Informational Supports / Resources

To find links to the following resources, click on the underlined titles.

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National resources

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Act Early
      • This website offers a milestone tracking app, free materials such as flyers and brochures about developmental milestones, and information about developmental milestones, developmental disability diagnoses, and positive parenting tips.
  • Center for Parent Information & Resources
      • This website is an incredibly comprehensive guide to almost all things early intervention. Just type what you want to know more about in the search bar. It includes information about laws, early learning/literacy, child care, transition to preschool, various diagnoses, and so much more.
  • eParent
      • This organization offers interactive multimedia accounts on Facebook and Twitter as well as a blog and online publication that offer practical advice, a special needs resource directory, and current trending news and educational information about special needs directed toward parents of children with special needs, healthcare professionals, and educational professionals.
      • See what else they can offer in the Emotional Resources section.
  • Head Start/Early Head Start (Lincoln, ESU 4, ESU 5, ESU 6)
      • Early Head Start is a federally-funded program offered to income-eligible pregnant women, income-eligible families with a child under three years of age, and teen parents. To pregnant women, it offers prenatal and parent education, links to a medical home, and assistance in building a safe and healthy home environment. To families, it offers weekly home visits, nutritional education, parental education about child development, information about and assistance in obtaining government assistance, and financial planning education.
      • Head Start is a program offered to income-eligible families who have a that is 3 or 4 years old by July 31st. Families receive nutrition education, monthly home visits that offer education, resources, activities they can do with their child, and materials for those activities. Children are eligible to attend Head Start preschool at no cost to families, including opportunities for the child to enhance their language skills, develop self-confidence and respect for others, and develop social skills.
      • Anyone can refer families to these programs and families must complete an application to determine eligibility. Depending on funding, families MAY be able to participate in these programs, even if they likely will not qualify based on income.
      • See what else these programs offer in the Material Resources and the Emotional Resources sections.
  • Healthy Families of America
      • This is a voluntary home visitation program for pregnant women and children from birth to three years of age. It serves to educate parents about pregnancy, infant care, child development, bonding and attachment, nutrition, and ideas for how to promote a child's development as a parent. They also refer families and assist them in applying to other governmental or community services.
      • They offer weekly, biweekly, or monthly home visits depending on the child's age.
      • Families can be referred to Healthy Families through community agencies or through other families and acquaintances. To receive services, families must complete a parent survey and achieve a certain score based on parental characteristics such as protective and compensatory experiences and adverse childhood experiences.
  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
      • WIC is a federal assistance program that offers nutrition education, breastfeeding consultation, and parenting tips for income-eligible pregnant mothers or families with infants or children under 5 years of age. To find a WIC program near you, go to signupwic.com/momsrule and type in your zip code.
      • See what else they can offer in the Material Resources section.
  • Zero to Three
      • This website offers a plethora of informational articles about early development & well-being, early learning, parenting, and policy and advocacy, including answers to many commonly asked questions, such as "Will my child develop social skills if they are not in preschool?" These articles would be great to read as a service provider and great to pass along to parents if they have concerns about any of these topics.

Nebraska resources

  • Answers4Families Classroom
      • This website offers online trainings & courses for early intervention professionals on topics such as Understanding CAPTA Cases, EDN Services Coordination, and Home Visiting Core Practices & Principles.
  • Circle of Security
      • This is an eight-week class designed to help parents understand their child's emotional needs, support their child in managing their own emotions, enhance their child's self-esteem, and to honor parents' wisdom and desire for their child to be secure. These classes are offered through many organizations, including CEDARS in Lincoln and Rooted In Relationships.
  • First Five Nebraska
      • This website offers information about why the first five years of a child's life are important and links to various articles about the early years.
  • Legal Services:
  • Munroe-Meyer Institute Diagnoses and Disorders
      • If you encounter a child in early intervention that has a diagnosis you are not familiar with, this page on the Munroe-Meyer Institute website will be helpful. It offers a widespread list of diagnoses that you can search through to find more information about the diagnosis.
  • Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership (ATP)
      • ATP offers training to individuals on equipment and how it works, consultations to identify appropriate solutions, technical support for setting up and troubleshooting equipment, and demonstrations on the features and use of equipment.
      • See what else ATP can offer in the Material Resources section.
  • Nebraska Early Development Network (EDN)
      • The EDN offers services coordination and early intervention services (occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, early childhood education, etc.) for children ages birth to three years-old living in Nebraska - at no cost to families.
      • The EDN website has lots of useful resources on it, including:
          • information for families about what early intervention is, who is eligible, parent rights, services coordination, how to get involved, how to make a referral, and family resources;
          • information for early intervention professionals about policies and procedures, Planning Region Teams, results-driven accountability, technical assistance, professional development, and Nebraska & national resources; and
          • printable materials about 'Services Coordination, 'Babies Can't Wait', 'It's Never Too Early', Native American Materials, 'Staying on Track', 'I Read to my Baby', and '7 Super Things Parents and Caregivers Can Do' - most of which are available in English and Spanish.
  • Nebraska Resource and Referral System (NRRS)
      • This system serves as a digital address book for resources in Nebraska. It is a good way to keep track of organizations and resources you are interested in looking into - without having to keep 100 tabs open on your computer. It keeps track of basic information about resources, such as address, website link, phone number, and a description of the resource. If you make an account for free, you can save each resource in a folder so you can come back to it, update it, email it, or print it.
  • PTI Nebraska
      • Parent Training and Information (PTI) is a great resource for both families and service providers. It offers information about children's disabilities, information about special education programs and related services, relevant, no cost workshops statewide, and printed and electronic resources for families and providers, including:
          • Social Emotional Tips for Families with Infants AND Social Emotional Tips for Providers Caring For Infants (such as a daycare setting)
          • Parents’ Rights in Special Education
          • Family Guide to Early Intervention Services in Nebraska
          • Planning Region Team Resource Guide
          • Rule 51
      • See what else they can offer in the Emotional Resources section.
  • Sixpence
      • This program offers qualifying families home visiting services to address learning opportunities with their child and information on pregnancy and child development. They also offer social events where they can meet other parents involved in the program. This program is state-funded and is currently offered in Lincoln, Crete, Auburn, Seward, Milford, and Centennial Schools.
      • Their website also offers good information about the first 3 years, including information about early brain development, skills for success, and developmental hazards.
      • See what else this program can offer in the Materials Resources section.
  • UNL Extension
      • This website offers an abundance of information and resources for families, including child care selection, family communication, family relationships, guidance & discipline, family stress, getting & staying connected, military families, children & divorce, guardianship, grandparenting, and money management. It also offers a free parenting newsletter (Just in Time Parenting) and a free parenting app designed for the first five years of a child's life (UR Parent).

