The Needs Assessment plays an important role in the overall work of Nebraska’s Preschool Development Grant. The primary functions of the PDG Needs Assessment are:
- To engage with families, providers, stakeholders, and communities to gather and share data, identifying the areas where Nebraska’s early care and education system has opportunities to increase alignment and partnership to better serve all children, families, and providers
- To establish a sustainable, long-term plan for ongoing assessment of the needs of the birth to five mixed-delivery system in Nebraska
We gather state, regional, and local data by conducting surveys, focus groups, and interviews with Nebraska stakeholders, including families, childcare providers, and statewide leaders. Our intention is to understand Nebraska’s early care and education system from every angle possible so we can highlight opportunities for alignment and collaboration to increase access to quality care.
Needs Assessment Guiding Principles
The statewide needs assessment for Nebraska’s Preschool Development Grant is grounded in four guiding principles:
1. Focus on families
- Invite families across Nebraska to inform the state about the challenges they experience related to accessing care and services for their children
- Work with trusted individuals in communities experiencing challenges including homelessness, poverty, disabilities in children, refugee status, racial discrimination, and more to elevate these families and their needs.
- Address what services are available and what families encounter when they look for and receive services
2. Focus on communities
- Collect data from communities across Nebraska to capture the availability of services and families' needs at regional and local levels, with the ability to aggregate findings at the statewide level
3. Focus on providers and professionals
- Invite early care and education providers and professionals across Nebraska to inform the state about the challenges they experience providing quality care and education
- Elevate the voices of early childhood professionals, sharing their needs and experiences
- Gather information from providers about their involvement with service provision
4. Engage with stakeholders throughout Nebraska
- Invite stakeholders from across the state and from multiple levels of the system to provide their input and viewpoints regarding strengths, challenges, barriers, and opportunities for increased alignment and collaboration throughout the birth to five mixed-delivery system
