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Other. Describe: The Lead Agency started collaboration with the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation Communities for Kids Initiative. The Communities for Kids Initiative was created in response to community requests for assistance with shortages of high- quality early child care and education programs. Communities for Kids aim to partner with communities' public and private entities to support and coordinate planning for access to high-quality early care and education for all children birth through age eight. Partnerships will be customized to address each community's unique assets and needs.

4.6.3 Lead Agencies must prioritize investments for increasing access to high-quality child care and development services for children of families in areas that have significant concentrations of poverty and unemployment and do not currently have sufficient numbers of such programs. Effective Date: 10/01/2018

a) How does the Lead Agency define areas with significant concentrations of poverty and unemployment? The Lead Agency coordinates with other divisions to determine which counties of the State contain higher percentages of families receiving unemployment. The unemployment rate for Nebraska is readily available for the public. Areas with a higher concentration of families receiving TANF benefits are also identified communities of greater poverty.

b) Describe how the Lead Agency prioritizes increasing access to high-quality child care and development services for children of families in areas that have significant concentrations of poverty and unemployment and that do not have high-quality programs

Step Up to Quality (Nebraska's QRIS) require providers who receive $250,000 or more in CCDF/Subsidy annually areto participate in Step Up to Quality. Providers who receive higher amounts of CCDF/Subsidy serve more children in poverty, than those provides who are not receiving high amounts of Subsidy. This requirement will increase quality in Nebraska Page 138 of 314