YORK — Starting in the 2024 tax season, qualifying Nebraska families and child care providers will have the opportunity to take advantage of two new tax credits recently passed by the state legislature.
The two tax credits — the Nebraska Child Care Tax Credit and School Readiness Tax Credit — were introduced by State Senator Eliot Bostar of Lincoln to help families afford child care and care providers stay afloat.
On Tuesday, First Five Nebraska launched a public education campaign to inform families about two new tax credits that go into effect in the 2024 tax year.
“It’s essential that we are ensuring that Nebraskans are aware of these tax credits that are available to them — both providers and families. The importance of child care to our state cannot be overstated,” said State Senator Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, who introduced the two tax credit bills, which passed in 2023.
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During the virtual kick-off event on Tuesday morning, Elizabeth Everett, deputy director of First Five Nebraska, also spoke, as did Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce.
“There isn’t a region in the state where we don’t have a lack of qualified child care seats, compared to the need,” Slone said.
York has not been immune to the child care issues facing the state as a whole. In York County about 20% of children under the age of 6 whose available parents were working would not have been able to find child care in 2023, according to research from Communities for Kids, a child care research and community support network.
In a survey conducted by Communities for Kids in Fall 2022, around 40% percent of respondents said that a lack of available child care for current or potential employees had affected their ability to grow their business.
State Sen. Jana Hughes, who represents York, said she was happy to see the tax credits go into effect. “There is something for everyone, from families that are accessing age 0-5 childcare, staff that are providing childcare or for folks that donate to childcare providers in a Nebraska opportunity zone,” Hughes said.
“Hopefully this multi-pronged approach can really help make a difference in bridging the gap for Nebraska communities that are in need of quality childcare as well as helping families out in access that childcare.”
With the Child Care Tax Credit, eligible families with children under age 5 can receive $2000 per child if their household income is less than $75,000 or $1000 if their household income is between $75,000 and $150,000.
At the same time, the law also provides tax credits for businesses and individuals to grow child care availability in underserved areas.
The School Readiness Tax Credit, meanwhile, provides between $2,300 and $3,500 to child care staff or providers to encourage career development. It also provides credits to providers to grow the quality of the care they provide to families in need.
Everett of First Five Nebraska called the tax credits the “most expansive and most robust tax care program that’s available for the child care industry and for parents in the United States.”
The campaign now has websites up and running with information about when and where to file the paperwork needed to receive the tax credits. The information about the child care tax credit is available at and information about the school readiness tax credit is available at
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Publish date : 2024-09-02 03:11:00
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