By SARA GIBONEY
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – Community organizations and leaders in early childhood development are invited to a community outreach meeting at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
The UNK Early Childhood Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. March 29 at the Health Science Education Complex room 100.
The meeting is open to health professionals, early childhood teachers, daycare providers or anyone who is interested in early childhood development issues.
“We thought it was really important to reach out to the community,” said Sheryl Feinstein, dean of the College of Education. “This is the first step in community outreach. We want to share what UNK is doing and how we can be a resource and find out how UNK can be more involved in early childhood and provide better support to our region.”
After attending a meeting at the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, Feinstein and others from the College of Education and College of Business and Technology wondered how UNK could impact early childhood education.
The Buffett Early Childhood Institute is an organization working to transform the lives of young children by improving their learning and development through research, policy, outreach and collaboration.
“This is an exciting time to be involved in early childhood in Nebraska. The Buffett Institute has put it on everyone’s radar. We really can make a difference if we work together,” Feinstein said.
The UNK group formed a committee that includes representatives from each of the four colleges – College of Education, College of Business and Technology, College of Natural and Social Sciences and College of Fine Arts and Humanities, University of Nebraska Medical Center and UNK Child Development Center.
Feinstein said the committee is focusing on early childhood education, families, social work needs, health care for children and arts. The committee’s work has an emphasis on the needs of rural Nebraska.
“We can make a difference in rural Nebraska,” she said. “It’s something that makes us stand apart. We really have a focus on serving and being whatever support we can be for rural Nebraska.”
The committee is also planning a Sept. 16-17 conference.
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Source: Sheryl Feinstein, 308.865.8265, feinsteinsg@unk.edu
Writer: Sara Giboney, 308.865.8529, giboneys2@unk.edu
