| News |
Laura, 18, was honored for her friendship with Cassie as the Midlands Mentoring Partnership's "Mentor of the Year." ...more » |
The Nebraska State Education Association, Building Bright Futures, and the Nebraska Broadcasters Association have joined forces to create and promote TruancySolutions.org.
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The 19th annual Kids Count in Nebraska Report continues to provide pertinent information on the well-being of all children in areas of health, education, safety and economic stability and features a commentary on the importance of investing in early childhood.
View the Full Report:
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A children's advocacy group hopes Nebraska lawmakers will take a broad look at the health of the state's children and not focus just on whether privatization of the state's troubled child welfare system should continue.
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Before they are even born, children of low-income families lag behind their more economically stable peers in every way.
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Thursday, January 12, 2012 | 5:30 - 7:30
OPS TAC Building | 2nd Floor Board Room
3215 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE 68131
This event is open to all interested community members who would like to learn more about issues and policy concerns related to Child Education and Health Outcomes. Free food and childcare will be provided for all attendees.
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Midlands Mentoring Partnership aspires to make omaha a model mentoring community by nurturing programs that use best practices. It's no coincidence that National Mentoring Month is observed in January and the Midlands Mentoring Partnership (MMP) holds its annual conference Jan. 27-28.
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This New York Times Op-Ed piece references Building Bright Futures and other efforts around the nation to address the link between poverty and education.
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Building Bright Futures released the 2010 | 2011 Annual Report, Illuminating Pathways to Educational Excellence.
To read this report, please visit:
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School districts in the Omaha area are dealing with stragglers who haven't yet gotten the second of two state-required varicella, or chickenpox, vaccinations.
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Don't blame teachers, principals or school boards for children not doing well in school. "It is our failure to bring kids to kindergarten ready to learn and helping them all the way through," said Richard Holland, chairman of the board for Building Bright Futures.
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Please join Building Bright Futures and Avenue Scholars Foundation in Illuminating Pathways to Educational Excellence.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Reception: 4 - 5 p.m.
Remarks: 5 - 6 p.m.
Ramada Plaza Omaha Hotel and Convention Center.
RSVP by October 31 to: rsvp@buildingbrightfutures.net
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University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Service Learning Academy will bring together approximately 13 UNO Psychology students and five students from Blackburn Alternative Program to create a P-16 service learning project that will allow students to use conditioning to shape the behavior of dogs at the Nebraska Humane Society.
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A year after the first school-based health centers opened in Omaha, the initiative is being expanded to all students in the Omaha Public Schools who need an alternative route to basic health care.
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The burden has fallen hard on the guardians of health care for pregnant women.
Since the state complied early last year with a federal mandate to exclude prenatal coverage for about 1,600 women, and then chose not to find an alternative way to pay for that care, the effects have mounted for women, their babies and the providers who care for them.
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On May 25, 2011, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced that the Administration plans to use approximately $500 million of the FY11 Race to the Top funding for a major competition in support of bold and comprehensive State plans for raising the quality of early learning programs.
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Teen parenthood, particularly for low-income and minority teens, can mean an end to the educational road. But not for Harris and 45 other participants in a new program aimed at young, struggling parents. All are graduating from various Omaha public high schools.
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On a day many were tipping a cold Corona in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, this group of Omaha students was up to something. Something that would have made their parents — and grandparents — proud.
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Three Omaha South High School students are used to keeping a lookout for police while they spray graffiti on walls, but on Monday they received compliments from officers at the southeast police precinct. The three are members of the Packasso Project, a South High graffiti group aimed at applying students’ artistic skills to positive projects.
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Omaha children learned business basics in the Omaha metropolitan area's first Lemonade Day.
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Doris Buffett surprised a University of Nebraska at Omaha class by doubling the money that the students can award to nonprofit groups this spring. The decision on Wednesday, April 13, was that Building Bright Futures D2 Center and City Sprouts were the winners of the award. An awards presentation for both groups will be held at City Sprouts at 40 th and Hamilton on Wednesday, April 20, at 2:30 p.m.
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Mayor Jim Suttle proclaims April 10-16, 2011, the Week of the Young Child. More than 1,500 families and children showed up Sunday at the Omaha Children's Museum for the kick-off. To learn more about the week click here.
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If you’re thirsty for a cool glass of lemonade on May 1, there’s a good chance you won’t have to go far to find one.
Organizers of an event that aims to get young people interested in entrepreneurship and community involvement hope there will be more than 3,000 Omaha-area children and teens lined up that day in parks, front yards and on sidewalks — all of them selling sweet drinks.
To participate click here.
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A proposed bill could cut government funding for daycare providers that qualify for title XX assistance. Low income families, and daycare providers worry that if the bill does pass, quality of childcare could suffer, or providers may be forced to close.
