Ravenna Area Selected for Communities for Kids Initiative

The community of Ravenna has recently been selected to be part of Nebraska Children and Families Foundation Communities for Kids, a state-wide initiative which supports young children, families and those providing their care.  The Communities for Kids initiative is a multi-year planning and implementation initiative that was created in response to community requests for assistance with shortages of high-quality early childhood care and education programs.  These shortages impact children’s optimal development and also pose a challenge for communities hoping to attract and retain the viable workforce they need to thrive.

An orientation was held January 27, 2025 at the Ravenna Public Library consisting of early childcare educators and providers, school and elected officials, and community stakeholders to guide the local initiative work.

In support of the participating communities, Communities for Kids will provide assistance and expertise to the community of Ravenna with:

• Engaging stakeholders in identifying the strengths and gaps of the current early care and education resources in the community.
• Using informed decision-making to determine strategies for meeting the priority needs identified by the community and creating a business plan if needed.
• Connecting communities with experts and research, best practices, implementation, quality measurements, financing, use of government/public resources, and design, etc.
• Exploring and assisting communities with applying for all available sources of funding (private/public grants, public funding programs such as childcare subsidy, no- or low-interest loans, etc.).

“Communities for Kids is eager to work closely with the Ravenna community as the 75th Nebraska community to take part in this initiative. During their community Orientation it was demonstrated how we partner using a collective impact approach to address their quality early care and educational needs.  With this approach Ravenna community partners will lead the way by determining their own needs and strengths while Communities for Kids provides support and technical assistance along the way.  The community representation at their Communities for Kids Orientation represented a strong commitment for this work to get started and to sustain in the Ravenna community.” said Shonna Werth, Associate Vice President of Early Childhood Programs at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation.  To learn more about Communities for Kids visit, www.communitiesforkids.org