A statewide survey is underway assessing how COVID-19 is impacting early childhood programs in Nebraska.

The survey, from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, is aimed at identifying how the accompanying economic crisis is effecting child care and what can be done to make things better.

“The survey provides an opportunity to listen to the voices of the dedicated professionals who care for and educate young children in our state, in the context of unprecedented health and economic challenges,” said Kate Gallagher, director of research and evaluation at the Buffett Institute. “We hope to carry their challenges and needs to legislators, policymakers, and state leaders in the hopes of providing greater supports to providers and families.”

[Access the survey here.]

According to the Institute, Nebraska ranks high on the list of states where all "available" parents are in the workforce with 75 percent of children under the age of six living in homes where all adults in the family work outside the home.