For many Nebraska families, finding affordable child care can seem like piecing together an impossible puzzle.
Parents juggle waitlists, long commutes and tough choices between work and staying home — all while early childhood teachers themselves face low pay, long hours and stress.
Autism is the fastest-growing disability category in Nebraska. About 30% of autistic children do not develop vocal speech by age 4 and require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) — non-verbal methods such as gestures, facial expressions, picture cards and tablets to communicate.
Because bullying often begins and ends at school, teachers are the front line of defense against such behavior.
However, teachers in one country may respond differently than their international counterparts.
Jared Noetzel, doctoral candidate in the school psychology program, is leading a dissertation study on culturally responsive teacher training to prevent bullying in schools.
For families raising a child with autism spectrum disorder, everyday moments of connection can be difficult. The disorder affects about 1 in 36 children in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and often hinders social communication skills essential for personal, professional and academic growth.
Decades of research show that Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP) improves children’s academic, social and behavioral outcomes, while building stronger, more effective relationships between parents and teachers.
Developed at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the family-school partnership intervention has been implemented in Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, Wisconsin and rural Appalachian communities, expanding its reach in recent years through distance technology.
As student populations grow and change throughout American schools, teachers face new challenges in meeting students’ needs and preparing them for long-term success.
For educators, both practicing and in training, experience is key.
Jillian Harpster, assistant professor of practice in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, recently led a project to help preservice middle school teachers broaden their practical experiences, and to provide seventh and eighth graders with the opportunity to engage in the college experience.
Family dynamics among caregivers tend to be complicated. They can become even more complex when grandparents take on coparenting roles.
Weiman Xu, graduate research assistant at the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics (MAP Academy) and a doctoral student in the Global Family Health and Well-being program within the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies, is exploring the association between intergenerational coparenting and children’s social-emotional development.
A panel of researchers and community partners explored the latest programming, interventions and resources being used to promote early childhood social/emotional development across Nebraska at the Fall NAECR Networking event Oct. 31.
Panelists included Sami Bradley, Nebraska Association for Infant Mental Health, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation; Amy Colwell, Early Childhood MTSS; Holly Hatton, Child, Youth & Family Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Lisa Knoche, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, UNL; and Christen Million, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation–Rooted in Relationships.
