University of Nebraska–Lincoln students will soon have access to new online courses designed to provide career-ready training in early childhood care and education.
Starting in the 2026–27 academic year, undergraduates in all majors can enroll in Connections for Kids — a series of five online courses focused on preparing them to promote young children’s social and emotional development through innovative, evidence-based practices.
The training is relevant to students interested in learning how to support children’s social and emotional growth across a range of professions, including education, child care, health care, human services and other roles supporting children.
Developed through UNL’s Grand Challenges Catalyst grant project, TransformED, and taught by faculty in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies, the asynchronous courses prepare students to use an approach called Connections for Kids. The approach brings together three evidence-based programs used widely in Nebraska: CHIME, Getting Ready and Pyramid Model. CHIME and Getting Ready were both developed at UNL.
The Connections for Kids courses can strengthen students’ career prospects, as well as the quality of the services they provide to children.”
— Soo-Young Hong, associate professor of child, youth and family studies
Soo-Young Hong, associate professor of child, youth and family studies, is leading the effort to build Connections for Kids training into students’ degrees.
“For the first time, undergraduates the opportunity to complete comprehensive training across all three programs,” Hong said. “Students will learn strategies to nurture social and emotional development — strategies we know work — and have long-term benefits for children’s well-being, relationships and their success throughout life.”
The approach draws on UNL research and educators’ experiences, with an emphasis on creating supportive classroom environments, strengthening family engagement and supporting positive educator well-being.
Enrolled students take five one-credit “mini” courses in sequence over 22 weeks. In addition to training content, each course includes interactive discussions and reflections.
Niki Gemar, administrative specialist for the Head Start Child and Family Development Program, Inc., and president of the Nebraska Head Start Association, has seen a rise in staff turnover driven by stress and burnout. Frequent turnover disrupts continuity of care for families, and can heighten children’s anxiety and challenging behaviors.
“When staff understand why children may behave in the way they do, including the impacts of trauma, they view children through a different lens,” Gemar said. “It’s important for staff to understand how to support children demonstrating strong emotions as this is what we are seeing in many of our classrooms. While math concepts and other academic skills are important, social–emotional training should be a large component of their education.”
In addition to enhancing their skillsets, students can also earn certificates of completion for these programs, giving them a competitive advantage after graduation, Hong said.
“The Connections for Kids courses can strengthen students’ career prospects, as well as the quality of the services they provide to children,” Hong said.
Graduates who enter the workforce with these skills are better prepared to serve children who need extra support — allowing programs to focus on other coaching and training priorites, Gemar noted.
“As an administrator, when we see a degree that includes training in an evidence-based social–emotional curriculum, we’re confident in that person’s ability to teach our children,” Gemar said. “Head Start spends significant time and resources training staff in these skills. If graduates already had them, it would reduce some of that investment — and likely lower staff turnover by helping teachers feel more prepared for classroom management.”
For more information on the Connections for Kids courses and how to enroll, contact Hong at shong5@unl.edu. To learn more about TransformED, visit transformed-ne.org.