2016 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

Nevada

Preschool Development Grants AUGUST 2017
ED 524B Page 1 of 26

U.S. Department of Education

PDG Grant Performance Report Cover Sheet

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017

Check only one box per Program Office instructions. ✔ Annual Performance Report Final Performance Report

General Information

1. PR/Award #: S419A150004 2. Grantee Federal Information Processing Code: 16B

3. Project Title: Preschool Development Grants - Development

4. Grantee Name: Nevada Department of Education

5. Grantee Address:700 E. Fifth Street

City: Carson City State: Nevada Zip: 89701

6. Project Director Name: Patti Oya

Title: Director of Early Learning and Development

Phone #: (702) 486-6492 Ext.: Fax #:

Email Address: poya@doe.nv.gov

Reporting Period Information

7. Reporting Period: From: 01/01/2016 To: 12/31/2016

8. Budget Expenditures (To be completed by your Business Office. See instructions.)

Budget Period Federal Grant Funds Non-Federal Funds (Match/Cost Share)

a. Previous Budget Period $7,177,094.00 $2,135,288.00

b. Current Budget Period $10,262,525.00 $4,726,218.00

c. Entire Project Period

(For Final Performance Reports only)

9. Indirect Cost Information (To be completed by your Business Office. See Instructions.)

a. Are you claiming indirect costs under this grant? Yes No

b. If yes, do you have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the Federal Government? Yes No

c. If yes, provide the following information:

Period Covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: From: 07/01/2016 To: Current

Approving Federal agency: ✔ ED Other Specify other:

Type of Rate: (Final Performance Reports only) ✔ Provisional Final Other Specify other:

d. For Restricted Rate Programs (check one) -- Are you using a restricted indirect cost rate that:

Is included in your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

Complies with 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2)?

10. Performance Measures Status

a. Are complete data on performance measures for the current budget period included in the

Project Status Chart?

Yes No

b. If no, when will the data be available and submitted to the Department? 08/15/2017
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U.S. Department of Education

PDG Annual Performance Report

Executive Summary

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017

Grantee State: NV PR/Award #: S419A150004

You are required to submit an Executive Summary of up to 3000 words with your Annual Performance

Report. This summary should relate to your approved application and summarize the goals and

objectives that have been achieved under your grant, what you learned, and any evaluation results.

Describe any unanticipated outcomes or benefits from your project and any barriers that you may have

encountered. If there have been any changes to the project from the approved application, those

should be explained as well.

Overview

Nevada received legislative approval in June, 2015 to implement the Nevada Ready! Preschool Development

Grant in five "High Needs Communities", or counties across the state. We are currently working with seven

sub-grantees located within these high need communities to expand the number of children participating in

high-quality Pre-K programs. Our sub-grantees consist of LEAs, private entities, non-profits and charter schools.

Sub-grantees include: Churchill County School District, Community Services Agency, Lyon County School District,

Nye County School District, State Public Charter Schools Authority, United Way of Southern Nevada, 

and Washoe County School District. This report describes the goals and accomplishments achieved, as well as

lessons learned. Our accomplishments include significant expansion of high qualify, inclusive Pre-K programs

around the state, and the necessary supports for children and families as well as teachers and leaders in

developing and maintaining these programs. These supports and efforts include data systems and assessments

to track and build on our successes, Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS), T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood®

NEVADA scholarship, comprehensive wraparound services, and our B-3 work.

Goals and Accomplishments

The Nevada Department of Education's (NDE) Year 2 enrollment goal was 2190 new and expanded preschool

seats. We were able to enroll 1665 students (76% of our goal). This year, our seven sub-grantees worked with

57 different sites in a total of 98 classrooms that prior to this year, did not exist or did not meet the federal

government's definition of high quality. Over 10% (10.4%) of the children served state-wide are children with

disabilities.

Great strides have been made in the development and implementation of policies and procedures to

implement and sustain a high quality program in our high-needs communities. Nevada Ready! Pre-K programs

are expected to achieve each of the quality standards outlined in the PDG grant. We have developed and

disseminated a guidance document and FAQs in order to communicate expectations clearly to our subgrantees and providers. We have also established methods to identify sub-grantee and provider needs,

opportunities to provide structured and informal professional development (including frequent site visits,

coaching for leaders and teachers, and a Community of Practice for sub-grantee teams) and systems to

facilitate planning for continuous improvement. Finally, we have robust structures in place for both formal and

informal monitoring in order to gauge and review progress related to every aspect of the grant.

Nevada has selected the Brigance Screen III as our screening tool to assess Kindergarten readiness based on the

State's definition of readiness. Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) Materials are being purchased and training

for the tool is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2017.To increase alignment, the Brigance Screen III 3 - 5 

Years has been adopted by Nevada Ready! and our State-Funded Pre-K programs as a common pre- post

assessment. All children participating in these programs will be administered this assessment rolling out in the

2016-2017 school year. Training for Pre-K teachers will be coordinated with training for Kindergarten teachers.

Sites already familiar with the tool are implementing pre-and post- screens. Brigance has screeners available

from birth - 3 years and our plan is to require programs receiving child care subsidies and participating in NV's
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QIRS to administer this screener and submit results annually.

We have also made progress to align our data systems. During this year, in furtherance of our goal to fully align

Pre-K data collection with the state's K-12 information system, methodology and specifications were generated

which will allow children enrolled in Pre-K at a District facility to be entered directly into the same data system

as that used for K-12 (Infinite Campus). A technical solution was devised by which non-district facilities (private

providers and Head Start) will be enabled to have their information entered and maintained in this system as

well. The standalone Early Childhood Education (ECE) database will be kept operational for one additional year

to function in a fallback role should the introduction of Infinite Campus, the Pre-K structure, prove insufficient.

