City of Minden Welcome Sign, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
MINDEN — The Minden Area Early Childhood Partnership is proud to announce that seven local early childhood providers have been selected to participate in a custom designed Professional Development experience created as a part of the Knowledge Network for Early Childhood Education Workforce (KNEW) project.
The KNEW project is a groundbreaking, statewide project designed to increase recruitment and retention of rural early childhood educators in Nebraska.
The Minden providers selected for the Professional Development coursework created specifically for the KNEW project include:
- Keeley Verbeek
- Katie Dorn
- Dana Nelson
- Tylie Hargett
- Sara Anderson
- Rebecca Trent
- Cherity A Kingston
Led by the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Nebraska Extension, and Communities for Kids (C4K) a Nebraska Children and Families Foundation’s initiative, the KNEW (pronounced canoe) project aims to address critical workforce shortages and increase professional development opportunities for early educators across the state. Minden is one of 15 communities selected from throughout our state to participate in the initial phase of the two-year program, which is supported by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, from a bill sponsored by Sen. Deb Fischer.
“This opportunity is a tremendous step forward for our Minden early childhood professionals,” said Lindsay Buechler, a representative from the Minden Area Early Childhood Partnership. “We are proud to see our providers recognized and excited to support their continued growth through this initiative.”
By fostering collaboration among communities, KNEW seeks to learn about how communities build local capacity, support educator recruitment and retention, and create a “teaching toolkit” to enhance pre-service and in-service training. This effort is crucial in addressing the lack of access to affordable, high-quality childcare, which continues to be a significant challenge across Nebraska.
According to recent data, 84 of Nebraska’s 93 counties lack enough licensed childcare facilities to meet demand. Projects like KNEW provide not only critical support for current providers but also provide an opportunity to study what community-driven, long-term strategies can work when trying to ensure sustainability.
As part of Communities for Kids, Minden is committed to ensuring every child has access to a strong start through early learning opportunities led by passionate, well-supported educators. Participation in this KNEW project helps to support this work.
To learn more about the KNEW project, visit: https://www.unk.edu/academics/coe/project-knew/index.php