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Dr. Ken Bird, former superintendent of the Westside Community School District (Omaha) and Past President of the Horace Mann League was presented the "Outstanding Public Education Award" for his leadership in creating the Avenue Scholars Foundation.
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State officials say LB 464 is needed to help reduce the budget shortfall, but an opponent calls it a “domino to disaster.”
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About 40 child care providers for many of the state's at-risk children said Monday those kids can't be sacrificed to save the state budget. ...more » |
A public memorial service for Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies, will be held Monday, March 14 at 10 a.m. in the Joslyn Art Museum's Witherspoon Hall.
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On Wednesday, March 9, seventh- and eighth-graders from King Science and Technology Magnet Middle School will visit the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) to utilize the science labs in the Durham Science Center as part of a service-learning project sponsored by the Service-Learning Academy at UNO.
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Keep well-being of children first. Despite two decades of compelling research that shows investing in top-quality early childhood programs yields impressive returns in education, health and economic prosperity, some 368,000 of the nation’s most vulnerable infants, toddlers and preschoolers may soon be stripped of early learning services.
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A community collaboration in Omaha, Neb., has gained recognition for developing six school-based health centers (SBHCs) that began offering services to 35,000 students at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year. Led by Omaha nonprofit Building Bright Futures, and staffed by medical professionals from community health centers, basic physical health care services are now being provided at five elementary schools and one middle school to students and their siblings living in low-income neighborhoods of north and south Omaha.
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Part counselor, part mentor, Gales is a youth attendance navigator. His job, working closely with school staff, is to help steer kids who are missing too much school past the barriers that keep them from attending regularly — preferably before they run afoul of the law.
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Common sense and science both indicate that the first five years of life can be crucial in a person’s long-term development. A large segment of America’s children from disadvantaged backgrounds enter school woefully unprepared. And the negative results materialize down the road in poor employment prospects, teen parenthood, alienation and even criminal activity.
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Nebraska’s Early Childhood Business Roundtable commends the University of Nebraska and Omaha philanthropist Susie Buffett in their landmark announcement this week of the new Buffett Early Childhood Institute.
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What if the gap between what we know to be optimal conditions for child development and what actually happens to many at-risk children and their families could be closed? Because of a generous gift to the University of Nebraska from Omaha philanthropist Susie Buffett – a gift the university has committed to more than match – these goals are now well within reach for Nebraska.
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Early Childhood Services intivites you to an open house on Thursday, January 27 from 4:00 - 7:00 pm. Tour the office, meet the staff and learn more about our Early Childhood and Young Parent Programs!
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Check out Midlands Mentoring Partnership's new video at www.mmpomaha.org and learn more about the importance of mentoring!
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Mentoring organizations, mentors, school personnel , community and business leaders in Omaha, the Governor of Nebraska, and the Mayor of Omaha, are involved in a month of activities to celebrate National Mentoring Month in January.
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Nebraska’s recent denial of prenatal services is a major setback to the BBF commitment to early childhood education and the overall effort to improve educational outcomes and eliminate the achievement gap.
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A service-learning course that brings together K-12 and University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) students within their communities is also helping senior citizens.
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Building Bright Futures cites successes and a commitment to build on them in its annual report released Monday.
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Supporters of Building Bright Futures were wowed by college student Amber Franklin Monday night.
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The $283,000 will go toward efforts to increase the number of children served.
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Release Ministries is currently seeking a part-time Administrative Assistant.
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Healthy Futures story featured on msnbc.com
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Clinics in six schools in the Omaha district this fall are seen as ways to keep kids learning.
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New school-based health centers add “awesome” asset to six area schools.
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The numbers are staggering: 82,000 kids in Douglas and Sarpy Counties don't have a regular medical provider, and more than 20,000 need behavioral health intervention or treatment, but don't have access to quality care. Both figures are the targets of a new partnership, reaching out to families in a whole new way.
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The Family Housing Advisory Services, Foster Care Youth IDA Program was recently featured on KETV. This segment pictures Bree Swaggert, a volunteer with NCFF, who is also working with BBF as an AmeriCorps Volunteer in conjunction with the Nebraska Career Connections grant.
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The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book. Nebraska ranks 9th overall for child well-being.
For more on how kids in Nebraska ranked, visit:
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As Building Bright Futures prepares to launch six school-based health centers in just over a month, we have prepared talking points to help community stakeholders remain informed.
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An agenda for early education can't wait for kindergarten-the first five years matter, too.
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Two-Way Mirrors Give Therapists Window On Parenting
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Child Saving Institute and Kid Squad, strong partners of BBF-ECS, were featured on KETV.
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The Midlands Mentoring Partnership first annual Mentor Fair draws dozens of would-be mentors.
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Thousands of youth in Omaha are waiting for a mentor.....just one hour a week for a year is all that's needed....and the benefits will last a lifetime! Please join the Midlands Mentoring Program team at Westroads on Saturday, June 5th, from Noon-4:00 PM, to learn more about mentoring opportunities in our community.