A data dictionary for the ECE database has been delivered by the developers and provided to Nevada District of

Education IT resources to plan for the migration of 5-10 years of historical data into the State platform. Entry

into the Infinite Campus system will provide all Pre-K students with a unique student identifier, which will then

be utilized to denote the student for their entire academic career in Nevada and beyond. Integration with

Infinite Campus is the centerpiece of our data work next year, however we have also developed an assessment

plan and schedule designed to provide the most, and the most useful data about our students and programs.

To establish and maintain the highest quality classrooms, all Nevada Ready! Pre-K classrooms (and other

preschool classrooms housed at those sites) participate in the state's Quality Rating and Improvement System

(QRIS) - Nevada Silver State Stars. A new, district, QRIS model has been piloted and is now being implemented

in every Nevada Ready! Pre-K classroom. Along with an assessment that measures the classroom environment

and teacher/child interactions, programs receive regular coaching support and may qualify for a stipend to

support the purchase of materials and resources to improve quality. QRIS coaches are trained in StrengthsBased Coaching® developed by the Francis Institute for Child & Youth Development. In addition, they are

trained and reliable in ECERS-3 and CLASS. Coaches assist programs in developing an improvement plan around

ECERS-3 and CLASS components and this plan serves as the foundation of the coaching process throughout the

year.

Nevada's well-known teacher shortage - exacerbated by recent full-day Kindergarten legislation - also spills into

the Pre-K realm. We have allocated funds to the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEVADA scholarship 

program. These funds will be available specifically for Nevada Ready! Pre-K teachers beginning spring 2017 to

support continuing education in order to meet the grant's highly qualified requirements. Use of these funds will

require a commitment to serve in a Nevada Ready! Pre-K classroom for the life of the grant. Six teachers

currently leading Nevada Ready! Pre-K classrooms are enrolled or have expressed interest in the scholarships.

We will continue our efforts to advertise the program and encourage participation.

Nevada has contracted with the Children's Cabinet to supplement the sub-grantees' existing wrap around

services. The comprehensive services that the Children's Cabinet provide include information and referral

services, case management, community and parent engagement activities, outreach and direct services to all

families participating in Nevada Ready! Pre-K programs. Children's Cabinet is currently providing crucial,

comprehensive wrap around services (allowable according to the PDG grant) to 132 Nevada Ready! Pre-K

children and families.

In October 2016 NDE contracted with Turning Point, Inc. to develop and implement a B-3 plan which will

include aligning early learning and development standards and providing professional development to state

and local leaders, integrating B-3 into higher education, and reviewing and revising teaching licensing

requirements for B-3 certification. Turning Point, Inc. is partnering with national B-3 experts to assist with this

work, including Kristie Kauerz of the National P-3 Center at the University of Washington, and Sharon Ritchie of

First School out of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. The work has been distributed into

three distinct projects: planning, pilot, and professional development. The planning phase includes planning for

a Nevada specific B-3 framework. This framework will be piloted in 2 - 3 sites across the state during pilot

phase. Also during the pilot phase, the statewide B-3 committee will work to develop and promote state level

recommendations and policies that support the B-3 effort. Finally, in the professional development phase,

training will be developed to support districts statewide in implementing a B-3 approach.

We continue our efforts to collaborate with oursub-grantees to ensure the highest quality programming and

most efficient use of funds possible. Our system to provide supports and to oversee progress entails direct

support from NDE staff, close coordination and collaboration with the QRIS program, and professional

development opportunities designed to address the collective needs of our sub-grantees and their providers.
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We believe that this is a sound structure that will help build capacity for this important work beyond the life of

the grant.

Lessons Learned

Lessons learned in Nevada's initial implementation of Nevada Ready! Pre-K revolve around acquiring the

classroom space and qualified personnel necessary to open high quality Pre-K classrooms (especially expanding

already existing State-Funded half-day programs); providing targeted and specific professional development;

and communicating clearly and regularly regarding program expectations.

Nevada's existing State-Funded Pre-K program was able to serve up to 50 children per classroom (25 in the

morning session and 25 in the afternoon session). Some districts are hesitant to serve 60% fewer children in

full-day Nevada Ready! Pre-K programs. Finding classroom space to increase the number of students who can

be served has been a struggle, especially with the onset of mandatory full-day Kindergarten beginning

implementation in the 2016-2017school year. NDE staff has worked closely with sub-grantees to identify and

creatively fund additional classrooms.

As mentioned above, the state-wide teacher shortage has extended into pre-K classrooms. Eighty five percent

Nevada Ready! Pre-K classrooms are led by a highly qualified teacher (teacher with a bachelor's degree). Many

teachers who have not achieved this standard are, or will be, enrolled in an alternative route to licensure or in

college courses. We have allocated funds to the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEVADA scholarship program.

These funds will be available specifically for Nevada Ready! Pre-K teachers beginning spring 2017.

Qualitative data has revealed the need for additional supports in the areas of professional development for

principals and center directors. Data indicate that school principals and center directors are often not aware of

best practices in pre-K and are often challenged in appropriately observing and providing feedback to pre-K

teachers, as well as using data to inform professional development planning. We have plans to resolve these

challenges through our existing Leadership Academies as well as support from our Regional Professional

Development Programs (statewide, state-funded professional development organization) which recently has

extended their work to support teachers and administrators of programs serving children prior to Kindergarten.

In addition, we will expand administrator professional development through our B-3 work which will include

intensive professional development for leaders involved in the B-3 pilot. This professional development will be

evaluated, analyzed and refined (along with other components of the B-3 work) and and made available

statewide.

