Funds. - Fall 2023 – By end of the grant year, provide childcare businesses with $500,000 in ELS funds to care for an estimated 130 underserved children. Distribute at least $500,000 in Elevate Capital Funds to childcare provider businesses located in North and South Omaha QCTs. Support an estimated 10 providers in progressing through CDA coursework with CDA Incentives. - 2024 – Continue to refine and improve processes. By end of the second grant year, provide childcare businesses with $500,000 in ELS funds to care for an estimated 130 underserved children. Distribute at least $500,000 in Elevate Capital Funds to childcare provider businesses located in North and South Omaha QCTs. Support an estimated 20 providers in progressing through CDA coursework with CDA Incentives. - 2025 – Continue to refine and improve processes. Provide childcare businesses with $500,000 in ELS funds to care for an estimated 130 underserved children. Distribute up to $500,000 in Elevate Capital Funds to childcare provider businesses located in North and South Omaha QCTs. Support an estimated 20 providers in progressing through CDA coursework with CDA Incentives.
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Fundamental Change (i.e., a proposal that will continue to elevate North or South Omaha's presence and perception within the region, significantly improving the lives of area residents through physical development) Long-Lasting Economic Growth (i.e., a proposal that will foster gainful employment opportunities and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha) Transformational (i.e., a proposal that will help energize, recharge, or spur significant and favorable advancements in North or South Omaha's function or appearance)
Policy (i.e., develop or improve context-sensitive education, finance, health, training, zoning, etc.) Quality of Life (i.e., create or enhance natural spaces, mixed uses, parks, safety, etc.) Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)
By investing in the childcare industry, NECC is working with our community to create sustainable services and educational opportunities for underserved children, while also enhancing quality of life through capital investments to update existing childcare homes and centers and encouraging policy change through education for both children and the childcare providers who serve them. When the COVID-19 pandemic upended routines, childcare businesses were among the hardest hit, both in terms of lost profits and health impacts of the virus. Essential to all essential workers, childcare providers risked exposure and instituted costly prevention measures to remain open, while inconsistent attendance, quarantine closures, and staffing shortages resulted in unpredictable revenues – and at the same time left working families without reliable access to childcare. The resulting crisis in the childcare industry has only amplified decades of underinvestment in the field. According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the typical childcare center’s profit margin is only 1%, and even with such low profit margins, providers in the industry earn an average of about $24,000 annually – well below the 2022 federal poverty level for a family of four. (Suddath, Claire (2021, November 18). How Child Care Became the Most Broken Business in America.) These profit margins leave little room for childcare business owners to invest in continuing education, or in improving their businesses, and many are unable to afford essentials such as a new roof or windows, or updated playground equipment and fencing needed to provide safe and attractive spaces for children to learn. NECCs Childcare Workforce Supports programs will lift up childcare business owners to create sustainable change by investing in the future of local communities. While Elevate Capital Funds and CDA Incentives will maintain and simultaneously grow the workforce through much needed business investment in brick-and-mortar facilities and continuing education, our established ELS program also directly supports future generations through access to quality childcare and early educational opportunties for working families who are unable to afford the full cost of care. Childcare business owners participating in this innovative program are responsible for selecting qualifying families and providing monthly invoicing and reporting to NECC. In return, they receive not only a reliable revenue source based on enrollment, but also mentoring and support in business development practices. The program applications and provider invoices are available in both English and Spanish. All families selected by providers must first apply, with NECC’s assistance, for the state childcare subsidy program, and those who qualify for state support may be eligible for scholarships to cover the full cost of copayments. With the average annual cost of childcare in Nebraska over $10,000 per child, and the state subsidy program cut-off at 185% of FLP (currently $51,000 for a family of four), many families who cannot afford care do not quality for subsidies, and the ELS program currently provides up to $500/month in scholarship or $6,000 per year for children who otherwise may not have access to the quality care needed for success in school and life. Without additional funding, this program is expected to sunset in 2023.
NECC’s Childcare Workforce Supports programs will leverage the entrepreneurial and cultural strengths of our North and South Omaha communities, investing in the childcare workforce and its small business owners to create transformational, community-driven change for neighborhoods, working families, and children. Funds distributed through NECC programs will support capital investment in existing brick-and-mortar business, many of which are located in family homes and neighborhoods in need of revitalization. These programs will also provide investment in education for childcare providers seeking to advance their careers, and for children who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 educational disruptions and may be missing out on essential early learning opportunities, all while meeting the identified need of increased access to childcare for families seeking to reenter or remain in the workforce. All of NECC’s Quality Child Care Partnerships programs are informed and guided by our Childcare Network Advisory Council, made up of Nebraska childcare provider leaders who care deeply about the future of their communities. Nearly all childcare business owners and providers in our network identify as women, with many belonging to a minority racial group. According to data from the US Small Business Administration, childcare as an industry has one of the highest rates of women and minority business owners, who still face persistent race and gender wealth and wage gaps that impact their ability to launch and grow successful business. By supporting these hardworking professionals in elevating their careers, this program will address longstanding disparities in our community’s workforce and access to opportunity. And by stabilizing the industry and supporting providers in growing their childcare businesses, more underserved families and children will have the opportunity to build a better future.
The programs outlined in this proposal will create economic growth through transformational investment in our community’s most fundamental businesses. As we expand the ELS program while also building on existing framework to grant Elevate Capital Funds to support small childcare business owners and CDA Incentives to upskill our workforce, NECC remains committed to supporting and working with our neighbors in North and South Omaha, to help rebuild underserved communities that have been hardest hit by the both the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. By helping passionate professionals and entrepreneurs build successful and sustainable, high-quality childcare businesses, this project will not only bring workforce stability in the industry and revitalization to our neighborhoods, but also invest in our community’s future by ensuring all children have access to quality childcare and early educational opportunties. As a foundational credential in quality early learning, CDA-credentialed providers support program quality improvement through their ability to meet the specific needs of children, and to work with parents and other adults to nurture children’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth, all within a child development framework. Providing training and resources to elevate the business of childcare is also essential to our Omaha community’s workforce as a whole. According to recent reporting by the New York Times, almost half of mothers with young children leaving the workforce cite childcare as a reason for the move. (Gupta, Alisha Haridasani (2022, May 11) Child care benefits could help ease the worker crunch, an advocacy campaign says.) By supporting childcare business and providers, we also open opportunities for families, and especially women, to pursue job training and/or remain in our community’s workforce.
Investing in the childcare workforce provides much-needed economic support to an industry in crisis. Many childcare businesses operate on razor-thin profit margins, which do not allow for the expansion or increased staffing necessary to meet current demand for services. By granting businesses Elevate Capital Funds and CDA Incentives to invest in sustainable growth, and by providing a stable revenue stream through our ELS program, this proposal will help the childcare industry both create and maintain jobs and also support higher wages for the workforce.
NECC’s ELS program currently supports 28 small child care business owners through ongoing scholarship payments. As we grow the program, these and additional business owners will not only maintain their own jobs as small business owners, but also potentially expand capacity and hire staff.
Our Elevate Capital Funds program will, as proposed, invest $1,500,000 in capital projects within the qualified census tracts, prioritizing local contractors whenever possible to also bolster the community’s construction and temporary workforce.
Childcare providers who hold a CDA credential have the potential to earn higher salaries and advance to leadership positions in their field. Currently the childcare workforce suffers from low wages, averaging $11.00/hour in Nebraska. Investment in the industry is crucial to increasing not only wages for staff but also profit margins for business owners currently unable to afford to pay higher wages.
Through our Elevate Capital Funds program, NECC will work to build relationships and partnerships with certified small and emerging construction businesses in the Qualified Census Tracts to invest in childcare businesses in North and South Omaha. We anticipate compiling a list of local businesses and contractors as recommendations for Elevate Capital Funds recipients.
Childcare is a business unlike any other, and its community benefits create a multiplier effect – business owners not only contribute to the economy directly as entrepreneurs and employers, but their services also allow parents to remain in or reenter the workforce and are crucial to the development of our community’s future leaders.
NECC is focused on supporting childcare providers who are significantly racially minoritized and that others have left behind - the small family childcare homes who opened their doors out of their love for children but who have no business background, families who reside in zip codes facing the repercussions of redlining and racial injustice, immigrant and refugee families who deserve support navigating complex systems and barriers – and on elevating voices of parents and providers with elected officials to create policy change needed for strong, sustainable commitments to early childhood to strengthen communities.
The programs described in this propsal allow us to be responsive to what we are hearing from the childcare community about what they need in these times of crisis as we continue our pursuit of systemic change through our existing work and new opportunities. NECC is positioned as the only early childhood organization focused on supporting the industry through business supports tailored for early childhood programs, particularly in the provider-driven, linguistically, and culturally responsive way we do.
In addition to increasing business sustainability and economic self-sufficiency for the childcare business owners and providers who receive supports, this program will also positively impact the greater Omaha workforce. In the short-term, it will allow more parents to pursue employment and educational opportunities to advance their careers. Long-term, children who receive access to quality early education are better prepared for success in school, and later in life as they also join the workforce.
Outcomes will be measured by NECC through survey data on provider confidence and business success, as well as in use of technology and automation to support their businesses, and workforce retention. We also expect future community assessments to reflect higher profit margins and increased wages across the industry.
