Five years ago, a movement was born in our community when the Lincoln Community Foundation launched the first Lincoln Littles Giving Day with dollars aimed at supporting our youngest Lincolnites.
A year later the Lincoln Littles office emerged. This talented, passionate group of advocates wake up every day thinking about how they can ensure every child in Lincoln, age birth to five years old, has access to affordable, quality childcare.
“The extraordinary work in our community continues,” said Tracy Edgerton, President/CEO of the Lincoln Community Foundation, speaking at the kickoff for the Lincoln Littles 2024 fall campaign held October 1st.
The work of Lincoln Littles coupled with donations to these campaigns are transforming the landscape of early childhood in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Donations to the fall campaign continue to help local childcare centers offer childcare tuition assistance for financially-strapped families, pay for staff development, and work toward higher quality childcare ratings.
In fact, in the past five years, more than $4.7 million has been raised for the cause of early childhood.
In the past five years, so many lives have been touched.
Here are five of those stories.
Jennifer Strand, President and General Counsel for Nebraska Title Company
Strand hired a talented new employee, an ambitious single mom who was trying to work herself off public assistance and loved her new job.
Not long after hiring, Strand discovered her employee was distraught because there was an unpaid balance on her childcare bill that she could not afford. She was terrified of losing her job.
“We called Lincoln Littles,” Strand said. “And within a day they had found a way to provide grant assistance to cover the mother’s past due amount and keep her son in childcare. They helped her bridge the gap.”
Today that employee is an up-and-coming real estate officer who won the Affiliate of the Year award. “She puts her child first but is committed to her job. And we have a whole new appreciation for what Lincoln Littles can do,” Strand said.
Juan Carlos Huertes, Minister of Proclamation and Practice of Justice at First-Plymouth Church
“I’m happy to report that once again, it is wonderful to hear the cries of children in the halls of First-Plymouth Church,” Huertes said.
For a while, those halls were silent.
Recently, after 50 years of providing childcare at the church, First-Plymouth lost their long-term childcare partner.
“Our first phone call was to Lincoln Littles. I’m so thankful to them for being that light, that hub,” he said. Lincoln Littles helped connect them with Las Abejitas, an existing bilingual preschool and childcare program.
“First-Plymouth couldn’t do it alone. It took more than conversation and intentionality. It took a partnership.”
“We all came together because we care for the children all around us at our corner of town near 20th and D Streets,” Huertes said. “And we’re not just talking about providing child care. We’re talking about providing education, a safe place to be loved, a meal, someone who knows your story.”
John Goodwin, Executive Director of The Malone Center
“The key word is impact, that’s what Lincoln Littles is to me,” Goodwin said.
When he became the Malone Center’s director, the Center’s childcare program was struggling. “I’ve learned through this process it’s not HOW you’re going to get it done. It’s WHO is going to help you get it done. We reached out to Lincoln Littles.”
Goodwin said Lincoln Littles provided a wide variety of help and support for the Malone Center, including: Helping them hire a Quality Program Development Manager, finding several sites for childcare while the Malone Center undergoes renovation, providing high quality training for staff members, and helping to dramatically increase the quality rating for the Center’s childcare.
“This means so much to our community, our staff and all the people we serve,” Goodwin said. “Thank you to Lincoln Littles. Thank you for the impact you have made for us.”
Silvia Castillo, Director of Kids First
“My involvement with Lincoln Littles began when I was a parent, and my husband and I fell in that ‘gap’ – not qualifying for state assistance
but still stretching to cover childcare costs,” Castillo recounted. “Lincoln Littles facilitated a way we could receive tuition assistance.”
Years later, Castillo had earned her degree in early childhood and became director of a childcare center.
“But running a program is completely different than knowing about teaching and child development,” she said. “We needed help in solving ways to grow our leadership and our staff.”
She called the experts. She called Lincoln Littles.
“They introduced me to the peer mentoring program, matching new directors with seasoned directors, as well as offering a series of classes and quality training for our staff,” Castillo said.
“After all, it’s all about quality. That’s what we all want for our programs and for our children.”
Jay Kline, VP of Strategic Accounts at the AOI Corporation
Kline’s former private development company was hired by the city of Lincoln to redevelop the site of the former Pershing Auditorium.
“We’re looking at a multi-faceted facility with one cornerstone featuring affordable housing,” he explained. “So, we looked at what other social services make this kind of housing more valuable to an urban core, and we identified two things: Health care and early childcare.”
But Kline said his organization had little expertise in early childcare. “We called Lincoln Littles, and they were so gracious with their time, and making connections. They believed in what we were trying to do – bringing early childcare development to the urban core of Lincoln.”
Kline applauded Lincoln for such “awesome advocacy for early childcare. Lincoln Littles brings such passion to this community.”
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Speaking at the fall campaign kickoff, Anne Brandt, Executive Director of Lincoln Littles, said that Lincoln Littles is all about the power of these stories and these collaborative relationships.
“This has been a great five years. It’s gone fast. We have accomplished much.”
You can answer the call too, by providing a donation to the Lincoln Littles campaign. Donate here.