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.

• NRS 387 Statute

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:

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.

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.

• PDG Needs Assessment
• Nevada Early Childhood Care and Education Fiscal Feasibility Study
• Nevada Ready! B-5 Alignment Workforce Standards Report
• Nevada Ready! B-5 Alignment Learning Standards Report
• Nevada Ready! B-5 Alignment Program Standards Report
• Nevada Ready! B-5 Alignment Executive Summary

Contact

Resources

• Brigance Early Childhood Screening
• Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
• Nevada Registry
• T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Nevada
• Nevada Revised Pre-K Standards