Director of CCC’s early childhood education program graduates from PLA

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - Taylor Brase, director of CCC’s early childhood education program, recently graduated from the Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy (PLA).

This six month program was taken by Brase along with 22 other professionals from early childhood and higher education, public health, nonprofits, civic organizations, businesses and economic development agencies.

The PLA’s main focus is on empowering citizen-advocates to play an active role in public policy conversations affecting early childhood at the local and statewide levels.

Participants in this program work with specialists in public policy, data analysis and strategic partnerships to develop strategies for engaging with policymakers and promoting grassroots advocacy in their own communities.

“Through PLA, I was able to connect with professionals across the state with different backgrounds, strengths and an abundance of knowledge. This allows me to connect CCC students with professionals in their communities who are advocates for early childhood, who can be mentors and who can provide guidance for students as they grow in their early childhood education knowledge,” said Brase.

The goal of the PLA is to create policy change to address the state’s child care crisis, strengthen the early childhood professional workforce and advance the well-being of young children, families and communities.

“CCC is committed to strengthening early childhood opportunities through state advocacy and our high-quality training and education for providers. Part of our commitment is ensuring that Taylor and other early childhood instructors have the knowledge and skills to conduct advocacy work at the local, state and national levels. When our children succeed, our communities succeed as well,” said Dr. Amy Mancini, CCC dean of instruction.

Launched in 2018, the PLA is an initiative of First Five Nebraska, a statewide, nonpartisan organization focused on promoting early childhood policy to create social, educational and economic opportunity for all Nebraskans.