Dive Brief:

• Nebraska on Thursday unveiled "Step Up to Quality," a program which helps parents and guardians evaluate early education programs in the state.  
• Curriculum, learning environment, staff-child interactions, and family participation will be taken into account for ratings.  
• The program is being rolled out slowly, starting with only the state's 10 largest child care providers and expanding to another 50 programs in the next three years.    

Dive Insight:

While pundits have been stressing the need for early education opportunities for decades, what these programs actually look like often escapes the conversation. Nebraska's "Step Up to Quality" program appears to be a first step in bridging this disconnect, allowing enthusiasm for early ed to match competency within and surrounding the programs.