Boone County residents attend state early childhood conference

Five Boone County residents were among more than 400 civic, business, and education leaders from 92 Nebraska communities attending the 2019 Thriving Children, Families and Communities Conference on Monday, Sept. 16, at Kearney.
Participants learned more about how providing high-quality early childhood education can support a town’s children, its families and its economy.
Early childhood programs play a key role in community economic development—both because working families seek reliable, quality care in choosing where to live and because research shows that children who have benefited from high-quality early childhood programs become better students, better employees, and more productive citizens.
The conference is held in response to statewide calls to better understand how communities can provide high-quality early childhood education. It offers opportunities for attendees to share success stories and challenges, learn from each other, and develop action plans for implementing high-quality care and education from birth through third grade. Nearly 300 civic, business, and education leaders from 74 Nebraska communities attended the 2018 inaugural conference.