Wayne America applied back in March and found out in May that we got in. Laurel has also gone through the same program.

This is also a county-wide effort. Families in every community in Wayne County are affected by early childcare support.

What This Means for Local Families

At its core, C4K is about making life a little easier for parents and kids. That could look like better access to childcare resources, stronger connections between local organizations that serve families, or simply more people paying attention to what young families actually need.

Over the next few years, Wayne America Inc. will work with Early Futures Partnership to:

• Look at how early childcare support affects the whole county, not just families with young kids 

• Use local information to build strategies that actually fit our area, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach 

• Connect families with resources and organizations already working to support kids across Nebraska 

The program comes with about $30,000 in funding spread over roughly three years, usually around $10,000 a year, to help get this work off the ground.

Building Our Core Team

Right now, Wayne America is putting together a Core Team of 10 to 15 people, including folks from other towns in the county, not just the city of Wayne. This group will help steer the initiative locally, working with C4K to figure out what's already going well for young families and where we can do better.

Down the road, we'll also be looking for input from the community itself. Getting feedback straight from residents will help make sure this work reflects what families here actually need.

Learn More

Want more background on the program? Check out earlyfutures.org/communities-for-kids or email Rachel Miller at (rmiller@wayneamerica.org).

More updates on the Core Team and this initiative are coming soon.