February 23, 2026
This analysis from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute details the current child care landscape in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area—the potential need among working families, the current supply of child care providers, the gap that exists between the potential need and supply, and where child care shortages are most pronounced.
The data shows the need for child care is spread across the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area, not concentrated in any one city or local community. That’s because of one important factor: how families frequently move across city and state lines to work and seek child care.