Clearer and more consistent communication will be addressed in several ways including restructuring of our

statewide director's meetings and Communities of Practice along with collaborative development of additional

guidance documents. We are currently surveying leaders in all early childhood programs across the state to

determine their needs around statewide meetings including whether information sessions, learning sessions, or

a combination of both would best suit their needs. In addition, we will gauge how often they would like to 

meet and desired locations. These data will be used to plan meetings beginning this summer. All state-level 

staff of early childhood programs (PDG, ECSE, State-funded Pre-K) are currently collaborating on a guidance

document that will answer common questions across programs (e.g. eligibility, funding, assessment and

reporting requirements, etc.). This will replace separate guidance documents that are currently available

separately (PDG, ECSE, State-funded Pre-K, etc.)

These lessons have helped us to focus on thoughtful planning, team problem solving and creative solutions. We

are thankful for the lessons we have learned from other states and our TA providers and have taken advantage

of their offers of support and shared resources. We have also committed to even greater collaboration with

other State offices, our sub-grantees and providers as we move forward to provide the highest quality services

for our youngest learners.
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U.S. Department of Education

PDG Annual Performance Report

Grant Status Form 

Explanation of Progress (524B Section A)

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017

Grantee State: NV PR/Award #: S419A150004

Section A: Performance Objectives Information and Related Performance Measures Data

(narrative)

1. Project Objective

1(a) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of Eligible Children served in

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant. Describe the State's progress in meeting

this Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measure based on enrollment of Eligible

Children in High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant as of December 1, 2016.

Nevada set a goal of providing a cumulative 2190 new and improved high-quality preschool seats by Year 2 of

the Preschool Development Grant implementation. As of December 1, 2016, we were able to make 1665 seats

available (76% of our goal). Of the 1665 seats now available are seats that have been expanded/improved by:

expanding from half-day to full day (883), limiting class size and reducing child to staff ratio (1011), employing

and compensating a teacher with a bachelor's degree (1301), providing in-service, evidence based professional

development (1301), and providing comprehensive wrap around services (1547). 782 of the seats are new seats

that did not previously exist. Failure to meet our seat number goals has resulted due to identified high- needs

communities being unable to locate space for classrooms. We have resolved this issue by extending 

invitations to participate (through a competitive process) in Nevada Ready! Pre-K to all 17 districts in the state

who can expand their half-day state-funded pre-K seats. We are extremely hopeful that this process will allow

us to meet our goal to provide a cumulative total of 2700 seats in Year 3 of the grant.

Please describe, as required in Program Requirement (k)(2) in the Notice Inviting Applicants (NIA),

how the State established policies and procedures that ensure that the percentage of Eligible Children

with disabilities served by the High-Quality Preschool Programs is not less than either the percentage

of four-year-old children served statewide through part B, section 619 of IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400 et

seq.), or the current national average, whichever is greater.

Note: The current national percentage of four year-old-children receiving services through part B, section 619 of

IDEA is 6.4%. Source: 2012 IDEA Part B Child Count (www.ideadata.org). States should include detailed

information on ALL structural elements.

Nevada's work around inclusion for young children with disabilities has been nationally recognized. Currently,

173 of the 1665 children enrolled in Nevada Ready! Pre-K are reported to have a disability. This percentage

(nearly 10.4%) exceeds the minimum percentage required (8.3%) in Nevada.

Inclusion rates for preschool children have significantly increased as a result of the requirements of the PDG

grant. Many grantees have used this requirement and support from NDE to completely restructure services for

early childhood services for children with special needs. Some programs, while initially reluctant, are now

moving forward with encouragement and support. We feel that our successes have resulted from coordinated

communication at the state level (around quality standards, monitoring, site visits, questions and concerns)

intensive technical assistance and support provided by state staff to sub-grantees (inclusion conferences and

work sessions, Community of Practice, book study, coordinated guidance documents) , and guidance from the

Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA). Our first Community of Practice involved a full day of
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discussion reflecting on The Preschool Inclusion Toolbox by Barton and Smith (2015). Teams identified service

delivery models and analyzed benefits and barriers around each. Protected time was provided for teams to 

plan their next steps as a group. The NDE 619 Coordinator attended to answer questions and provide guidance.

The Nevada Ready! Pre-K team will continue to work to increase awareness around this requirement and

provide supports to sub-grantees to ensure this goal is met by all. Nevada Department of Education staff is

currently collaborating, with the support of the ECTA Center to draft our formal inclusion policy. Nevada was

chosen as one of six states to participate in the Inclusion Topic Cohort to receive intensive technical assistance

from The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy) and ECTA centers.

Our cross sector team includes:

• State Director of Special Education

• State 619 Coordinator

• State Director of Office of Early Learning and Development

• State Manager of the Preschool Development Grant

• State Pre-K Coordinator

• Local Head Start Manager

• (2)District Directors of Special Education

• Parent Center Representative

Our goal is to increase the percentage of preschool students with disabilities receiving high quality instruction in

high quality inclusive settings by having increased guidance on evidence based practices and issues related to

quality inclusion.

Our state outcomes include:

• Children will be in more inclusive settings as measured by B6 data.

• Written guidance will be in place to encourage and support more inclusive opportunitiesfor young

children with disabilities(understand the intent of IDEA, making child level decisions, finance

(including mapping and braided funding).

• Children in inclusive settings will have improved outcomes as measured by B7 data.

TA activities include (but are not limited to):

• Develop written guidance and TA to LEAsto ensure accurate data collection for IDEA Indicator B6.

• Develop written guidance for creating inclusive opportunities.

• Create a webinar to share the guidance for inclusion.

• Annual crossstate inclusion meeting.

In addition, the Office of Early Learning and Development collaborates yearly to hold an inclusion meeting /

work session. The Inclusion meeting is a gathering of Local Education Agencies statewide that come together

for the purpose of planning inclusive opportunities for young children with disabilities in their district. Travel

expenses are supported for those districts that send a team consisting of an early childhood general educator,

an early childhood special educator and an early childhood administrator.

Nevada is following the federal requirements to ensure that eligible children with disabilities are being
appropriately identified and served in least restrictive environments.

