Nevada Ready! State Pre-K


Overview

The 2001 Nevada Legislative session allocated $3.5 million per year for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2002 and 2003. This initial allocation was for the establishment of a comprehensive early childhood education program across Nevada. Within this legislation, the Nevada State Legislature (Legislature) authorized the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) to offer competitive grants to school districts and community-based organizations to initiate or expand pre-Kindergarten education programs. The 2003 Legislature continued their support of the successful early childhood education programs by allocating $2,595,583 for pre-Kindergarten education programs through a competitive grant process and $301,000 towards the statewide Classroom on Wheels (COW) program. State-funded Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) Education programs, including COW, for FYs 2004 and 2005 received a total of $2,896,583 per year. During FYs 2006 and 2007, Pre-K programs were funded at $3,032,172 and $3,152,479, respectively. During FYs 2008 and 2009, Pre-K programs were funded at $3,251,671 and $3,338,875, respectively. Fiscal Years 2010-15 were flat funded at $3,338,875. For the first 15 years, Nevada State PreK was half day and met 7 out of 10 benchmarks of quality as determined by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). In 2015, Nevada received the federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG) to expand the state pre-K program by increasing program quality requirements including providing full day services. This new and improved program became known as Nevada Ready! State Pre-K (NR!PK).

In 2019, the 80th legislative session awarded $19M to sustain seats established through the PDG . This also resulted in passage of SB84 which outlines program requirements for Nevada Ready! State Pre-K and enters these requirements into statute. This program follows the quality standards established through the Preschool Development Grant.

The Nevada Ready! State Pre-K program adheres to the vision of the Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council’s vision:

Nevada’s children will be safe, healthy, and thriving during the first eight years of life, and the system will support children and families in achieving their full potential.

This vision guides the work and collaborations of the NR!PK team.

    Nevada Ready! State Pre-K Required Program Elements

    Recipients of Nevada Ready! State Pre-K (NR!PK) funds are required to implement programs in accordance with the Required Program Elements as outlined in NRS 387.652-658:

    Recipients
    Item Description

    Teacher Qualifications

    Each Early Childhood Education (ECE)/Pre-K teacher responsible for providing direct instruction to early childhood students must fulfill the licensure requirements for teaching the pre-K population, including an Early Childhood teacher’s license (requiring a Bachelor’s in education) or an ECE endorsement on a teacher’s license and must be paid a salary comparable to K-12 instructional staff.

    District:

    - Bachelors’ degree in ECE/ECSE OR

    - Bachelor’s degree in another field and working toward permanent license in a state approved ARL Early Childhood or Early Childhood Developmentally Delayed program (see link on page 1) OR

    -Bachelor’s degree in another field with 35 or more ECE college credits OR

    -Bachelor’s degree in another field and enrolled in TEACH Early Childhood OR

    -NDE and TEACH Early Childhood approved special exception

    Provider/Center:

    -5.2 on Nevada Registry Career ladder or higher

    Eligibility

    Children enrolled in the program must be 4 years old on or before August 1 and families determined to be income eligible below 200% of poverty level

    Intensity

    All programs must provide a minimum of 5 hours per day or 25 hours per week of pre-K class time and follow the attendance policy of the local school board.

    Curriculum

    Programs must utilize the Nevada Pre-K Content Standards, revised and adopted by the Nevada State Board of Education.  Programs must implement developmentally appropriate, research-based curriculum that is aligned to NV Prekindergarten Standards.

    Class Size/Ratio

    Class sizes and child/staff ratios must not exceed the following:

    • Classrooms will have no more than 20 children with 2 adults.
    • The referenced 2 adults will be

    1) An appropriately certified and licensed teacher, and

    2) An appropriately certified teaching assistant.

    Evaluation

    Programs must participate in the annual and longitudinal statewide program evaluation system. This includes using outcome indicators as identified by NDE and reporting required data to the Nevada Department of Education.

    Program quality will also be assessed by a reliable assessor using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Third Edition (ECERS-3).

    Programs must comply with health and safety standards.

    Family  Engagement

    Family Engagement must be evaluated in conjunction with the Pre-K program. Longitudinal data to determine effectiveness of family engagement will be used for program improvement and development of individual family engagement plans. 

    Comprehensive Services

    Programs must demonstrate coordination with community resources/agencies in meeting the needs of participating children and families.

    Inclusion

    The percentage of eligible children with disabilities served is not less than either the percentage of four-year-old children served statewide through part B, section 619 of IDEA, or the current national average, whichever is greater, and is no more than 49% per classroom. Individualized accommodations and supports ensure access and participation for all children.

    Equitable Access

    Each child applicant will have equal access to the same extent as other children, (e.g. homeless, foster, military, tribal) even for those lacking initial enrollment documents.

