Buffett Early Childhood Institute

11/15/2025

Our Superintendents' Early Childhood Plan workgroup meetings convene administrators from different school districts across the Omaha area to share their challenges and success stories and learn from one another.

At the group's September meeting, discussion highlights included:
• Sharing district early childhood accomplishments and next steps to promote shared learning, action, and collaboration across districts
• Reviewing and discussing the latest Superintendents' Plan 2024-2025 evaluation findings and accomplishments
• Exploring upcoming plan efforts, including how the Institute's Educational Practice team is organized to support both cross-district learning and focused district action plan work, as well as the Community Achievement Plan.

As always, thanks to the school leaders who join us to strengthen early learning. Learn more about the Superintendents' Plan and how the Buffett Institute works with schools: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/schools

Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties

11/13/2025

Job alert🚨 The Buffett Institute is hiring an early childhood program administrator for our Educational Practice team. They will:
• Serve as a leader within the School as Hub for Early Learning Approach, guiding district partnerships and internal team coordination to support implementation and continuous improvement from birth through Grade 3
• Lead strategic action planning to professional learning opportunities
• Facilitate systems-level collaboration

Learn more and apply using the link below, and please help us share this post!
https://jobs.nebraska.edu/UniversityNebraskaSystem/job/Early-Childhood-Program-Administrator/1778-en_US/

11/12/2025

When it comes to states reversing brain drain and attracting workers, “it'’s not just about the jobs. It’s this overall quality of life issue," said Josie Gatti Schafer, the director of the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

There have been lots of conversations lately in Nebraska and other states about brain drain and how to grow the workforce. Child care is an intrinsic part of that equation, so we appreciate the Greater Omaha Chamber for highlighting employer-driven solutions to child care and housing challenges at a conference Wednesday.

We heard real strategies and examples from leaders at North End Teleservices, TMCO, Inc., Hudl, Children's Nebraska, Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative, First Five Nebraska, Executives Partnering to Invest in Children - EPIC, several Nebraska legislators, and more. Child care is more than just an individual issue for families to solve, and employers and the business community are increasingly recognizing its connection to employee retention, quality of life, and community and economic development.

11/10/2025

Nebraska, like many states, needs more child care providers. So what resources exist for early educators who want to start their own business? Our partners at the Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative provided some expert advice on what it takes to open a child care program, from assessing family and community needs to licensing and financing.

Communities for Kids Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services CDA Council for Professional Recognition

In Nebraska, the need for child care is urgent. Many counties still lack licensed facilities, and the demand continues to outpace availability.

11/08/2025

Who's headed to the Nebraska Association of School Boards State Education Conference later this month? 🙋 Be sure to check out a session led by the Buffett Institute's Alyssa Anson, Carol Burk from Nebraska Department of Education, and Nayeli Lopez from the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties.

They gathered at the Buffett Institute this week to prepare for their presentation, “Building Strong Foundations: The School as Hub for Early Learning Approach for Nebraska Schools." It will spotlight the strong early learning foundation behind the Superintendents’ Early Childhood Plan in the Omaha metro area and how that work is spreading to schools across Nebraska.

11/07/2025

WBRC 6 News in Birmingham, Alabama interviewed the Buffett Institute's Linda Smith about child care gaps—the difference between the current supply, potential need, and what's located within a reasonable driving distance for families. Alabama’s child care gap—40.6%—is one of the highest rates in the nation.

“The market is failing. It is not, we are not, producing enough childcare in response to the potential need,” said Smith.

What's the child care gap in your community? Explore the map here: https://childcaregap.org/

A Birmingham mother who waited nearly three years for a childcare spot has created her own solution to Alabama's childcare crisis.

