The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska and Boys Town are joining forces to bring innovative artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) professional learning tools to the early childhood workforce.
This partnership aims to center the voices of early childhood professionals and design tools that help professionals grow in their practice so they can better support families and improve outcomes for young children. By combining our strengths, we’re ensuring early childhood professionals are not left behind in the age of AI—instead, they’re leading the way.
Why We’re Working Together
Keshia Partridge-NelsonBoys Town has delivered evidence-based care for more than a century, helping children and families heal through its crisis hotline, health care and youth care services, mental and behavioral health services, and more. Through a nationwide network of youth, research, and health care programs, it directly served more than 197,000 individuals in 2025 and provided resources and assistance to millions more.
And Boys Town has become a leader in developing AI-integrated training and language tools, including a system that features AI-powered characters that simulate children’s behavior so caregivers can practice teaching social skills to children. Another tool uses smart eyewear to translate conversations between people who use American Sign Language and communicate verbally.
“At Boys Town, we’ve always embraced innovation that heals families and empowers educators,” Boys Town Chief Operations Officer Dr. Jason Bruce said. “Our collaboration with the pioneering team at the Buffett Early Childhood Institute is bringing the promise of technology into the hands of those who shape young lives, making learning more responsive and more accessible.”
The Buffett Institute is a nationally recognized leader in advancing early childhood care and education.
“This partnership is a natural fit that combines deep knowledge of child development with cutting-edge technology to create experiences that truly make a difference for young children and the adults who care for them,” said Walter Gilliam, the Buffett Institute’s executive director.
Why This Partnership Matters
Early childhood education is often overlooked in conversations about AI. We want to change that.
With Boys Town’s help, we are building new ways for teachers to practice and strengthen their skills. We want educators to feel confident and supported, so they are ready for the realities of the classroom.
Families are at the center of this, too. We are creating tools that make it easier for parents to connect with schools, support learning at home, and feel confident in their role as their child’s first teacher.
A Shared Belief
At the heart of this partnership is a simple but powerful idea: that every child deserves the chance to succeed, and every adult who supports them deserves the right tools and encouragement. We believe fairness and accessibility should be more than words. They should be lived out in the ways we design programs and support communities.
Building Tomorrow, Today
If you’d like to see this work in action, join us at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s OMA x AI Conference on June 30.
Dalhia LloydDalhia Lloyd, the Buffett Institute’s director of digital education, will present this work at the conference alongside Boys Town AI engineer Maurice Bailey and senior instructional designer David Burget.
Together, they will showcase the Reality Coach platform—an AI-powered simulation tool that we are shaping for early childhood contexts through our partnership with Boys Town.
Drawing on our deep expertise in early childhood practice, we have contributed video data, classroom insights, and real-world interaction scenarios to ensure the Reality Coach platform reflects the complexity of working with young children and families. This includes supporting how the system interprets children’s behavior, models developmentally appropriate responses, and centers adult-child relationships in everyday interactions.
Through a live demonstration, participants will see how the Reality Coach platform responds in real time to communication choices—adjusting tone, behavior, and outcomes based on what the user says and does. They will also see how this tool is being adapted specifically for early childhood, giving educators a way to rehearse challenging moments, practice family communication, and strengthen relational decision-making before those moments happen in real settings.
The early childhood adaptation of the Reality Coach platform is a product we are actively co-developing and piloting—bringing together AI engineering and early childhood expertise to create a new kind of practice space for professionals.
We are excited for educators and families to see how this partnership with Boys Town will open new doors for children, families, and educators in our community and beyond.
Keshia Partridge-Nelson is an early childhood specialist at the Buffett Institute. In her role, she supports the development of innovative initiatives that integrate emerging technology, professional learning, storytelling, and community partnerships to advance early learning.
Dalhia Lloyd is the director of digital education at the Buffett Institute. In her role, she leads forward-thinking initiatives that blend applied research, emerging technology, and community partnerships to improve early learning, support families, and strengthen educator practice.