School Readiness Tax Credits for the Early Childhood Workforce and Step Up to Quality Program Participants

In 2016, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 889 which created two new tax credits. One credit is for Nebraska’s early childhood professional workforce, and the second tax credit is for the quality early childhood programs that participate in Nebraska’s Step Up to Quality Program. These tax credits were enacted with the intent to support investment in quality early child care and education and increase access to quality early child care and education across the state of Nebraska. More information regarding the program tax credit can be found on the Nebraska Department of Revenue website.

The early childhood workforce tax credit is available for the 2017-2021 tax years to early childhood professionals who have attained the minimum qualification of a Child Development Credential (CDA) and who are employed in an early childhood program participating in Step Up to Quality. Additional early childhood professional development is required to be eligible for the tax credit. It is encouraged that early childhood professionals improve their knowledge and continue to seek professional development with the goal of enhancing and improving environments for children enrolled in quality programs.

The amounts of the refundable credit are based on the eligible staff member’s classification level as recommended by the Nebraska Department of Education. There are four classification levels (see chart below). The recommended classification is based on information self-reported and entered into Nebraska’s Early Childhood Professional Record System.

A tax credit attestation application must be completed in the Nebraska Early Childhood Professional Record System. The deadline for applying for the attestation of classification level is February 1, 2021. Once received, the eligible staff member must submit their attestation form along with their Department of Revenue Staff Member Application to the Department of Revenue to apply for the tax credit by March 1, 2021.

Classification Levels Chart

	Points	Tax Credit
Level 1	All Base Requirements	$522
Level 2	7 – 9 Points	$783
Level 3	10 – 12 Points	$1,306
Level 4	13 – 15 Points	$1,567

These amounts may vary slightly depending on inflation.

Point Determination

Education	Points
CDA or one-year certificate/diploma in Early Childhood Education or Child Development	Base Requirement
Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education/Child Development	3 Points
Bachelor’s Degree or above in a related field**	4 Points
Bachelor’s Degree or above in Early Childhood Education or Child Development	5 Points

Training	Points
12 clock hours of NDE verified/approved training	Base Requirement
15 clock hours of NDE verified/approved training	3 Points
24 clock hours of NDE verified/approved training	4 Points
30 clock hours of NDE verified/approved training	5 Points

Work Experience	Points
At least 6 months of employment in an eligible program* during the tax year	Base Requirement
At least 1 year experience working in an early care and education environment (including 6 month base requirement)	3 Points
At least 2 years of experience working with children in an early care and education environment (including 6 month base requirement)	4 Points
At least 3 years of experience working with children in an early care and education environment (including 6 month base requirement)	5 Points

*Eligible programs are defined as ones participating in Step Up to Quality (at a Step 1 rating or higher). Applicant must have worked in an eligible program for at least 6 months during the tax year.

**Related fields include Elementary Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Social Work, Nursing, Psychology, Human Development & the Family, Family Consumer Science, Youth Development, Mental Health/Counseling.

Example

Education	Early Childhood Teach with CDA	Base
Training	24 hours of training	4 Points
Work Experience	3 years of experience (including 6 months base requirement)	5 Points
Total		9 Points
Level		Level 2
Tax Credit		$783

The tax credit is available to early childhood professionals who have attained at least the base requirement in each category.