Melissa Polinoski
Community Storytelling
Melissa Polinoski is the early childhood community coordinator
for the Atkinson/Holt County Communities for Kids initiative,
which works to address the early childhood community needs of
quality child care and capacity expansion. In this role, she is
responsible for building a community-driven core team, program
development for licensed providers and parents, and securing
financial sustainability for programming through partnerships
and grants. At the onset of this position, Polinoski recognized
the importance of not only addressing early childhood care
capacity needs but also creating a stable, quality early
childhood care infrastructure of which community storytelling is
a vital component. Prior to her position as coordinator, she was
a public school teacher working with students in PreK through
Grade 12. She worked extensively with fine arts programs, Title
I core subject instruction, and was responsible for the
development and implementation of a high ability learning
program for elementary students. Polinoski received her
bachelor’s degree in education, with a minor in art history,
from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She enjoys spending
time with her family, creative endeavors, nature, and the
lifelong pursuit of learning.