Buffett Early Childhood Institute

03/13/2026

Our partners at Central Nebraska Community Action Partnership, Inc. are hiring an Early Head Start infant/toddler teacher in Schuyler, Neb. Check the flyer for details!

03/12/2026

"Gilliam says childcare should be treated like infrastructure and subsidized by public investment — arguing that, like roads, it is something people depend on to get to work.

'Without it, economies come to a halt,' Gilliam said."

Buffett Institute Executive Director Walter Gilliam talked to KMTV 3 News Now about our new Omaha metro child care gap research brief. On the Iowa side of the Omaha metro, the gap between the potential need and the existing child care supply is 20%, or nearly 1,300 children.

🎥 Watch: https://www.3newsnow.com/southwest-iowa/staffing-shortages-drive-childcare-gap-new-report-finds-iowa-side-of-metro-has-highest-need

🔗 Check out the full brief: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/policy-research/omaha-metro-child-care-gap-assessment

A new report finds a 20% childcare gap in Pottawattamie, Mills and Harrison counties. 1,000+ children don't have care near home. Experts say low pay and staffing shortages are driving the crisis.

03/11/2026

At the Buffett Institute's fourth annual Superintendents' Early Childhood Plan convening, keynote speaker Ernesto Mejia reminded school leaders of an important point: not every family feels comfortable at their child's school.

“It’s intimidating. It’s challenging. It’s scary,” Mejia said. “Most families are not disengaged. They’re disconnected from how schools work.”

Read our new blog about the event and family engagement strategies shared by Mejia and educators from Bellevue Public Schools, Millard Public Schools, and Omaha Public Schools.

🔗 https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/blog/2026/03/school-leaders-gather-to-deepen-partnerships-between-schools-and-families

Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties

Roughly 150 Omaha-area superintendents, district leaders, principals, school staff, community leaders, and members of the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties Coordinating Council attended.

03/10/2026

Apply now for the Buffett Institute's Graduate Scholars program! This one-year fellowship is worth up to $25,000 for Ph.D. students in the University of Nebraska System. We're seeking students from various fields, including health, education, social work, public health, art, psychology, and the neurosciences, to conduct impactful research on early childhood.

📅 The deadline to apply is April 24: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/about-us/graduate-scholars

University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of Nebraska Medical Center - UNMC
UNMC College of Public Health UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute UNO College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences University of Nebraska at Omaha- Department of Biomechanics Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools UNL Child, Youth and Family Studies UNL Office of Research and Innovation UNL Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education UNL Center on Children, Families, and the Law

03/09/2026

How can we help children and families use technology responsibly and stay safe online? Amy Schmidtke, the Buffett Institute's director of educational practice, will join Elkhorn Public Schools and Lutheran Family Services for an expert panel on March 10 at Elkhorn North High School, “Safeguarding Your Child’s Digital Well-Being."

This free event is designed for families and will focus on raising awareness about the effects of cell phones and digital media on children and sharing practical strategies to support children’s healthy development and technology use.

Alongside representatives from public health, youth mental health, county government, and pediatrics, Schmidtke will share early childhood perspectives around developmentally appropriate technology use and how families can balance digital tools with play, interaction, and real-world exploration.

More details: https://www.elkhornweb.org/blog/eps-to-host-safeguarding-your-childs-digital-well-being/

03/07/2026

An estimated 1 in 8 child care workers in Nebraska use Medicaid for health care coverage. Further Medicaid cuts could hurt the already vulnerable early childhood workforce, Buffett Institute Executive Director Walter Gilliam told the Flatwater Free Press.

“This is not a robust system,” Gilliam said. “This is an incredibly fragile system that’s already under a massive amount of strain."

Read the full story, which also cites Buffett Institute child care gap data.

Malissie Plugge felt blessed to find the perfect child care setup for her daughters Margo and Violet, a warm, sweet in-home day care not too far from

03/06/2026

Happy Employee Appreciation Day! At the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, our staff members bring a variety of backgrounds and expertise in early childhood development, care, and education. What unites us is a shared vision: transforming the lives of young children by improving their learning and development.

Meet our dedicated team: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/about-us/our-people

03/05/2026

150 school leaders gathered this week for the Superintendents' Early Childhood Plan convening in Omaha. Forging deeper connections between schools and families was the focus of the event and the keynote address from family engagement expert Ernesto Mejia from CoolSpeak.

“Most families are not disengaged. They’re disconnected from how schools work," Mejia said.

Educators from Millard Public Schools, Bellevue Public Schools, and Omaha Public Schools participated in a panel discussion and shared how their schools have successfully connected with children and families. Thank you to all the attendees, who show up every day to strengthen early learning. Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties

03/04/2026

On Day, we want to recognize the Buffett Institute's Community Chairs:
⭐️ Julia Torquati, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
⭐️ Philip Lai and Paula Thompson, the University of Nebraska at Kearney
⭐️ Debora Wisneski, the University of Nebraska at Omaha

The endowed Community Chair program, which includes four faculty members from the University of Nebraska System, "allows a faculty member to step out of that silo of the university and really be a connector to the community." Meet our Community Chairs: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/about-us/community-chairs

03/03/2026

It's Week! You can start reading to your baby from the very beginning, as a baby’s brain is soaking up all of those words and working to learn how to communicate.

Our partners at NDE Early Childhood shared some early literacy tips for families:
👶 Talk to your baby and narrate throughout the day: "I'm going to button your onesie."
🎵 Sing, recite nursery rhymes, and play games—all fun ways to engage with language
📚️ You don't have to read a book word-for-word. Point to the illustrations or letters or talk about a character's feelings.

Learn more in our blog post.

Reading with children is important during each of their developmental stages. Even small babies benefit from the bonding time with their parents and caregivers, and learning words that become the building blocks of language.

03/02/2026

The CDA Council for Professional Recognition's board of directors and leadership recently visited the Buffett Institute for a portion of their annual board meeting.

We had the opportunity to share our work and bring in leaders from across Nebraska who are working on early childhood workforce credentialing and certification, including the Nebraska Department of Education and professors from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

The Council for Professional Recognition is the largest provider of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential and the leading non-university credentialing organization in the early childhood field.

02/28/2026

Kindergarten is more than the first day of school—it’s a transition that unfolds over time.

Last week, Amy Schmidtke, the Buffett Institute's director of educational practice, presented a workshop, "Getting Ready for Kindergarten: Making the Move Together," for approximately 65 Omaha Public Schools families with incoming Kindergarteners.

Schmidtke focused on what truly helps children feel ready: strong relationships, predictable routines, playful learning, and growing confidence.

Families:
• Learned what matters most during the kindergarten transition
• Explored hands-on materials that support early writing and learning through play and got to take home the materials to support their children’s learning.
• Gained practical ideas they can use right away at home

Learn more about how we partner with schools and families: https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/schools