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Describe the State's progress in increasing the number and percentage of Eligible Children served in

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant.

1(b) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children served overall in the

State Preschool Program. Please describe any increases or decreases in this GPRA measure

based on fall enrollment in the State Preschool Program for the 2016-17 school year.

Historically, Nevada has provided steady but stagnant funding for preschool services for 4-year-olds. Through

braiding of funds, we have been able to stretch the roughly $3.3M provided by the legislature for the last

several years to its limit. Through the Preschool Development Grant, Nevada has been able to serve an

additional 1665 children and families with high-quality Pre-K programs and services. In 2015, 2364 children

statewide were enrolled in preschool programs funded through the state (State Pre-K and Zoom). This year, a

total of 4030 children are being served across programs. This is a 70% increase of services and programs

statewide. With the addition of Nevada Ready! Pre-K, we have opened 782 new slots funded with Nevada

Ready! Pre-K funds and have improved (by expanding from half- to full-day) 40 Head Start slots and 492 nonHead Start slots. This non-Head Start slots could be improved seats at Zoom, Victory, or Title I schools slots in

community programs. In addition, we have improved 351 slots that were previously half-day seats funded

through our State Funded Pre-K to full-day, high quality seats. We have also increased opportunities to braid

funding and provide more inclusive classrooms where children with disabilities and children learning English

can learn alongside their peers. The Nevada Ready! Pre-K grant is responsible for increasing the number of

seats available for 4-year-old children by 36% in Clark County, 122% in Washoe County, 171% in Churchill

County, and 88% in Nye County. In Lyon County 254 seats for 4-year olds are available where none existed

previously.

Nevada Ready! Pre-K partnered with seven sub-grantees including school districts, State sponsored charter

schools, non-profit entities, and Head Start partners in a total of 57 different sites in “High Need Communities”

to enhance and expand high quality Pre-K seats through the Preschool Development Grant. We currently serve

1665 children and their families. The Nevada Ready! Pre-K team is working to provide supports necessary (clear

expectations, professional development, QRIS, targeted funding and resources, and consistent monitoring) to

ensure effective implementation. Sub-grantees have signed Memorandums of Understanding that outline

responsibilities for program implementation and outreach, including opening and/or expanding the number of

seats outlined in the PDG grant by county and working with NDE to develop a plan to identify, advertise and fill

those seats.

NDE is currently working with sub-grantees on their projections for next year and providing support for those

sub-grantees who are struggling to achieve their projection goals.

One major accomplishment of the Office of Early Learning and Development is the revision of the State-Funded

Pre-K application. In this application, districts outline their plan for implementing the state's half-day Pre-K

program. Applications are reviewed and approved by NDE. This year, the option to expand these classrooms to

full day high quality programs (by partnering with Nevada Ready! Pre-K) will be included and heavily weighted

to give preference to those programs with the capability to expand. We are hopeful that this measure will

greatly increase the number of State-Funded Pre-K classrooms we are able to expand.
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1(c) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children in the High-Need

Communities served by the grant that are ready for kindergarten as determined by the State's

Kindergarten Entry Assessment or, if the State does not yet have a Kindergarten Entry Assessment,

other valid and reliable means of determining school readiness.

In the Year 2 APR, grantees will provide disaggregated data on the school readiness of the children served

by the grant. This may include information collected about the children served by the grant at the end of their

2015-16 preschool year or in their 2016-17 kindergarten year. States may provide data from a sample of

children (e.g., a sample being used for any evaluation).

In the Year 2 APR, grantees must describe their progress towards identifying the measures, methods,

and data on the school readiness of children served by the Preschool Development Grant. In the

narrative below provide the following information:

• The name of the assessment tool(s) and the Essential Domains of School Readiness

measured;

• When the assessment tool(s) is/are given (e.g., in preschool and/or kindergarten);

• Whether the assessment is mandated by the State, and for which children;

• How long the State has been using the assessment tool(s);

• Whether the assessment tool(s) is/are implemented throughout the High-Need Community

and/or Statewide;

• Whether the State provides or will provide training for local staff administering the assessment.

If so, describe the requirements including processes to ensure continued reliability in the

administration of the measure;

• If school readiness data is reported to the State, describe when and how data are reported.

Also, please describe, if applicable:

• The State's definition of "school readiness;"

• Disaggregated information about children's school readiness on individual domains or

subsets of the measure;

• School readiness data for children disaggregated by subgroup (e.g., students who are

American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian, not Pacific Islander; Native Hawaiian/other

Pacific Islander; Black or African American; Hispanic/Latino; White, not Hispanic; two or

more races; with disabilities; English learners; and from any other subgroups the state

determines appropriate; and

• How the State will continue to make progress in meeting this GPRA measure.

On September 9, 2016 the Brigance Early Childhood Screen III was selected as Nevada's Kindergarten Entry

Assessment. The screener is nationally standardized, norm- and criterion-referenced and measures Physical,

Language, Academic/Cognitive and Social-Emotional development.

One reason this tool was selected was to increase the alignment of data collection from birth through

Kindergarten. The Brigance Screen is also available for infants and toddlers. Beginning the 2017/2018 school

year, the KEA will be administered as the first screening opportunity required for all Kindergarten students by

our Ready by Grade Three Legislation. The Brigance Early Childhood Screen III will also be administered at the

beginning and end of the Pre-K year for all children participating in publicly funded Pre-K programs for program

improvement purposes. The roll out of this screener in Pre-K began statewide in Nevada Ready! Pre-K and

State-Funded Pre-K classrooms in the 2016-2017school year. We anticipate having pre- and post-assessment

scores in the summer of 2017. We anticipate having Kindergarten data (KEA) beginning after the fall

administration in 2017.

