A new statewide campaign is calling for increased investment in affordable and quality child care in Nebraska. The Child Care Can campaign launched Monday with parents, child care providers, business leaders and community organizations joining the effort in downtown Lincoln. The campaign is a multi-year initiative focused on strengthening Nebraska’s child care system through public investment.
Elizabeth Everett, campaign manager for Child Care Can, says the group plans to pursue policy solutions ahead of the 2027 legislative session, including tax credits to help families afford child care and support providers. The campaign also plans to begin work on identifying a dedicated source of state funding for child care.
“For too many Nebraska families, quality child care has become harder to find, harder to afford and harder to keep,” Everett says. “At the same time, child care providers are working long hours in businesses that can be difficult to sustain. Child Care Can is about bringing Nebraskans together around practical policy solutions that can make a meaningful difference for families and providers while strengthening our state.”
Parents at Monday’s launch described the difficulty of finding care that works for their families. Jessica Pallas of Stromsburg says she and her husband have had to piece together different child care arrangements for their twin daughters. “Now our child care is a puzzle that we put together week by week,” Pallas says.
Quinton Brown, executive director of Educare Lincoln, says providers are also struggling with the economics of running child care programs. “Providers cannot afford to earn less, and families cannot afford to pay more,” Brown says.
Business leader Mike Castling said the child care shortage is also affecting Nebraska employers through absenteeism, lost productivity and employee turnover. He said inadequate child care is estimated to cost Nebraska $1.6 billion in lost labor costs.
Campaign officials say it will work with lawmakers, the governor, families, providers, businesses and communities on what it describes as practical, bipartisan solutions to Nebraska’s child care challenges.
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