Supports

Adult Education Classes and Supports

1Head Start

Image from Andy Kuzma

The Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework (click on each part of the framework graphic for more information and resources) is foundational to the work Head Start programs do with families. Each of the seven family outcomes is embedded within program services, and there are resources aligned with these outcomes that support both children and families. Each local Head Start program implements literacy initiatives—targeted to both children and families—that are individualized based on the specific needs of their enrolled population and assigned service areas and supported through community partnerships. Most Early Head Start and Head Start preschool programs regularly incorporate parent-child literacy activities that align with the high-quality instructional materials required for classroom use, and in home-based models, socialization activities designed to support literacy outcomes for both parents and children are also a required component. Partnerships with libraries, local service clubs, and other non- and for-profit businesses also exist in each community served.

For more information about Head Start in Nebraska, please visit the Nebraska Head Start Collaboration Office (Nebraska Department of Education) - Nebraska Head Start Collaboration Office—Nebraska Department of Education and/or the Nebraska Head Start Association - Nebraska Head Start Association - Nebraska Head Start Association.

2Humanities Nebraska

Humanities Nebraska offers the following three programs:

Prime Time Family Reading is a nationally recognized, award-winning, six-week reading & discussion program for families with children ages 5-10. It encourages children and their caregivers to read books together and discuss real-life issues that are presented in the books.
Summer Reading Kits, which include family discussion & activity guides, are developed using Prime Time methods and are distributed through libraries, schools, and community centers.
Prime Time Preschool is a developmentally appropriate, six-week reading & discussion program for families with children ages 3-5. Preschool facilitators read aloud to the families, lead discussions, and prepare activity centers where preschoolers and their caregivers can further explore themes from the books.

All three initiatives are available as English/Spanish bilingual programs.

Example

One example of how Prime Time Family Reading works: Northeast Community College ECED (Early Childhood Education) Club is part of Humanities Nebraska, Prime Time Family Reading Time. Our students prepare preschool read-aloud books and activities. We provide the preschool child care for the Prime Time Family Reading Time events in Norfolk. We sponsor and participate in Read Aloud Norfolk's yearly Children's Day Festival. Students help promote and execute the event and give books to the families and children who attend. We sponsor and participate in the yearly fall Spooktacular and spring Springtacular events by giving the children and families who attend their own book. The ECED Club sponsors and provides a Read Across America Children's Read Aloud each year. In 2025, children were invited to wear their pajamas, and our students read a book to the children and families. Children are sent home after with a copy of the book, a bedtime snack, and a bookmark with book suggestions for further reading.

3Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative

Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative provides support, resources, and training to strengthen early learning across Nebraska.

4 Nebraska Growing Readers

Nebraska Growing Readers provides free books to families and promotes the adoption of shared reading as a means of increasing literacy for all children in the state.

5Nebraska Statewide Family Engagement Center

Nebraska Statewide Family Engagement Center offers resources on its website:

Training sessions for parents, teachers, and education stakeholders

6Read Aloud Nebraska

Read Aloud Nebraska’s mission is to promote healthy, successful children and families through reading aloud and fostering school and community efforts that develop lifelong readers. They have partners throughout the state. One local example of the Read Aloud work is Read Aloud Norfolk.

7Sixpence Early Learning Fund and Child Care Partnership

Sixpence Early Learning Fund and Child Care Partnership communities offer PACT, Parent Time, and Children's Education. The primary focus is supporting families with children birth-3 years old through various avenues like home visitation, supporting district child care centers, and increasing quality in licensed child care.

Parent and Child Together (PACT) Time® is a registered trademark of the National Center for Families Learning.