      Nevada Ready! State Pre-K Sub-Grantees (2022-2023)

       If you are interested in enrollment in Nevada Ready! State Pre-K, or learning more about specific programs, please contact the NR!PK sub-grantee in your area.

      subgrantees

      County

      Sub-grantee

      Program Contact Name

      Program Contact Email

      Clark

      Clark County  School District

      Nicole Sailors

      sailenj@nv.ccsd.net

      Clark

      State Public Charter School Authority

      Connie Zeller

      czeller1008@gmail.com

      Clark

      United Way Southern Nevada

      Julie Houchins

      julieah@uwsn.org 

      Carson City

      Carson City School District

      Christine Lenox

      clenox@carson.k12.nv.us 

      Churchill

      Churchill County  School District

      Derild Parsons

      parsonsd@churchillcsd.com

      Elko

      Great Basin College

       Emily Bailey

       emily.bailey@gbcnv.edu

      Humboldt

      Humboldt County  School District

      DeAnna Owens

      dowens@hcsdnv.com 

      Mineral

      Mineral County  School District

      Stephanie Keuhey

      keuhey.stephanie@nvmcsd.org 

      Nye

      Nye County  School District

       Candice Mapp

       cmapp@nyeschools.org

      Pershing

      Pershing County  School District

       Kristin Barranca

       kbarranca@pershing.k12.nv.us

      Washoe

      Washoe County School District

      SNACS

      Mariposa Academy

      Tina Springmeyer

       

      Kimberly Regan

      Jenny Hunt

      TSpringmeyer@washoeschools.net

      kregan@snacs.org

      jhunt@mariposaacademy.net

      Washoe

      Community Services Agency

       Leslie Colbrese

       lcolbrese@csareno.org

      White Pine

      White Pine County  School District

      Jenny Wilson

      jenny.wilson@wpcnvadmin.com

       

        PDG B-5

        In spring 2019, The Nevada Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning and Development was awarded the one-year federal Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five. Grant efforts included key components of improving early childhood in Nevada through five system building activities: Needs Assessment, Strategic Plan, Maximize Parent Choice & Knowledge, Sharing Best Practices and Improving the Overall Quality. Each activity has specific goals to help our team and stakeholders make a plan to carry our state forward in some ambitious changes. We received substantial community-level and cross agency feedback to create a coordinated, comprehensive plan that supports mixed-delivery platforms for children 0-5 and their families.

          The PDG B-5 2019 Nevada Needs Assessment explores the resources and gaps in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) system that serves infants, toddlers and their families in the 17 urban and rural counties of Nevada. It also provides insights and recommendations tightly aligned with the three goals of the Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council (NECAC) Strategic Plan 2018-2021: Provide Excellent Early Learning Systems; Ensure Strong Family Partnerships; and Support Child and Family Health. This needs assessment was produced in partnership between the Nevada Department of Education Office of Early Learning and Development, Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP), and the NECAC.

          This publication was made possible by Grant Number 90TP0025-01-00 from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Child Care, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

            Needs Assessment

            The PDG B-5 2019 Nevada Needs Assessment explores the resources and gaps in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) system that serves infants, toddlers and their families in the 17 urban and rural counties of Nevada. It also provides insights and recommendations tightly aligned with the three goals of the Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council (NECAC) Strategic Plan 2018-2021: Provide Excellent Early Learning Systems; Ensure Strong Family Partnerships; and Support Child and Family Health. This needs assessment was produced in partnership between the Nevada Department of Education Office of Early Learning and Development, Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP), and the NECAC.

            This publication was made possible by Grant Number 90TP0025-01-00 from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Child Care, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

              PDG B-5 Fiscal Feasibility Study

              The PDG B-5 Fiscal Feasibility Study was prepared by MetrixIQ for the State of Nevada Department of Education, Office of Early Learning and Development as it considers options for expanding and enhancing early childhood services and programs in the state. As part of the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5), this report seeks to support these efforts by: 

              1. Providing a high-level overview of the landscape of early childhood care and availability throughout Nevada;
              2. Reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of the existing early care system within the state;
              3. Comparing key data points from four other states to better understand the areas where Nevada is unique and where it is comparable to other states; and
              4. Developing a cost estimation tool (CET) for understanding what it might cost the state to enhance and expand the childcare market and services in Nevada. 

              PDG B-5 SRI Alignment Documents

              Nevada Department of Education partnered with SRI International to strengthen and align standards related to learning and development for young children, early childhood program quality, and professionals working with young children through Nevada’s Preschool Development Grant Birth–5. Deliverables from this project include an executive summary plus reports and recommendations for alignment work in each of the three standards areas.