Every child deserves to grow up surrounded by people who believe in them. Whether those connections come from parents, grandparents, teachers, neighbors, mentors or community organizations, strong support systems help youth build resilience, navigate challenges and reach their full potential.

Studies consistently show that children and youth thrive when they experience caring relationships both at home and in their communities. No single person or organization can meet every need alone — but together, families, schools, nonprofits and local partners can create the stability and encouragement children need to succeed.

At KVC Nebraska, strengthening family and community support systems is at the heart of everything we do. Through behavioral healthcare, foster care, Shared Living, in-home family support and prevention services, we’re helping build the connections that allow Nebraska individuals, youth and families to thrive.

The Role of Family Support

Research consistently shows that children thrive when they experience stable, nurturing relationships with caring adults. While family structures vary widely, children benefit most from consistency, emotional support and caregivers who can meet their developmental needs.

Family support is integral to healthy, positive childhood development. A study in Mental Health & Prevention found that “better family relationship quality was linked to better health and wellbeing, higher life satisfaction and individual salutogenic characteristics.” Family support influences several aspects of a child’s health and wellbeing, with the following factors having a significant impact on future outcomes:

• Biological factors and genetics
• Financial stability, resources and investments
• Quality time with parents or caregivers
• Developmentally appropriate monitoring, management and discipline
• Family stability (marriages and divorces, incarceration, court-mandated separation)

While all of these factors can result in negative childhood outcomes, the reverse is also true. Children who have positive childhood experiences have a higher chance of success and good mental health outcomes. Children who are supported by involved parents are statistically more likely to have better academic outcomes and develop stronger coping skills.

The Power of Community Connections

While stability in the home matters, community connections and support can fill in the gaps and help bring stability during traumatic experiences or seasons of transition. Across Nebraska, these supports may look different in rural communities than they do in urban areas, but each plays an important role in helping children and families build resilience.

Types of Community Support

Community-based support can come in many forms, from government agencies to nonprofits to school-based programming. Here are some of the community supports that have proven valuable for children and families in Nebraska:

• School mentorship programs
• Individual and family therapy
• After-school activities like sports and clubs
• Hobby-based groups and fandom communities
• Family preservation programs
• Foster care services
• Income supports and financial resources
• Parent training programs

While some forms of community support involve interventions that may temporarily or permanently remove a child from their biological family’s care, these services exist to protect children first and help them find safety and stability. While that may result in a season of instability, other community supports are designed to wrap around the child and help them feel cared for and valued, no matter their living situation.

Why Family and Community Support Matter in Nebraska

Nebraska is nowhere near the most challenged state in terms of family stability and community resources, but our children and families still need support! When compared with other states, Nebraska ranks well for economic wellbeing and health, but it falls short of the national average in education and has a higher prevalence of single-parent households.

Nebraska has low poverty rates compared to other states, with only 5% of children living in high-poverty areas, but that still equals 23,000 children living in poverty in Nebraska — that’s 4,000 more than were living in high-poverty areas only three years ago.

Nebraska children are also just as susceptible to adverse childhood experiences as those in other parts of the country, matching national data at 17% of children having experienced two or more adverse experiences. These experiences may include:

• Socioeconomic hardship
• Parental divorce/separation
• Parental death
• Parental incarceration
• Family violence
• Neighborhood violence
• Living with someone who is mentally ill or suicidal
• Living with someone who has a substance use disorder
• Living with someone who exhibits racial bias

Family and community support are the solution. Through community programs and building stronger, more resilient families, Nebraska can become a haven for children of all backgrounds to grow up healthy, happy and stable.

How KVC Nebraska Strengthens Support Systems

KVC Nebraska offers several community-based programs designed to help counteract adverse childhood experiences and provide support and stability to families in crisis. Built with children and families at the heart, our programs reinforce family connections and help build stronger, more connected families.

KVC Nebraska programs for families include:

• Mental health and behavioral health services, including substance use treatment and outpatient therapy
• Foster care and shared living supports
• Prevention and early Intervention efforts, such as in-home services and academic support programs

Explore KVC Nebraska’s Services

Thanks to the support of our Nebraskan community, we have served over 900 children and individuals across all of our services and programs in the last year alone. This impact has provided mental health support to youth and adults in need, connected children to caring foster homes and individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities to Shared Living Provider homes, and seen 90% of families successfully discharged from prevention and early intervention services.

At KVC Nebraska, we provide compassionate, community-based services that strengthen families, improve mental health and create brighter futures across the state.

Whether you’re seeking behavioral health services, interested in foster care or Shared Living, or simply want to learn more about how KVC Nebraska supports Nebraska communities, we’re here to help.

Explore our programs and discover how KVC Nebraska is making a difference for youth, individuals and families every day.