2011

JANUARY

The University of Nebraska announces that Susie Buffett, an Omaha philanthropist and longtime champion of early childhood development, has made a gift to the NU Foundation to help establish a generous endowment and create the Buffett Early Childhood Institute. The university commits to matching the founding gift, signaling the largest commitment to early childhood made by any university in the nation.

2012

OCTOBER

NU President J.B. Milliken announces the hiring of Samuel J. Meisels as the Institute’s founding executive director.

2013

JUNE

Institute operations begin when Meisels starts work in Nebraska.

2014

JANUARY

Meisels and the Institute are invited by the 11 superintendents of the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties to develop an early childhood plan for children living in poverty. The superintendents designate senior staff to work with the Institute to create the “Superintendents’ Early Childhood Plan.” The plan is unanimously approved in June by the superintendents and the Learning Community Coordinating Council.

SEPTEMBER

Directors are hired to lead Institute efforts in program development, workforce planning and development, research and evaluation, communications, and fund development.

2015

MAY

Leadership from the Institute begins working with colleagues in the Nebraska Panhandle on setting priorities for early childhood development in the region. Over the next few years, the partners map regional early childhood resources, conduct a needs and capacity assessment, and develop a Panhandle vision and strategic plan for a sustainable, school-based early childhood initiative. In 2019, the Buffett Institute, ESU 13, and the Panhandle Partnership, Inc., produced a summary report of this early work, The Nebraska Panhandle: An Assessment of Birth – Grade 3 Care and Education.

SEPTEMBER

The Superintendents’ Early Childhood Plan begins implementation in 12 schools. A complement of 29 professionals—including 25 on-site at the schools—begins working with schools, districts, families, and communities.

NOVEMBER

The Institute announces the creation of four endowed community professorships that will be established on each of the University of Nebraska campuses to deepen focus on early childhood research.

2016

JANUARY

The Buffett Institute Graduate Scholars Program is launched to support multidisciplinary early childhood research by advanced doctoral students at NU.

MARCH

Results of the Buffett Institute/Gallup survey on early childhood care and education are announced at UNL. The survey is the largest public opinion poll ever conducted about early childhood in Nebraska.

2017

MARCH

The Institute relocates from the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center building on the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s campus to new offices in Aksarben Village, adjacent to UNO’s Scott campus.

2018

SEPTEMBER

Civic, business, and education leaders from 74 communities across Nebraska gather in Kearney for the inaugural Thriving Children, Families, and Communities Conference focused on high-quality early childhood education and its connection to economic development and community vitality. The conference was sponsored by the Institute and seven other statewide organizations. 

2019

MARCH

Nebraska is awarded a federal Preschool Development Grant, a one-year, $4.1 million grant. The Institute, in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the Nebraska Department of Education, and several partner organizations across the state, is selected to conduct two activities: a statewide needs assessment and a statewide early childhood strategic plan. The federal government awards Nebraska a second Preschool Development Grant in 2020 for $8.9 million a year for three years. In collaboration with organizations across the state, the Buffett Institute is selected to coordinate six of the grant’s 24 projects.

2020

JANUARY

The Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission, a group of approximately 40 public- and private-sector leaders that began meeting in 2017 to develop a comprehensive plan for expanding and strengthening the state’s early childhood workforce, releases its report and recommendations. 

JUNE

The Superintendents’ Early Childhood Plan is extended by the superintendents of the 11 school districts in the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties for an additional four years and subsequently approved by the Learning Community Coordinating Council.

2021

AUGUST

Samuel J. Meisels, the Institute’s founding executive director, announces his plans to retire.

2022

FEBRUARY

The Buffett Institute announces the selection of 26 early childhood professionals from across the state for the inaugural Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Leadership Cadre. Over three years, cadre members will build their collective capacity as thought leaders and early childhood workforce leaders. The cadre is intended to nurture and refine members’ ideas for elevating Nebraska’s early childhood workforce and implementing small pilot projects in the communities where they live.

JUNE

A statewide partnership of public and private organizations announces the launch of We Care for Kids/Por todos los niños, a public outreach campaign to build support for quality early childhood education for all Nebraska families.

NOVEMBER

The University of Nebraska announces Walter S. Gilliam, a leading expert in the education, health, and mental health of young children, as the Institute’s next executive director.

2023

FEBRUARY

Meisels, the Institute’s founding executive director, retires at the end of February, capping a distinguished career in early childhood.

MARCH

Gilliam starts as the new executive director of the Institute.

JUNE

The Institute marks its 10-year anniversary and welcomes Gilliam as its new executive director at a celebration featuring early childhood champions from across the state and representatives from all University of Nebraska System campuses.