NDE has begun the contracting process to have Curriculum Associates provide training on the Brigance Early

Childhood Screen III administration, scoring, and online management system (anticipated contract approval

date is May 10, 2017.) Training will be provided statewide to teachers and administrators as well as trainers.
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Curriculum Associates is scheduled to provide an informational session open to all NDE staff on April 3, 2017

and present at the upcoming Nevada Association for the Education of Young Children (NevAEYC) early

childhood conference.

The State's definition of school readiness is:

Children's readiness for school is made up of multiple components and shaped by numerous factors.

Improving school readiness, therefore, must address children's development of skills and behaviors as well as

the environments in which they spend their time. Early childhood leaders at the state and national level agree

that efforts to improve school readiness must address three interrelated components:

Children's readiness for school.

School's readiness for children.

The capacity of families and communities to provide developmental opportunities for young children.

Ultimately the goal is that children are ready for school, families are ready to support their children's learning,

and schools are ready for children.

School readiness is an ongoing process from the moment of birth, to prekindergarten, and through the

transition into elementary school and beyond. It is the foundation defined by the intersection of two critical

components: 1) children's condition to learn based on the five identified domains of learning, and 2) the

school's capacity to meet the needs of all children to prepare them for future school success and the 21st

century. This includes, but is not limited to providing access to high quality services for all children including

aligned standards and curriculum, supportive relationships, engaging environment, smooth transitions and

strong family and community connections.

There is consensus, based upon a wealth of research, that a child's readiness for school should be measured

and addressed across five distinct but connected domains:

Physical Development and Health--This domain covers such factors as health status, growth, and disabilities;

physical abilities, such as gross and fine motor skills; and conditions before, at, and after birth.

Social and Emotional Development--This domain combines two interrelated components affecting children's

behavioral health and learning. Social development refers to children's ability to interact with others and their

capacity for self- regulation. Emotional development includes children's perceptions of themselves, their

abilities to understand the feelings of other people, and their ability to interpret and express their own feelings.

Approaches to Learning--This domain refers to children's inclination to use skills and knowledge. Key

components include enthusiasm, curiosity, and persistence on tasks.

Language and Early Literacy Development--This domain includes communication and emergent literacy.

Communication includes listening, speaking, and vocabulary. Emergent literacy includes print awareness, story

sense, early writing, and the connection of letters to sounds.

Cognition and General Knowledge--This domain refers to thinking and problem--solving as well as knowledge

about particular objects and the way the world works. Mathematical knowledge, abstract thought, and

imagination are included.

We are also greatly improving our work around parent engagement in order to achieve our goals of having

schools ready for children and increasing the capacity of families and communities to provide developmental

opportunities for young children. A parent survey will be administered by all programs. These data will be used

by programs to inform a family engagement plan based on actual rather than presumed needs of families.

Programs will be able to assess their efforts in meeting the needs of parents and families in seven key areas:

Family Engagement

School Fit

Family Support

Family Efficacy

Learning Behaviors

School Climate
Roles and Responsibilities

Implementation of the Family Engagement Survey and subsequent planningwill be monitored by NDEstaff.

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For Preschool Development Grants - Development Grants States ONLY:

1(d) GPRA Performance Measure: The number of States that collect and analyze data on State

Preschool Program quality, including the structural elements of quality specified in the

definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs.

Nevada currently has three different longitudinal ranges of data collection. The first is for the actual pre-K

years. That longitudinal data system is the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Database, where we can measure

student outcomes of the pre-K year. Second, we have our state pre-K program data over 10 years. While

individual students do not remain in the classroom over the period, we are able to measure programmatic

outcome changes as well as demographic changes by using the ECE database system, which contains this

historical data. Both of these mechanisms are currently in place and available for study. The third range is the

P-20 or B-20 longitudinal range covering both individual students and programs. This is the State Longitudinal

Data System, which currently encompasses K-12+. Work this year has focused on creating a unified system to

collect data from birth through grade 12 in Infinite Campus. Infinite Campus will feed data to the Longitudinal

Data System, which will allow long-term individual study and long-term program study. This system will allow

data collection of students receiving public funds, whether enrolled within or outside of the public school

system. School readiness information will be collected in this store. Once in place, general alignment will be

achieved, which will facilitate the usage of data to conduct statistical comparisons between both programmatic

overall outcomes and individual student outcomes, and the ability to draw specialized cohorts or other

samplings from raw data. The Infinite Campus system will have the ability to maintain standing reports and to

generate ad hoc queries against live data and archival data input up to five years prior to its adoption. This

system will be piloted in Fall 2017 and is expected to be fully operational, including both district and external

(private providers, Head Start agencies, etc.) programs under a format specific to the State Pre-K program and

the Pre-K Development Grant. The system will also become the repository for Brigance Pre-K Screening data by

Fall 2018. In Year 2 we are discussing the needs and desires of Early Childhood stakeholders and determining

what data will be collected and disseminated to suit program-specific needs. In Year 3 we will begin data

dissemination involving the newly identifiable Nevada Ready! Pre-K samples being compared through raw

actual data, data sampling and proxy data dependent on the measure being explored. We will also begin

incorporation of external program data collections, such as that for other outcome and readiness assessments,

using interface tabs designed specifically for those programs.

The outline below depicts where expectations for each criterion of high-quality are outlined and where/how

data are collected. All data are analyzed and synthesized into a compliance report which is disseminated

directly to sub-grantees. Plans for remediating deficiencies are submitted to NDE staff via a continuous

improvement plan.

High staff qualifications -

Definition: Certified teacher (requiring a minimum of a Bachelor's degree) with a birth-2nd grade license OR

special education license with an early childhood developmentally delayed endorsement. Teachers in

community based programs are not required to hold a license, but must reach 5.2 on the Nevada Registry Early

Care and Education Professional Career Ladder, which requires a BA and experience in ECE.

