PLEASANTON, Neb. – A central Nebraska village has been chosen to take part in a state-wide program that supports the development of young children. 

According to a news release, Pleasanton was selected to be part of the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation 'Communities for Kids' program, a state-wide initiative which supports young children, families and those providing care for them.

The Communities for Kids initiative is a multi-year planning and implementation initiative that was created in response to community requests for assistance with shortages of high-quality early childhood care and education programs.

A news release says the Pleasanton Area Community for Kids (PACK) is aiming to help build a strong foundation for a strong community.

In support of the participating communities, Communities for Kids will provide assistance and expertise to the community of Pleasanton with:

• Engaging stakeholders in identifying the strengths and gaps of the current early care and education resources in the community.
• Using informed decision-making to determine strategies for meeting the priority needs identified by the community and creating a business plan, if needed.
• Connecting communities with experts and research, best practices, implementation, quality measurements, financing, use of government/public resources, and design, etc.
• Exploring and assisting communities with applying for all available sources of funding (private/public grants, public funding programs such as childcare subsidy, no- or low-interest loans.)

“Not many people fully understand how much Pleasanton has grown in the past couple years and will continue to grow in the future," said Pleasanton Area Community for Kids committee member Ashley Walker. "As a member of PACK, we must educate our community on what a quality childcare looks like and how early childhood education is the foundation for not only a growing child, but a hard working adult who will one day give back to our community.”

According to the communitiesforkids.org website, the organization currently partners with 76 other communities in Nebraska.