City of Gibbon, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
GIBBON — The community of Gibbon has recently been selected to be a part of the Communities for Kids (C4K) initiative with Early Futures Partnership.
C4K is a multi-year planning and implementation initiative that was created in response to community requests for assistance with shortages of quality early care and education programs—shortages that both impact children’s optimal development and pose a challenge for communities hoping to attract and retain the viable workforce they need to thrive. The initiative is dedicated to ensuring that communities, primarily rural areas, can grow and prosper by strengthening and sustaining a quality early childhood care and education infrastructure.
All C4K communities create their own Core Teams made up of local leaders across multiple sectors who work with C4K to produce a work plan and vision/mission statements, deploy committees to get work done, and continuously engage with the larger community for input and execution.
In support of the Gibbon Area C4K Core Team, Communities for Kids will provide technical assistance and expertise to help them:
• Engage stakeholders in identifying the strengths and gaps of the current early care and education system
• Utilize informed decision-making to determine strategies for meeting the priority needs identified by the community
• Connect with peers, experts, research, best practices, implementation, quality measurements, financing, use of government/public resources, design, and more
“The dedication and support for the children and families in Gibbon is exciting to see!” says Shonna Werth, Community Systems and Engagement Manager with Communities for Kids. “When a community makes the commitment to ensure quality care is available for all children, to support their growth and development, wonderful byproducts materialize: families feel less stressed in the home and work environment, businesses see a decrease in absenteeism and an increase in available workforce, and the overall economic well-being of the community improves. Quality early childhood care is the foundation of thriving families and communities. The Gibbon Area C4K Core Team will be leading the charge and making the commitment to support all sectors and stakeholders in the community.”
Anyone from the area who is interested in joining the Gibbon C4K Core Team can contact the team at gibbonareac4k@gmail.com.
Early Futures Partnership is an organization dedicated to strengthening Nebraska’s early childhood ecosystem through practice and policy. To learn more about Early Futures Partnership and Communities for Kids, visit www.earlyfutures.org.
