A UNO-Buffett Early Childhood Institute partnership brings playful learning straight to families’ homes, helping young learners build essential skills before kindergarten.
by SAM PESHEK
UNO Director of Editorial and Media Relations
What if everything you needed to get your child ready for kindergarten could fit inside of a backpack?
The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is piloting the “Smart Start Family Engagement Backpack Program,” a collaborative project aimed at strengthening school readiness before kindergarten begins.
Developed in partnership with Douglas County West Community Schools, the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties, and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, the program is funded as part of the Superintendents’ Early Childhood Plan and provides families with a one-week take-home experience filled with hands-on activities that make early learning both engaging and accessible.
Smart Start reflects UNO’s broader commitment to early childhood development community engagement. It’s an example of how the university is applying research to real-world needs.
“Collaborations like Smart Start are exactly what community-engaged scholarship looks like. At UNO, we’re driven by a ‘think global, act local’ mindset and this project embodies that mission,” UNO School of Health & Kinesiology Assistant Professor and lead investigator on the project Kailey Snyder, Ph.D., said. “By bringing our research and expertise into real homes and real lives, we’re supporting children’s early development and preparing the next generation to be thoughtful, impactful leaders in their communities.”
Research shows that strong parent-child interactions and early exposure to language, motor and social-emotional skills can significantly boost a child’s development before kindergarten.
A 2024 study found that students who were “on-track” for kindergarten readiness scored on average 5.08 points higher on the ACT in 11th grade and 4.3 points higher in 12th grade than those who were not on-track. Another 2024 study found that 90.5% of children who demonstrated kindergarten readiness in 2014 scored proficient or higher on the state mathematics test in third grade.
Families bring home a backpack filled with hands on activities like a bridge building challenge or nature scavenger hunt prepared by Drs. Snyder and Dinkel and explore the materials inside over the course of a week, choosing the activities that best fit their child’s interests and daily routines.
By bringing play-based learning tools into the home, this initiative helps ensure that more children arrive at school ready to learn. The Superintendents’ Plan works with districts across the region to help close opportunity gaps; this program helps support the ongoing work at DC West focused on strong transitions to kindergarten for both children and their families.
“Smart Start helps young learners build the skills they need to succeed in school, but its impact goes far beyond academics,” Buffett Early Childhood Institute Director of Educational Practices Amy Schmidtke, Ed.D., said. “This project creates space for families to laugh, learn and grow together. It’s about readiness, it’s about relationships and it’s about building memories and connections that can last a lifetime. We’re grateful for the Learning Community funding to advance early childhood programming across school districts in our region.”