Yes, access to childcare is essential to attracting and retaining businesses and residents in all communities, but especially in underserved areas. Without access to quality, affordable childcare, families are unable to join or remain in the workforce, and employers are unable to fill open positions. As we build and support strong, sustainable childcare businesses in our community, this work will provide a foundation for attracting and retaining working families and businesses.
Yes
NECC is proud to partner with business, community, and technology leaders, both in our community and nationally, to help elevate the business of childcare. Our ELS program currently partners with 28 small childcare business owners in North and South Omaha, including: 1. Abigails Child Care LLC 2. Aleahs Childcare LLC 3. Bella's Daycare LLC 4. Blessed Are They Learning Center 5. C.R.E.A.T.E. Child Enrichment Center 6. Chosen One Child Development Center 7. CRCC 8. Element Learning Center 9. Generation Z Learning Center 10. Gifted Minds Learning Center 11. Hope Day Care 12. Kashay's Childcare Learning Center 13. Little Hearts CDC 14. Little Heaven Childcare 15. Little Paradise Daycare 16. Maria Rivera - Maria Rivera 17. Mia's Hideout Daycare 18. Nared's Pee Wee Palace 19. Nebraska Children's Home Society Early Childhood Program 20. Patty's Childcare Center #2 21. Perkins TLC 22. Rosalba Martinez 23. Ross Daycare 24. Tiny Hearts Childcare 25. Tulip Daycare I 26. Tulip Daycare II 27. Twins Daycare I LLC 28. Twins Daycare II LLC
All ELS providers and other NECC partnerships have been formalized through MOUs.
No
NECC’s office is located at 3200 N 30th Street, Omaha NE 68111. Our ELS program serves childcare providers located in NECC’s five target zip codes of 68111, 68110, 68108, 68107, and 68104.
Within one or more QCTs
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
NECC is requesting: • $1,500,000 to fund the Early Learning Scholarships program for a total of three years. With scholarships averaging $400/child/month, we expect each year approximately 100 children will receive access to early learning opportunities. • $1,500,000 to fund the Elevate Capital Funds program for a total of three years. Childcare providers will be able to apply for up to $50,000 to support capital improvements to their existing program facilities. • $250,000 to fund the CDA Incentive program for a total of three years. Up to 50 providers who complete the CDA credentialing process will earn up to $5,000 in incentive payments.
Grant funds received by NECC will be distributed to small childcare businesses and providers located in North and South Omaha, with approximately 19% reserved for administrative and salary expenses directly connected to distribution of the funds.
No
Elevate Capital Funds will be a one-time investment in small childcare businesses to help sustain the businesses in meaningful ways long-term. To continue to support childcare providers through our ELS program and CDA Incentive funds following this initial investment, NECC is actively engaged in fundraising activities.
NECC’s ELS program pilot is funded primarily through a $500,000 gift from an anonymous donor, while also utilizing federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG) funds. To continue the program beyond the pilot and to initiate the Elevate Capital Funds and CDA Incentive programs, we have applied for additional PDG funds, as well as support from local philanthropic organizations and business leaders. Our work is also supported by general operating grants from the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation, and Holland Foundation.
- Preschool Development Grant (through Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services) - $38,000 requested for CDA program ($414,000 total), pending, expected decision early 2023. - Heistand Family Foundation - $15,000 requested for ELS program, pending, expected decision October 2022. - Pacific Life Foundation - $45,000 requested for upskilling the workforce, pending, expected decision November 2022. - Weitz Family Foundation - $20,000 requested for general operating support, pending, expected decision December 2022.
While we will continue to seek funding to build out the ELS program, as new projects the Elevate Capital Funds and CDA Incentive programs are currently dependent upon funding from the Omaha Economic Recovery Act.
Yes, this proposal is highly scalable, or can be completed in smaller components as funding allows.
Working within the administrative framework already established, NECC’s Early Learning Scholarships average approximately $400/child/month and the program can be quickly scaled up to meet demand. Elevate Capital Funds will be distributed to providers through a process very similar to current NECC Elevate funds distribution methods, which require completion of applications, supporting documentation, and reporting obligations. We anticipate funds will average $20,000 per business and are prepared to scale the program to efficiently deliver funds to providers who have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic hardships. CDA Incentive Funds will enable providers to pursue continuing education by offering support at each step on the path to obtaining this crucial early learning credential. This program is scalable and will support providers at all stages of certificate completion. When providers complete CDA training through NECC, they will receive a $1,000 award, which will help them complete portfolio requirements, then earning another $1,500 award. Upon receipt of the CDA certificate (through NECC training or elsewhere), providers will be eligible to receive $2,500.
NECC is on a rapid growth trajectory and committed to building on our existing staffing and administrative capacity to distribute funds raised through this proposal to those most in need in our community.
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Organizational Chart Pro Forma Proposal Budget/Sources and Uses