Sixpence is Nebraska's signature effort to prepare more of Nebraska's youngest, most vulnerable children for success in school and life through high-quality early learning opportunities in the first three years.
As part of the Sixpence focus on services for pre-born children, infants and toddlers who are most likely to encounter challenges to their healthy physical, cognitive and social development, and that puts them at risk of struggling in school and life, the organization emphasizes the following principles:
- Empowering parents and families to guide children’s development--Parents are vital to their children's development, especially during the earliest years of life. Sixpence helps parents develop their skills as effective caregivers and educators, connect to local resources and support networks, and create stronger, more resilient and nurturing families.
- Addressing developmental challenges early--Young children who encounter developmental obstacles may face negative educational, social, and even lifelong health outcomes. Our best prospects for thriving children is to address cognitive, emotional, and physiological challenges before they become costlier and more difficult to address later in life.
- Enabling communities to find their own early childhood solutions--Young children have similar developmental needs wherever they are being raised. However, the challenges facing families with young children aren’t necessarily the same in every part of the state. Community partnerships are best positioned to organize local assets and resources to address the specific needs of there families with young children.
- Uniting public and private sector resources--Nebraska’s public and private sectors share a common interest in ensuring more children grow up to become healthy, capable and contributing members of their communities. Sixpence is built upon cross-sector collaboration at the state and local levels, which widens the pool of available resources and encourages flexibility and innovation in the design and delivery of PN-3 services.
- Investing in quality--Accountability is crucial for the public and private resources we invest in young children's development. We can ensure those resources are being used responsibly by investing strategically in high-quality programs that show positive outcomes for the children, families, and communities they serve.
