World-Herald editorial: Big challenge, positive steps

Common sense and science both indicate that the first five years of life can be crucial in a person’s long-term development.

A large segment of America’s children from disadvantaged backgrounds enter school woefully unprepared. And the negative results materialize down the road in poor employment prospects, teen parenthood, alienation and even criminal activity.

In Nebraska, this challenge isn’t confined to the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas. The Nebraska Children and Families Foundation reports that 46 percent of the state’s at-risk children live in rural areas.

It’s an immense problem, and there are no panaceas. Developments in Nebraska offer encouragement, though.

Since 2006, a $60 million public-private endowment, called the Sixpence initiative, has provided funds to Nebraska communities for early childhood programs and services for at-risk children ages 3 and under and their families.

As an essay today on the More Commentary page explains, Nebraska business leaders are directing greater attention to the issue through an Early Childhood Business Roundtable. The essay rightly notes that early childhood issues can have big long-term effects on Nebraska’s work force development.

And this week, the University of Nebraska announced that it is creating a $100 million endowment for a multi-campus institute for early childhood education. The institute will be named after Susie Buffett, who provided a major donation and has spearheaded early childhood efforts. These include Educare centers, which provide a range of services for young children and their families.

A 2009 study conducted by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill looked at Educare programs in Omaha and four other U.S. cities. The study found that the care there had greatly reduced the school readiness gap for the children.

The Sixpence initiative provides another example. In Crete, Neb., a Sixpence program helped children of teen parents, and 92 percent then entered kindergarten adequately prepared.

Let’s keep building on these efforts. Let’s make the most of the opportunities as our public and private institutions put increased focus on this daunting statewide challenge.

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