Documentation: Copy of Nevada teaching license for ALL Pre-K teachers. Teachers on a provisional license

enrolled in an Alternate Route to Certification program for early childhood education OR have a current

standard k-8 license, OR a long-term substitute AND are working towards their endorsement in ECE will be

accepted for this criterion. Documentation must clearly show teacher is in process of the certification or

endorsement. Transcripts will be accepted for this criterion. Should a lead teacher be on extended leave (i.e.

maternity leave/FMLA), his or her qualifications can be included in this criterion and not the long-term

substitute.

For Nevada Ready! staff only: Evidence of B.A. in ECE or B.A. in any field with ECE endorsement.

The expectations around staff qualifications are outlined in the guidance document and data are collected via

the monitoring plan (A.7 - teachers, and A.6 - assistants).

High-quality professional development -
ED 524B Page 13 of 26

High Quality Professional Development for Lead Teachers

Definition: 1 CEU or 15 clock hours in one or more categories specific to early childhood, for each lead teacher:

e.g. Pyramid Model, Early Childhood Mental Health, Developmentally Appropriate Instruction, Assessment,

Family Engagement, Inclusion, NDE or NevAEYC State Conferences, or National ECE conference.

Documentation: Certificate or sign-in sheet from training or conference, or transcript (district or university)

must be within 1 year of applying to QRIS.

High Quality Professional Development for 75% of Instructional Assistants or Aids (support staff)

Definition: .5 CEU or 7.5 clock hours in one or more categories specific to early childhood, for each teacher aid

or instructional assistant: (e.g. Pyramid Model, Early Childhood Mental Health, Developmentally Appropriate

Instruction, Assessment, Family Engagement, Inclusion, NDE or NevAEYC State Conferences). Documentation:

Certificate orsign-in sheet from training or conference, or transcript (district or university) must be within 1

year of applying to QRIS.

The expectations around high quality professional development are outlined in the guidance document and

data are collected via QRIS (items B and C).

Child-to-instructional staff ratio -

Definition: A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1. Documentation: Ratio worksheet verified

and signed by coach to meet this criterion 100% of the classrooms must meet the ratio.

The expectations around staff ratios are outlined in the guidance document and data are collected via the

monitoring plan (A.3).

Class size -

Definition: A class size of no more than 20 with, at minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications as

outlined above.

The expectations around class size are outlined in the guidance document and data are collected via the

monitoring plan (A.3).

Full-Day program -

Definition: Equivalent to a full school day at the public elementary schools in the State and not fewer than five

hours a day or a minimum of 25 hours per week.

Expectations around instructional hours are outlined in the guidance document and data are collected via the

monitoring plan (A.5).

Inclusion of children with disabilities -

Definition: Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all opportunities.

Documentation: Verification letter from Nevada Ready! Pre-K grantor that required percentage has been met.

The IEP percentage must meet the national average or the current state average (whichever is higher). For

school year 2016-17 the state average is 8.3. A copy of signed form from program monitors indicating that this

percentage has been met will serve as evidence.

For children with an Individual Education Program (IEP), the IEP team determines the placement and location

of special education and related services and the IEP requirements must be followed.

Expectations around inclusion of children with disabilities are outlined in the guidance document and data are

collected via the monitoring plan (A.8). Data are also collected in the APR in item A.3 (a).

Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidence-based

curricula and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and Development

Standards -

Definition: Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidence-based

curricula, and learning environment aligned with the Nevada Pre-K Standards.

Documentation: 1 copy of a current written lesson plan from each classroom that reflects planning that

promotes children's overall development. Each lesson plan should contain at least one identified goal,

objective, connection to Nevada Pre-K Standards, and adaptations for children with special needs. Must also

include a description of curriculum used. (Nevada Ready! curriculum rubric (Self-Study Guide) may be used for

this indicator).
ED 524B Page 14 of 26

Expectations around curricula and learning environments are outlined in the guidance document and data are

collected via the monitoring plan (Curriculum Self-Study Guide) and QRIS (Item H).

Individualized accommodations and supports -

Definition: Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children, regardless of ability, can access

and participate fully in learning activities.

Documentation: Copy of 1 IEP per classroom with personal information concealed AND examples (pictures or

documentation) of accommodations that have been made for a child or children in their classroom in

accordance with the child's IEP. Documentation may include a summary report from specialist visiting

classroom.

For children with an Individual Education Program (IEP), the IEP team determines the necessary supplementary

aids and services (modifications, accommodations, or support) and the IEP must be followed.

The expectations around individualized accommodations are outlined in the guidance document and data are

collected via the monitoring plan (A.8 and Individualized Accommodations and Supports Self-Study Guide).

Instructionalstaffsalaries -

Definition: Teachers serving as lead teachers in Nevada Ready! classrooms are paid on par with district K-12

teachers.

The expectations around instructional staff salaries are outlined in the guidance document and data are

monitored via sub-grantee budget reviews.

Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvementDefinition: EPPs will conduct monitoring visits at least once a year. Program monitoring will evaluate elements

of high quality defined by the Nevada Ready! Pre-K. These elements include; teacher qualifications, family

eligibility, program intensity, curriculum, class size, adult/child ratios, participation in annual and longitudinal

child outcome and program evaluation, participation in a QRIS, family engagement, comprehensive services,

inclusion practices and equity of access.

Additionalsite visits, both informal and formal, may be requested by the sub-grantee or EPP. Observations

during site visits will be used to identify areas of program strength and need, and will inform training and

professional development.

Expectations around program evaluation and continuous improvement are outlined in the guidance document

and are monitored via the monitoring plan and QRIS improvement plan.

On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services - expectations around comprehensive services are outlined in

the guidance document and data are collected from the wraparound services contractor on a monthly basis. In

addition, fiscal monitoring of the comprehensive services contractor occurs on a monthly basis.

