Ask anyone with young kids how they pay for childcare and you’ll get a weary sigh. Parents often struggle to pay for childcare so they can work, or one parent has to stay home. For single-parent families, this challenge is even more difficult, with infant childcare costs demanding over 30% of a single mother’s income in 2023.
That’s why Lincoln’s young families need tuition assistance to help pay for early childcare. And Lincoln’s early childcare centers need help providing this.
Empowering Families Through Tuition Assistance
In Northeast Lincoln, working families especially struggle to pay for quality childcare. One center, the Northeast Family Center (NFC), has partnered with Lincoln Littles to offer crucial tuition assistance so parents can balance affordability and access.
This tuition assistance has been a “godsend” for families, according to NFC executive director Curt Krueger. Last year alone, NFC distributed $60,000 in tuition assistance funded through Lincoln Littles, covering up to two-thirds of families’ childcare costs.
“We have families who, without this support, would be forced to choose between providing care for their children and keeping their jobs,” Krueger shared. The streamlined tuition assistance application process ensures parents can focus on their families rather than navigating cumbersome reimbursement systems. Scholarships follow children, offering continuity even if families move to other childcare centers within Lincoln Littles’ network.
Building a Stronger Workforce
On the other side of the coin, attracting, training, and retaining childcare workers is a significant hurdle. Childhood education centers need skilled workers to fill positions so they can serve more kids, and they often need assistance to do so. Lincoln Littles addresses this need by promoting Step Up to Quality programs, which help providers meet higher standards of care.
Through its workforce training programs, Lincoln Littles makes credentials more accessible for those entering the field, including refugees and immigrants. These efforts are strengthening childcare providers like NFC, helping them meet critical benchmarks and provide the best possible environment for children.
Providers like NFC also benefit from regular meetings facilitated by Lincoln Littles, connecting childcare providers with resources, training, and updates on policies. These gatherings are particularly valuable for navigating challenges like those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They’re like the United Way of early childhood education,” Krueger explained. “Lincoln Littles helps us stay connected, secure funding, and keep up with best practices. Their support ensures we’re always improving.”
These efforts are crucial to Prosper Lincoln’s goals of building a more available workforce AND providing access to quality early childhood education. At NFC, this means well-trained staff who are confident and capable of providing top-notch care.
“We want to pay our staff as well as possible, and Lincoln Littles provides that extra support to make it sustainable,” said Krueger.
How Lincoln Littles’ Makes a BIG Impact
Prosper Lincoln’s focus on early childhood education aims to ensure all children in Lincoln have access to high-quality care and learning opportunities, paving the way for a thriving workforce—both today and in the future.
Lincoln Littles plays a key role in strengthening Lincoln’s early childhood workforce by removing barriers to training and employment. Through strategic partnerships and packaged credentialing opportunities, they help childcare providers attract and retain staff—despite industry-wide challenges like low wages and limited benefits. Thanks to these efforts, participating centers are seeing one-year employee retention rates of 47%, significantly higher than the national average of 30%.
For children at NFC, the benefits of the Lincoln Littles partnership extend beyond the classroom. Vision screenings, developmental assessments, and early interventions help children thrive. “We’ve had kids who were almost nonverbal when they started with us, and now they’re talking your ear off,” Krueger shared.
These small victories—a child spelling their name for the first time or a group joyfully singing the days of the week—are the foundation of a lifetime of learning. Lincoln Littles’ work ensures children enter school ready to succeed.
Anne Brandt, Executive Director of Lincoln Littles, emphasized how its work aligns with the Prosper Lincoln Initiative. “Access to high-quality early childhood education changes lives—not just for children, but for their families and our community as a whole. By supporting organizations like Northeast Family Center, we’re helping parents stay in the workforce today while building a stronger, smarter workforce for tomorrow.”
Investing in Early Childhood
Early childhood education is one of Prosper Lincoln’s core pillars and a key area of investment for LCF. To date, LCF has provided Lincoln Littles with $400K in funding, along with critical accounting and marketing support to help the organization create easier access to quality childcare across the city.
Each fall, LCF hosts an annual campaign to raise funds and awareness for the important work of Lincoln Littles. To date, more than $6 million has been raised to support Lincoln Littles programs, operations, and initiatives—including tuition assistance for high-quality early childhood education programs throughout the community.
Tracy Edgerton, LCF president, shared, “By investing in early childhood education, we’re not just supporting families today—we’re laying the groundwork for a thriving, equitable future. Lincoln Littles and the Prosper Lincoln Initiative are important drivers in this work.”
In line with Prosper Lincoln’s vision, Lincoln Littles also facilitates the Lincoln Early Childhood Network—a centralized resource that coordinates community-led workgroups like Support for Families, Access to Quality Education, and Comprehensive Health.
A Community That Cares
The collaboration between Lincoln Littles and NFC exemplifies how the Prosper Lincoln Initiative is strengthening Lincoln. By reducing financial barriers, enhancing childcare quality, and supporting a stable workforce, they’re creating a ripple effect that benefits families, businesses, and the entire community.
As Anne stated, “Early childhood education is the foundation of a vibrant and equitable community. By supporting organizations like Lincoln Littles, the Lincoln Community Foundation is fostering opportunity and success for generations to come.”
Curt sees the long-term benefits every day. “A community can’t thrive without taking care of its kids,” he said. “With Lincoln Littles leading the charge, families and kids in Northeast Lincoln have the support they need to build brighter futures.”
With the support of initiatives like Prosper Lincoln, those futures are going to be big.