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Our community has numerous efforts under way aimed at curbing the problems that contribute to violent crime. Here are some of the ways you can help.
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Omaha children will have access to basic health care at six schools when classes start next August. Plans are progressing for the school-based health centers within the Omaha Public Schools.
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A sudden surge in truancy cases has a Douglas County Juvenile Court judge scrambling for a way to help — and compel — hundreds of students to get back in school, without throwing the book at them.
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Building Bright Futures chose school attendance and truancy as one of its first focus areas when it launched its efforts in 2007.
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Alarming figures reveal the reality of a metro area in which economic hardship has a stronger and stronger grip on the black community.
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Nebraska’s recent denial of prenatal services is a major setback to the BBF commitment to early childhood education and the overall effort to improve educational outcomes and eliminate the achievement gap.
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| Press |
Debra Tomek, M.D., understands the situation. Children don’t learn if they aren’t in school. Sick children don’t go to school. Get them healthy, keep them well, and they’ll miss fewer school days. That’s the reasoning behind the first-ever School-Based Health Centers to serve the Omaha Public Schools.
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OMAHA NE- Mentoring organizations, mentors, school personnel, community and business leaders in Omaha, the Governor of Nebraska, and the Mayor of Omaha, are involved in a month of activities to celebrate National Mentoring Month in January. Activities include participation in national social media events like "I Am A Mentor Day" on January 11th and "Thank A Mentor Day" on January 26th. Additionally, the Midlands Mentoring Partnership, a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the number and quality of mentoring programs available to local youth, is working with 13 local mentoring programs and Building Bright Futures to host a 2-day Mentoring Summit at the DoubleTree Hotel in Downtown Omaha on January 27th and 28th.
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Building Bright Futures (BBF) and the Omaha Public Schools (OPS) are making a difference in the health of our community’s children. May 2011 marks the first year of operation of the six School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) that serve students at King Science & Technology Magnet Center, Spring Lake Elementary, Indian Hill Elementary, Belvedere Elementary, Kellom Elementary and Liberty Elementary.
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Helping Thousands of Omaha-Area Children Attend School Healthy and Ready to Learn
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Building Bright Futures sent a letter today to Nebraska’s Congressional delegation expressing concern about the detrimental impact of the proposed federal budget cuts to the organization’s efforts to improve academic achievement and reduce the drop-out rate. ...more » |
The Early Childhood Consortium of the Omaha Area (ECCOA) spotlights Early Childhood Services. Learn more about early childhood trainings, meetings and opportunities in the Omaha area.
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Midlands Mentoring Partnership's 2010 Mentor Fair was highlighted in the August edition of Metro Monthly.
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Click here to read about Building Bright Futures in HER Magazine and Omaha Publications’ annual “Omaha’s Big Give” tribute.
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Omaha ranks high across the board with seven Blue Ribbon schools, a short commute, low unemployment and 9,560 acres of parkland.
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In this issue of Physician's Bulletin is an article on Building Bright Futures' school-based health centers.
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| Media |
This year's Advocate of the Year award will be presented to the Kiewit Corporation employees who for more than a decade have been very active in supporting the TeamMates Mentoring Program. Watch this video to learn more about Kiewit Corporation and the TeamMates Mentoring Program
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The 2012 winner is Laura Hopp, a mentor with the Just Friends Program at Ollie Webb Center Inc. Watch this video to learn more about Laura and Cassie's story. ...more » |
To learn more about Building Bright Futures please visit our new YouTube Channel!
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The Omaha Public Library and Building Bright Futures have come together to bring us a new resource geared towards improving students' academic performance, raising graduation rates, and preparing them for post-secondary education. Best of all, FREE web-based tutoring is available as long as you have an active library card, a computer, and internet access!!
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A video of the announcement of today’s $500 million for the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge funds.
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Summer program aims to match kids with jobs.
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Susie Buffett of the Sherwood Foundation and Daniel Pedersen of the Buffett Early Childhood Fund talk about the importance of early childhood education, especially in the first five years.
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WOWT.com - Collaborative effort working to help at-risk youth succeed
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KPTM (Omaha)-Ribbon cutting ceremonies at local schools today marked a significant change for students and their health.
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School-Based Health Centers featured on KETV.com
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School-Based Health Centers featured on KETV.com
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Jeanee Weiss of Building Bright Futures shares information about School-Based Health Centers on WOWT.
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Great story about one of Midlands Mentoring Partnership's newest mentoring programs.
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Click here to watch the video about Midlands Mentoring Partnership and the first annual Mentor Fair.
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Several Omaha Public Schools will soon offer medical exam rooms. The plan, which has been in the works since 2006, is designed to cut down on students staying home sick and to provide quicker treatment to common health issues.
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