Evidence-based health and safety standards -

Definition: Evidence-based health and safety standards. Documentation: Written health and safety policies of

program that include: Health and safety topics in group care for children to prevent harm & promote health

(Caring For Our Children Standards)

- Injuries (minor to serious, physical and social-emotional)

- Infectious diseases

- Healthful habits

- Policies and practices

- Care plans for children with chronic health conditions

If a district health and safety plan is included it must include all of these indicators and they should be

highlighted in the policy.

Expectations around health and safety standards are outlined in the guidance document and data are collected

via QRIS (item L).

Due to staff shortages at NDE, our capacity to monitor this year has been somewhat diminished. Normally

Education Program Professionals (EPPs) would be charged with supporting sub-grantees in preparing for

monitoring (ensuring requirements are in place, organizing and uploading evidence into the data management

system, etc.). In addition, EPPs would be charged with conducting classroom walkthroughs to provide

additional evidence of quality implementation. However, with limited staff, the decision was made to conduct
desk aud its for all sub-gra ntees with i n-person visits with director-level staff to review the desk a ud it

i nforma tion. On severa l of the in-person visits, classroom wa lkthroughs were conducted on a lim ited basis.

ED 5248 Page 15 of 26
ED 524B Page 16 of 26

Section A: Part B - Selection Criteria

In this section of the APR, States will report on their progress addressing the Preschool Development Grant's

selection criteria. The State should read the questions carefully and report in the narrative fields directly below the

questions. Please include any data, data notes or formulas to help the readers understand the State's narrative

responses.

1. Ensuring Quality in Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria “C” of the application)

Describe the State's use of funds received over the grant period for State Preschool Program

infrastructure and quality improvements, including the State's efforts to implement a system of

monitoring and support at the State level toward activities such as those described in Section (C)(1)(ak) of the NIA.

Note: States will report amounts and percentage of funds for State Preschool Program infrastructure

and High-Quality Preschool Programs in the Competitive Preference Priority 3 Chart.

The Nevada Ready! Pre-K team has developed a robust monitoring plan and tool that effectively measures each

component of Nevada Ready! Pre-K sites (program operations, program quality, and comprehensive services).

As we believe that crucial elements of program quality will result in improved child outcomes, each component

will be communicated and monitored regularly. Monitoring evidence coupled with joint observation will be

used to create a continuous improvement plan that will, in turn be monitored. NDE will use data collected from

formal and informal monitoring to provide additional supports to individual sub-grantees as needed.

In addition, the Nevada Ready! Pre-K team is working closely with NDE staff administering QRIS. The QRIS

District Model, which is required for all Nevada Ready! Pre-K programs, has been designed to exactly align to

federal quality definitions including elements around teacher qualifications, professional development, class

sizes and ratios, inclusion, curriculum and standards, and comprehensive services. QRIS participants receive

individual coaching services based on the results of their QRIS assessment. Nevada Ready! Pre-K staff follow-up

on these quality elements through the monitoring process. The Nevada Ready! Pre-K team meets regularly with

State QRIS staff and QRIS coaches to coordinate supports and resources based on needs.

As mentioned previously, we are working hard to address our shortage of qualified teachers. This year, 86%

(84 of 93) of lead teachers in Nevada Ready! Pre-K classrooms meet our definition of highly qualified. Of the 14

teachers who are not yet qualified, the majority are already enrolled in a state-approved route to licensure or

are enrolled in necessary courses. We have additional teachers taking course this summer and planning to

enroll in the fall, using T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEVADA scholarships.
ED 524B Page 17 of 26

2. Expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in Each High-Need Community (Selection

Criteria D of application)

Describe the progress the State has made during the reporting year to implement and sustain

voluntary high quality preschool programs for eligible children in two or more High-Need Communities

(Selection Criteria D(4) of the application) that include ALL structural elements listed below that are

included in the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. States should include detailed

information on ALL structural elements.

High staff qualifications, including a teacher with a bachelor's degree in early childhood

education or a bachelor's degree in any field with a State-approved alternative pathway, ✔ which may include coursework, clinical practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and

pedagogy relating to early childhood, and teaching assistants with appropriate credentials;

✔ High-quality professional development for all staff;

✔ A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1;

✔ A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications;

✔ A Full-Day program;

Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all

✔

opportunities;

Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidence-

✔ based curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and

Development Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten entry;

Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate

✔

fully in learning activities;

✔ Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff;

✔ Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement;

On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and community partnerships that

✔ promote families access to services that support their children's learning and development;

and

✔ Evidence-based health and safety standards.
ED 524B Page 18 of 26

Please describe the progress the State has made in establishing High-Quality Preschool Programs

that include ALL structural elements listed above that are evidence-based and nationally recognized

as important for ensuring program quality.

High staff qualifications:

Each Early Childhood Education teacher responsible for providing direct instruction to early childhood students

must fulfill the licensure requirements for teaching in the Pre-K population. An Early Childhood teachers'

license (requiring a bachelor's degree in education) or an ECE endorsement is required. 85% of teachers

leading Nevada Ready! Pre-K classrooms this year meet current certification requirements. The state is

currently experience a severe teacher shortage. This, combined with lack of access to higher education

opportunities as well as geographic isolation in several of our high-need communities, make hiring and

retaining certified teachers an extreme challenge that nearly all sub-grantees are facing.

This year, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEVADA scholarships are now available through Nevada Ready! Pre-K

funding. This grant will fund up to 30 stipends beginning with the spring 2017 semester. Its intent is to build 

the capacity of the ECE workforce within elementary-based Pre-K classrooms (a population previously ineligible

for T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEVADA scholarship). Scholarships are available for current Nevada Ready! PreK teachers pursuing ECE Endorsements or ECE degrees. Recipients receive support for 80% of tuition, 80% of

text book costs and a travel stipend. Recipients are expected to provide a commitment to remain employed in

a Nevada Ready! classroom for one year.

