HOLDREGE, Neb. - A central Nebraska town with a population of just over 5,000 has formed a partnership and is gaining momentum in addressing a critical need in their community.

The Holdrege Area Early Childhood Partnership was officially formed in early 2024 and are increasing their dedication to both the availability and quality of child care for local families.

"After COVID happened, something in town happened at that point and there was a lack of child care. We were hearing that from our various teammates and so we started from an employer standpoint looking for solutions," said board member and Phelps Memorial Health Center Director of Marketing Holly Rahmann.

Various employers and community members then reached out to the Holdridge Area Chamber of Commerce to share common struggles and eventually form a group to try and address the problem.

This informal group would eventually become the Holdridge Area Early Childhood Partnership, with the group also becoming a non-profit in early 2024.

They recently completed a fundraising campaign where around $50,000 was raised to further support their mission. 

"With the money that we raised we've been doing incentive programs. So we brought on two programs that have helped with the sustainability of the child care facilities here in Holdrege. To be in those programs you just have to step up to quality, which is level one, and then we hope that you get to level two and go even higher. And that's kind of just our way of showing that you want to be a quality child care center as we support you," said Executive Director Mckenna Fahrenbruch. 

Last month the group supported four child care centers, 153 children, 33 infants, and provided over 350 hours of extended supervision. Local families are now starting to see increased options for their child care needs.

Fahrenbruch says the non-profit is looking to grow by adding groups to the partnership, along with more fundraising opportunities.