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The Lead Agency partners with Nebraska Children Family Foundation (NCFF) supporting statewide initiatives lead by NCFF. NCFF supports children, young adults and families at risk with the overall goal of giving our state’s most vulnerable kids what they need to reach their full potential. This is done by building strong communities that support families so their children can grow up to be thriving, productive adults. Several divisions within the Lead Agency actively work with NCFF. Quality CCDF funds are given specifically to Sixpence and Beyond School Bells initiatives. Below are NCFF initiatives in which the Lead Agency (CCDF/Subsidy Program) is a partner: - Sixpence School-Child Care Partnerships: Schools can enter into early learning partnerships with a wider range of independent child care providers in their communities. The new partnerships enable more center and home based child care providers to benefit from Sixpence funding and resources, connects these providers to program improvement supports through Step Up to Quality, and increases the availability of development positive, year round child care opportunities for Nebraska families. - Beyond School Bells (Nebraska’s Afterschool Network): The Lead Agency supports the promotion and development of broad-based before/afterschool and summer community learning centers statewide, the creation of technical assistance teams to support community development and capacity building, and the support of the development of quality programs that are fully integrated across all domains. - Rooted in Relationships: Partners with communities to implement evidence based practices that enhance the social-emotional development of children, birth through age 8. One part of this initiative supports communities as they implement the Pyramid Model. Communities develop and implement a long-range plan that influences the early childhood systems of care in the communities and supports the healthy social-emotional development of children. - Refugee Microenterprise grant opportunity: This community planning initiative is being led by NCFF, focusing on the needs for families, especially low income, to access quality child care as an economic development and community vitality driver. Knowing barriers experienced by refugees in communities across Nebraska, NCFF reached out to partners at Midlands Latino Community Development Corporation (MLCDC) to prepare the grant application. MLCDC provides Latinos and low income individuals with opportunities to generate economic growth to develop a sustainable future in the Midlands. Educational and coaching services provided include: child care development, micro-business, micro-lending, and financial education. If awarded the grant funding with the Refugee Family Child Care Microenterprise Development (RFCCMED), through internal capacity and partnerships, refugee participants will receive training and technical assistance in professional child care, microenterprise development, and financial literacy; assist refugee participants in navigating the child care licensing process; and provide direct financial assistance as needed to enable participants to prepare their homes for child care business operation. The three main objectives of RFCCMED are: (1) help refugees to achieve economic self-sufficiency by establishing licensed family Nebraska Page 28 of 314