In the 2023 Nebraska Rural Poll 61% agreed there's a shortage of affordable child care in their communities, and more than 75% said their communities should do more to address this need.

Sen. John Fredrickson focused on recruiting and retaining child care providers in his priority bill, Legislative Bill 856. The Omaha Democrat said he modeled the bill after a successful law in Kentucky.

Under the measure, child care providers who work at least 20 hours a week would qualify for the federal child care subsidy for their own child's care, regardless of their income.

"We found that there are child care providers who would otherwise qualify, but because there was almost this cliff effect, their income would prohibit them from qualifying," Fredrickson observed. "This takes that out as a factor for them and allows them to qualify for their own children."

As of mid-2022, the average annual salary for full-time Nebraska child care workers was $28,000. The yearly cost of child care for a toddler in Nebraska averages $7,500 in a home-based setting, and nearly $10,500 in a child care center.

The first hearing on the bill was last Friday, but the Health and Human Services Committee has not yet taken action.

Fredrickson stressed although the income requirement for the child care subsidy would be waived, providers would still have to meet the other federal eligibility requirements. He noted the measure could have a wide-reaching impact.

"If we can attract, or even retain, 10 providers, that opens up upwards of 70 slots, so 70 different families," Fredrickson pointed out. "The potential this has for ripple effects on the economy and also on the availability of workforce is really significant."

In 2022, Sarah Vanover, now with Kentucky Youth Advocates, oversaw implementation of the Kentucky program that inspired Fredrickson's bill. Vanover said nearly 3,500 providers and 6,000 children participate, and child care directors report having lower employee turnover.

"I think that it's really important for the child care providers because they don't always get additional benefits other than an hourly wage," Vanover noted. "But this also benefits the stability of the child care program and the economic outcomes of the community. So it has a threefold benefit."

The Federal child care subsidy is for children up to the age of 13, or up to the age of 19 for children with a disability or in foster care.


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The number of West Virginia children living in poverty remains among the highest in the nation, and more children are living in households struggling with hunger, according to the latest federal data.

The end of pandemic supports combined with rising inflation, rent, and the cost of living, are to blame experts say.

The expanded Child Tax Credit cut child poverty in half, said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director with Food Research & Action Center.

When it ended, he said more families dipped back into poverty. Now, the child poverty rate has hit nearly 14%.

"Had we added a few more dollars to that program, it could have cut child poverty entirely," said Bhatti. "But it was a deliberate policy choice that the government made to not do that, and then another deliberate choice to remove that expansion."

According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, child poverty in the Mountain State dipped from 25% in 2022 to around 20% in 2023.

But despite the reduced numbers, the number of kids living in poverty remains among the highest in the nation.

Nearly 14 million children live in households currently experiencing food insecurity, up by more than 3% from 2022.

Bhatti noted that nearly 35% of single parent households headed by women struggle to pay for groceries.

He said his organization wants Congress to protect the Thrifty Food Plan, which sets the standard for the maximum amount of SNAP benefits households receive.

"Some lawmakers want to cut that Thrifty Food Plan adjustment," said Bhatti, "and as a result, that would cut $30 billion from SNAP benefits over the next 10 years."

Experts say kids who eat healthy meals are less likely to develop high blood pressure, diabetes, dental cavities, and other health problems.

But as more kids go hungry or lack access to quality food, they're also more likely to be uninsured.

According to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the number of children without health coverage rose to nearly 6% in 2023.




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During this week's presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris proposed reviving the Child Tax Credit, which was part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

Harris says she'd raise the credit to $6,000 for newborns, renewing focus on its impact for Ohio families. However, the U.S. Senate recently rejected House Resolution 7024, which aimed to expand the Child Tax Credit.

Analysts have said the proposal could have lifted 400,000 children out of poverty, including thousands in Ohio.

Lauren Reliford, public policy director for the Children's Defense Fund, cited a "lack of political will" as the main barrier to expanding the credit.

"But at this point, childhood poverty is a policy choice," she said. "The folks that have the power to do it know and have seen the evidence - and they haven't done it."

A Child Tax Credit expansion initially passed in the House with bipartisan support, including all but one Ohio representative. However, critics of the expansion have voiced concerns about the cost to taxpayers and potential misuse. These factors contributed to its rejection in the Senate, despite widespread support from family advocacy groups.

Reliford also pointed to the broader impacts of poverty on children and the long-term consequences of inaction.

"Poverty is a toxic stress," she said. "Children see their parents being stressed, and they take that on, too. And so, why are we allowing these children to grow up in spaces and places without the necessary resources they need?"

The Child Tax Credit has been credited with significantly reducing childhood poverty during the pandemic, but its future remains uncertain as the debate continues in Washington.

A national program to connect children and families with the outdoors is at risk of ending without help from Congress.

The Every Kid Outdoors program provides fourth graders and their families the opportunity to appreciate nature and wildlife without breaking the bank.

Julia Hurwit, Outdoors Alliance for Kids campaign manager for the Sierra Club, said the program encourages children to seek out an active and healthy outdoor lifestyle, leading to a sustained relationship with the natural world by offering a free, one-year pass.

"This includes things like national parks, national historical sites, national marine sanctuaries," Hurwit outlined. "This pass begins on September first every year for the current class of fourth graders and gives them access to those places."

This month and continuing through Oct. 5, the Outdoor Alliance for Kids is organizing a range of events and actions to spread awareness and advocate for Congress to pass the Every Kid Outdoors Reauthorization Act. It would secure $25 million in permanent funding and extend the program to fifth graders.

The Sierra Club believes the wellness of current and future generations, the economy and the health of communities and the planet depend on people having a personal, direct and lifelong relationship with nature.

Hurwit added it helps if kids are introduced to the great outdoors early in life.

"Every year, it's about 200,000 fourth graders who are able to access this pass," Hurwit pointed out. "You can get a voucher for free online, and then you turn it into a physical parks pass in certain locations across the country, including most national parks and federal lands."

She noted much of the Sierra Club's belief in the importance of the Outdoor Alliance program is based on studies.

"When a kid goes to a national park or goes to public lands for the first time with their own family and with multi generations, it really encourages them to continue going because they're seeing someone they really look up to," Hurwit explained.