Resources in Lincoln

  • Center for People in Need
      • This organization offers a community re-entry program called TRADE for individuals who have recently come out of the criminal justice system. The TRADE program helps individuals find employment and get reestablished in the community.
      • See what else they can offer in the Material Resources section.
  • Child Advocacy Center
  • Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties
      • This organization promotes financial and family well-being through financial coaching, tax preparation services, and the Lincoln Community Response program that supports and links families to resources that intend to prevent entry into the child welfare system.
      • See what else they can offer in the Material Resources and the Emotional Resources sections.
  • MyLNK App (Itunes & Google Play)
      • This app offers contact information and short descriptions of hundreds of services in Lincoln.
      • You can collect a list of favorites to keep track of services you are interested in, search key words that you are looking for such as free food, and search for services by categories including Hotlines & Emergency Phone Numbers, Children and Family, Community, Recreation, & Cultural Centers, Credit Union, Education, Employment, Food, Health, Housing, Legal, Military & Veterans, Outreach, Personal Needs, Prison Reentry, and Transportation.

Resources in Johnson, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, and Richardson Counties (ESU 4)

Resources in Gage, Jefferson, and Thayer Counties (ESU 5)

  • Blue Valley Community Action (BVCA) - also offered to ESU 6
      • BVCA offers an SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, & Recovery program to assist individuals with applying for Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Assistance. It also offers Supportive Services for Veteran Families to assist them with obtaining VA benefits and other public benefits.
      • This organization also offers youth leadership development opportunities and homebuyer education.
      • BVCA offers information about other services in the community and can make referrals as appropriate.
      • For most services, families must be income-eligible. Some services may only be available to certain counties.
      • See what else they can offer in the Material Resources and the Emotional Resources sections.
  • Salvation Army
      • This organization offers financial counseling and planning, goal-setting, and job training, referrals, & employment assistance through their Pathway of Hope program for families with children under the age of 18. This program offers strengths-based casework with the intent of helping families break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
      • There is a Salvation Army centered in Beatrice at 120 S 7th St, Beatrice (402-223-3341) and in Fairbury (402-898-5942).
      • See what else they can offer in the Material Resources and the Emotional Resources sections.
  • Southeast Community College
      • Parents of All Ages Program - This program offers pro-rated housing to income-eligible full-time students at SCC in Beatrice who are also parents of children living in their home.
      • "Co-Parenting: Working Together for Your Children" class - this is a class offered at $45 per person for parents and children who are experiencing parental separation or divorce. It covers topics including "stages of adjustment for parents, family parenting plan, stages of adjustment and their implications for children, transitioning between parental homes, recognition and management of stress, and communication skills regarding conflict resolution". It is offered face-to-face in Lincoln and online.
      • See what else they can offer in the Material Resources section.

Resources in Fillmore, Saline, Seward, and York Counties (ESU 6)

  • Blue Valley Community Action (BVCA)
  • Four Corners Health Department
      • This website offers information about resources in the local area including aging resources, resources about basic needs, support/self-help groups, transportation, crisis lines, community coalitions, childcare, disabilities, early childhood/parenting, immunizations, pregnancy & childbirth, and much more.