Holdrege childcare partnership doubles incentive for providers with longer hours

The Holdrege Area Early Childhood Partnership doubled its incentive for providers who are open longer hours.

McKenna Fahrenbruch, executive director of the Holdrege Area Early Childhood Partnership, said the extended hours incentive program grew out of a need in the community. The nonprofit also offers incentives for providers with a certain number of infant spots.

“When we did our initial survey for the childcare problem in Holdrege, the thing we found was that people didn't have the extended hours that they needed due to the businesses working 24 hours in our community, as well as no infant spots,” Fahrenbruch said.

Communities across Nebraska have been working on ways to expand childcare in their areas. At the same time, centers are closing — one closed Friday in Elkhorn, as did the University of Nebraska at Omaha childcare center, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center announced its center will close in August.

The Buffett Early Childhood Institute estimates a gap of 17,568 childcare spots across the state, according to a March 2025 policy brief.

In the Holdrege area, Fahrenbruch said that if everyone wanted to enroll their children in a center, there would be a gap of 38 spots.

“We've had times when we've had a large child care gap, and then we've had times where we've gotten close to filling it, and then another center closes or something happens there,” Fahrenbruch said. “We try to always make sure that we're filling capacity as well as quality childcare spots.”

The nonprofit started an incentive program for providers offering extended hours, which are before 7 a.m. and after 5:30 p.m. Childcare providers receive $175 to help amend their license to offer extended hours and an additional $175 a month for providing 15 or more extended hours. Now, the nonprofit is offering $350 a month.

“We upped that to $350 when they do offer the hours because we have a couple childcare centers, one in particular who's doing overnights that offers up to 700 hours a month,” Fahrenbruch said. “We really felt like she deserved a lot from that.”

The initiative is funded through community and business sponsorships. The added hours have been helpful for businesses, Fahrenbruch said.

“They do feel like it's very beneficial when they're hiring and they're able to say these are the quality childcare centers that we represent here in town,” she said.

It’s also been helpful for the providers — one was able to use it to pay for a rise in insurance cost and another bought new cots for nap time. There are four providers currently involved in the program.

Fahrenbruch said the Holdrege Area Early Childhood Partnership is looking forward to continuing its efforts, including an event to raise money for more grants and helping another center that will almost double in size at the end of the year.