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Early Childhood Champion Awards

NEBRASKA EARLY CHILDHOOD

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Funding Amount

$1,000

Deadline

September 16, 2026

162 days left

Grant Type

foundation

Overview

Early Childhood Champion Awards

Funder: Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative (NECC) in partnership with the We Care for Kids campaign

Award Amount: $1,000 gift per award

Number of Awards: 24 exemplary early learning professionals across Nebraska

Geographic Scope: Nebraska

Eligibility: Early educators/early learning professionals

Program Purpose

The Early Childhood Champion award was created to:

  • Acknowledge the essential role of early educators to the well-being of young children and their families, the community, and the economy

  • Publicly acknowledge and provide monetary recognition to exemplary early learning professionals

  • Address Nebraska's growing crisis around child care and early education

    • Context

    Problem Addressed:

  • Serious staffing shortages leaving parents without reliable care and vulnerable children without access to quality early education

  • COVID-19 pandemic impacts: quarantine closures, inconsistent attendance, expensive new protocols, continued staffing shortages, forcing many providers to close

  • February 2022 survey by Buffett Early Childhood Institute of 750 child care providers found two-thirds experienced staff turnover, with nearly 7 in 10 providers saying staff were leaving the field entirely

  • Early childhood workforce is essential to state's economy

    • Contact

    Learn more about the Early Childhood Champion campaign at the official page.

    How to Apply

    Nomination Process

    1. Nominate an early educator in your community
    2. Deadline: September 16, 2026
    3. Visit the Early Childhood Champion campaign page to submit a nomination

    Note: Nominations are accepted from the public (community members can nominate educators).

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    Focus Areas & Funding Uses

    Fields of Work

    child-careprofessional-developmentdaycare

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