Outline of Nebraska Nebraska State Profile

  • Licensing: Nebraska child care licensing regulations do not require early care and education (ECE) providers to have a child care health consultant (CCHC) nor do they address the scope of work or qualifications of CCHCs.
  • Funding: Funding sources to support CCHCs vary by community.
  • Auspices: The lead agency for child care health consultation in Nebraska is the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health. Individual nurse consultants are contracted to provide services to ECE settings through local public health agencies, where consultation is just one component of the public health nurses’ role. In some areas, CCHC is also available through community–based agencies.
  • CCHC Role: CCHCs establish relationships with ECE providers, support quality care, establish basic health and safety operational guidelines and plans, and serve as liaisons to other health professionals and community organizations. In addition to individualized consultation services, CCHC’s also provide training services, educational curricula on health and safety topics and resource information.
  • CCHC Training: In 2006, there is no ongoing system to train CCHCs. A five–day CCHC curriculum was developed and offered when Healthy Child Care Nebraska (HCCN) was funded. Currently, that training is available by request and as funding permits. In 2006, Nebraska had four graduates of the National Training Institute for Child Care Health Consultants (NTI).

History and Development

Nebraska’s CCHC initiative is built upon a foundation provided by HCCN, which was funded from 1996 to 2005. The objectives of HCCN have been integrated into the state Early Childhood Comprehensive System (ECCS) effort—Together for Kids and Families. This is evident in the Together for Kids and Families’ strategic plan, which includes multiple strategies to sustain and extend the work of HCCN. Several of the ECCS strategies specifically address supporting an infrastructure to train and deploy CCHCs.

The ECCS strategic plan includes technical assistance (TA) to support the development of CCHC services within local health departments, and creating mechanisms to link child care providers with CCHCs working in their service area. Health and safety training is provided for ECE providers.

Nebraska’s ECCS effort is governed by an Early Childhood Interagency Coordinating Council, comprised of stakeholders including multiple state agencies, Head Start, child care providers, parents, and other community members.

  • Sustainability: Nebraska’s ECCS leaders note that sustainability of CCHC services is a challenge. Developing a cadre of CCHCs through training is only part of a sustainable system. The subsequent challenge is to find ways to reimburse consulting work with ECE providers.

Ingredients for Success

  • Early Childhood Data Management System: An innovative aspect of Nebraska’s work is the development of an integrated statewide data system for early childhood. In 2006, a data work group is mapping current data sources. The goal is for the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Head Start to reduce duplication in the system and increase access to comprehensive services.
  • Tailored CCHC Strategies: Nebraska recognizes that the strategies to deploy CCHCs and sustain an infrastructure to support their utilization will differ in rural and urban areas. An evaluation of CCHC capacity in urban areas is integrated into the ECCS plan.

Moving Forward

  • Needs Assessment of Training Graduates: The next step in working toward a statewide CCHC infrastructure is to contact graduates of the HCCN CCHC training to assess if and how they are using their CCHC training. Information about what that consultant cohort needs to sustain their work will inform an action plan to move a CCHC infrastructure forward under the leadership of Together for Kids and Families.

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Information as of August 2007