The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s TransformED research initiative brings together university, state and community partners with a shared goal: to promote children’s social and emotional development.
A key piece of this work is Connections for Kids — an educational approach designed to strengthen children’s social and emotional growth through innovative, evidence-based practices. In collaboration with program leaders and classroom educators across Nebraska, the TransformED team is testing and refining the approach, which integrates three widely used professional development programs and streamlines them for educators.
Connections for Kids is possible thanks to a close partnership with Rooted in Relationships, an initiative created by the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (NCFF). This fall, the TransformED team and Rooted in Relationships partners began offering training to help educators use the Connections for Kids approach and share feedback.
Below, we talk with Sami Bradley, NCFF’s vice president for early childhood mental health. Sami offers her perspective on why this work is needed to strengthen workforce practices, improve retention and support lasting, positive outcomes for kids in Nebraska.
Q&A with Sami Bradley
Rooted in Relationships, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation
SAMI BRADLEY, MAED, LIMHP, IMH-E®
Vice President, Early Childhood Mental Health
Rooted in Relationships
Nebraska Children and Families Foundation
Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role in Nebraska’s early childhood community?
I am the lead for Rooted in Relationships, an initiative within the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation that focuses on infant and early childhood mental health (I/ECMH). A key part of our project is to support communities and advocate for policies and practices that positively promote the social and emotional health of infants and young children in Nebraska. We work with various state groups to champion these important changes, helping to ensure that our youngest citizens have the best possible start.
Q: Why did your organization choose to get involved in the TransformED?
We’ve partnered with Lisa Knoche and her team before, and we saw this as another great opportunity to collaborate. There is so much amazing work happening in Nebraska’s early childhood community, but sometimes the separate projects can be confusing for the people we are trying to support. By working together through initiatives like TransformED, we can find ways to streamline our efforts and maximize resources, which ultimately benefits everyone.
Q: What are some of the benefits of researchers and practitioners working together? How does your work as a practitioner benefit from projects like this?
It’s always beneficial when you can combine different strengths to focus on a shared problem. Researchers bring an understanding of best practices and what the data tells us, while practitioners have valuable on-the-ground experience. We see our role as being in the middle — we support the communities where the work is happening, but we also ensure we’re doing what is known to be best practice. The work early care professionals do is critical, so finding ways to give them the tools and support they need to be successful is important. This collaboration allows us to combine real-world expertise with evidence-based approaches to create a more effective solution.
Q: What’s something meaningful you’ve learned or gained through this partnership with Connections for Kids and TransformED?
I’ve learned that collaboration, while difficult and time-consuming, truly makes a difference in the end for the people we are trying to support. This work is so meaningful. When you think about the impact of supporting young children, their families, and the providers who care for them for 40 or more hours a week, you realize you are making a significant, lasting difference.
Q: What do you hope you will learn through this partnership?
I hope that we will learn some new strategies on how to best support early care professionals and young children. My hope is to discover how to package the wealth of resources we have in a more streamlined and user-friendly way. We have amazing programs here in Nebraska, but sometimes the sheer number of options can feel overwhelming. I hope we learn how to create a system that is truly supportive and not overwhelming — one that guides providers to the specific help they need without adding to their burden.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s TransformED is a collaborative research initiative that promotes children’s social and emotional development by enhancing early childhood education services, strengthening connections across systems and supporting the workforce. TransformED is funded by a Grand Challenges Catalyst grant from the UNL Office of Research and Innovation.