11/06/2025

Four new Native American researchers are joining the Native Children's Research Exchange Scholars Program as part of its 14th cohort. They'll partner with Native communities to study substance use, its impact on child development, and strategies for intervention and prevention. Learn more: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/news-and-events/news/2025/11/native-childrens-research-exchange-continues-to-invest-in-the-next-generation-of-researchers

Since 2012, NCRE Scholars has provided career development and mentorship to 41 early-career Ph.D. students, post-docs, and early-career investigators, building an essential pipeline of researchers who can respond to the health priorities of Native communities. The program is led by the Buffett Institute's Michelle Sarche and Nancy Whitesell and Jerreed Ivanich from the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

11/05/2025

New blog post: Debora Wisneski has a go-to piece of advice: “Play your part. We each have a perspective, a talent, a gift, a resource, that matters,” she said.

It’s a fitting motto for a teacher education professor at UNO College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences who's spent much of her career championing the power of play-based learning for young children.

The Institute hosted a community reception in October to honor Wisneski, one of our four Community Chairs from the University of Nebraska System. Read more and view event photos 📷: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/blog/2025/11/play-your-part-honoring-a-uno-community-chair-and-early-childhood-champion

University of Nebraska at Omaha

Debora Wisneski, the John T. Langan Community Chair in Early Childhood Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, was honored at a community chair reception in Omaha on Oct. 22.

11/03/2025

Buffett Institute experts have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, Vox, People, The 74, The Hechinger Report, the Nebraska Examiner, Nebraska Public Media, and more. They've delivered insightful presentations at national, state, and local conferences and events.

If you're looking for speakers or sources for your next story or event, check out the Experts section of our website: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/media

You'll find leaders with deep knowledge in:
—National policy and legislation
—Native American child development
—Technology and innovation for the early childhood workforce
—Early learning in school systems
—Preschool suspension and expulsion
—Play-based learning, and more

11/01/2025

The Buffett Institute's Teacher Leadership Network (TLN) met in October. The TLN is a cohort of 25 teachers from schools in the Omaha metro created to give teachers the background of the Superintendents' Early Childhood Plan and allow them to have a voice in the work that is being implemented at their schools around the School as Hub approach. Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties

Learn more here: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/blog/2025/05/all-teachers-are-leaders-inside-the-teacher-leadership-network

Some meeting highlights:
• 🌟 Teachers committed their Saturday to grow as leaders
• 📚 Book study: What is your “why” sparked reflection on the potential of leading as teachers from the classroom
• 📝 Teachers connected district action plans to their teacher leadership goals
• 🤝 Fellowship and collaboration built stronger networks and shared learning
• 💡 Participants shared “a-ha” moments about impact areas and strategies
• 🎯 Focus stayed on improving opportunities for children and families
• 👏 Celebrated teachers’ dedication to professional growth
• 🚀 Built momentum for upcoming school site visits and continued study

10/31/2025

Sam Meisels, the Buffett Institute's founding executive director, talked to The Hechinger Report about the wisdom of testing preschoolers and Kindergartners for gifted programs. Read here: https://hechingerreport.org/were-testing-preschoolers-for-giftedness-experts-say-that-doesnt-work/

"The big problem, according to several experts, is that when hundreds of individual prekindergarten teachers evaluate 4-year-olds for giftedness, any consistency in defining it can get lost, even if the teachers are guided on what to look for.

'The word is drained of meaning because teachers are not thinking about the same thing,' said Sam Meisels, the founding executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska."

And after more than five decades, New York’s experience offers a case study in how elusive it can be to identify children as gifted before they even start school.

10/30/2025

The Buffett Institute’s Michelle Sarche helped author a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. "Early Relational Health: Building Foundations for Child, Family, and Community Well-Being," was written by a committee of experts in child development, pediatrics, infant/early childhood mental health, family psychology, and more. Sarche is trained as a clinical psychologist and is a national expert in Native American child development, parenting, and early care and education.

Walter Gilliam, the Institute’s executive director, served as a reviewer on the report, which focuses on the earliest relationships with family, caregivers, and community members that shape young children’s health and well-being as they grow. Read it here:

Read online, download a free PDF, or order a copy in print.