Early Childhood Education

Child Saving Institute (CSI) has been a pioneer in early childhood education. In 1898, CSI opened the first day nursey in Omaha, providing much-needed care to young infants so their mothers could work. CSI was one of the first centers in Omaha addressing this critical need.

Then in 1971, CSI opened Nebraska’s first “free kindergarten” program, led by Ms. Eloise Dillon. Today, widely referred to simply as “preschool.” This was the beginning of CSI’s Early Childhood Education program that still operates to this very day. For decades, CSI has been a local leader in this space and currently operates two Omaha early childhood education centers.

Yet, the need for high-quality Early Childhood Education continues to outpace the availability. The impacts within Nebraska are felt especially hard as Nebraska leads the nation for households where both parents work, and over 200 childcare centers were lost due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CSI’s Early Childhood Education Center is currently licensed for 120 children and is located on CSI’s main campus. The proposed expansion of the center will add four classrooms to the first floor through a remodel. This expansion will increase the licensed capacity by 25% and increase the number of children served to 150. Since its inception, CSI has provided quality childcare for parents across the socio-economic spectrum. CSI is actively working to expand the number of early Head Start slots available in its center through the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership.