Educational opportunities are critical to building and growing a healthy economy. This week, I was able to appreciate two facets of the education sector in District 42.

First, District 42 is welcoming two new FFA chapters this year! Hershey and Maxwell are both opening new chapters and I was pleased to attend the Hershey FFA kick-off meeting at the Hershey Public School this week. I was a former FFA President at Sutton High School and had the opportunity to serve as the State FFA Secretary. I attribute my experiences in FFA for setting the direction for my career. I applaud both school boards for having the vision to bring these programs to their schools and look forward to seeing them shape future leaders in our region.

I also had the chance to host First Five Nebraska and a group of local daycare and early-learning providers to begin an open discussion regarding their challenges and possible solutions. District 42 is blessed with many quality K-12 institutions. However, education goes beyond the classroom. Our daycare and early-learning providers serve our communities by providing safe spaces for children, opportunities for socialization, and supplemental education when children need it most. Unfortunately, many of these providers continue to face pandemic loses.

When the pandemic hit, workers went home, schools closed, and childcare became more complicated for many who could once rely on school and daycare routines. Now, even those who have been able to keep their doors open are struggling. Workforce shortages have hit every sector. No matter who you talk to, or what profession you are discussing, everyone needs people to work. Many employers are offering increased wages and benefits to try and lure workers to their business, and daycare providers have been forced to raise wages to compete. Meanwhile, licensed daycare providers are faced with many regulations and training requirements that further add to their costs to operate. However, their ability to pass those costs and increased operational expenses on are limited.

Access to quality, affordable childcare is an essential component in enabling more parents to enter or return to the workforce. In many cases, couples who have more than one child in daycare have found it more cost effective to have one parent stay home and care for their children as opposed to staying in (or entering) the workforce. Moreover, daycare and early-learning providers provide much needed developmental services to the approximately 75% of all young Nebraska children who grow up in homes where all parents work.

As both an employer and a Senator, I have had the opportunity to meet with several daycare professionals. They all are very passionate about their role in exposing children to social settings at an early age and helping them to get a head start in school. In an effort to help daycare and early-learning providers be more competitive and attract a stable workforce, I introduced a Legislative Resolution (LR 415) which conducts an Interim Study that explores opportunities to help licensed daycare providers access group health insurance plans so they can compete with other employer benefits at a reasonable cost. This week’s meeting was the first of several to be conducted statewide prior to the next Legislative session to explore ways the State can support daycare and early-learning providers and I am grateful for everyone who participated.

If you are a daycare or early-learning provider, or you have faced challenges accessing these providers, I would appreciate your input on how the Legislature can help you. Please feel free to reach out to me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov or 402-471-2729 about this or any other issue. My door is always open!