Explorations with institutes of higher education around new certification combining Early Childhood Education

and Early Childhood Special Education will be incorporated into our B-3 work.

Sub-grantees are working to redouble their recruitment efforts within and outside of the state, considering

alternative routes to licensure, and expanding appropriate professional development opportunities in order to

meet the high staff qualifications outlined in the grant.

High-quality professional development for all staff: The Nevada Ready! Pre-K team includes a staff member

whose sole responsibility lies with development of a high quality professional development system in order to

align and enhance the qualifications of teachers and leaders responsible for high-quality Pre-K classrooms. In

addition, our B-3 efforts are well underway. Our B-3 work entails development of a Nevada Framework for B-3,

implementation of the framework in pilot sites around the state, and design of professional development on

the framework for dissemination around the state. The B-3 work will inform and be informed by state level

policy work around workforce development for the B-3 workforce.

Finally, NDE staff is involved in high quality professional development for school leaders (around leading Pre-K

programs) and teachers (around supports for children learning English). All Nevada Ready! Pre-K sites (including

early childhood classrooms that are not part of Nevada Ready! Pre-K) are now participating in the newly

developed district QRIS model through which teacher receive intensive coaching and support around highquality interactions and appropriate early childhood environments.

A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1;

Nevada Ready! Pre-K class sizes and child/staff ratios must not exceed the following: Classrooms will have no

more than 20 children with 2 adults. Currently, all of the Nevada Ready! Pre-K classrooms meet these ratio

requirements.

A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications;

We have set the expectation that at least one appropriately certified and licensed teacher and one

appropriately certified teaching assistant be hired for each Nevada Ready! Pre-K program. Due to a severe

teacher shortage in Nevada and problems recruiting teachers in rural communities, this goal has not been fully

achieved. While we more than doubled the number of children being served this year in Nevada Ready! Pre-K
ED 524B Page 19 of 26

classrooms, our percentage of qualified teachers dropped by only 4.5%.

A Full-Day program: All Nevada Ready! Pre-K programs are required to provide a minimum of 25 hours of

instruction per week. Currently, all of the Nevada Ready! Pre-K classrooms meet the minimum hour

requirement.

Inclusion of children with disabilitiesto ensure access to and full participation in all opportunities: Currently,

173 of the 1665 children enrolled in Nevada Ready! Pre-K are reported to have a disability. This percentage

(10.4%) exceeds the minimum percentage required (8.3%) in Nevada. Some sub-grantees are meeting and

exceeding the required service percentage of four-year old children with disabilities, while othersub-grantees

are not. The Nevada Ready! Pre-K team will continue to work to increase awareness around this requirement

and provide supports to sub-grantees to ensure this goal is met by all.

Specific, developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidence based

curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and Development

Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten entry: The Nevada Department of Education does not

mandate a curriculum to be used for Pre-K programs state-wide.

The Nevada Ready! Pre-K team has developed a tool to be used by programs to evaluate and provide evidence

that their selected curricula are aligned to the Nevada Pre-Kindergarten Standards. This tool is a required

component of Nevada Ready! Pre-K and can be used to inform teachers and leaders of the Nevada Ready! PreK classrooms of the importance of the use of a quality, aligned curriculum. Additionally, programs participating

in Nevada Ready! Pre-K will be evaluated by the Nevada Silver State Stars QRIS. The QRIS rating includes the

Environment Rating Scales and CLASS assessment scores to evaluate teacher child interactions as part of

assessing quality and developing quality improvement plans.

Individualized accommodations and supportsso that all children can access and participate

fully in learning activities: Nevada is following the federal requirements to ensure that eligible children with

disabilities are being appropriately identified and served in least restrictive environments. Nevada Ready! Pre-K

requirements state that 8.3% of Nevada Ready! Pre-K sub-grantees' enrollment will be children with IEPs.

Nevada has contracted with The Children's Cabinet to supplement the sub-grantees' existing wrap around

services. The comprehensive services that Children's Cabinet provide include information and referralservices,

case management, community and parent engagement activities, outreach and direct services to all families

participating in Nevada Ready! Pre-K programs.

In addition, Nevada Ready! Pre-K staff will provide targeted professional development to sub-grantees needing

assistance with inclusion. Children's Cabinet, Nevada Ready! Pre-K staff and sub-grantees are in the process of

working closely to identify existing services and service gaps so that opportunities to braid funding and

supplement needed services are identified, coordinated, and implemented. NDE is working to assist subgrantees, districts and schools to braid funding, integrate services and collaborate around classroom instruction

appropriate for students with disabilities.

Instructionalstaffsalariesthat are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructionalstaff; NDE staff

review sub-grantees' budgets to ensure that staff salaries in programs housed in districts and community

providers are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff. The vast majority of Nevada Ready!

Pre-K classrooms are located in district schools. Those schools are already required to pay pre-K teachers at the

same level as K-12 certified staff.

Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement: A comprehensive monitoring plan has been

developed and is currently being implemented. Monitoring consists of regular, on-site visits; virtual and phone

communication; submission and analysis of reports, desk audits, on-site monitoring and reviews of audit

findings and fiscal expenditures. Monitoring will be used to both support sub-grantees with appropriate

implementation as well as to compel sub-grantees to fully achieve their goals.

On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and community partnershipsthat

promote families accessto servicesthatsupport their children'slearning and development: Nevada has

contracted with the Children's Cabinet to supplement the sub-grantees' existing wrap around services. The

comprehensive services that Children's Cabinet provide include information and referral services, case

management, community and parent engagement activities, outreach and direct services to all families
ED 524B Page 20 of 26

participating in Nevada Ready! Pre-K programs, through the CHERISH program. Children's Health & Education

Reinforced in Supportive Homes (CHERISH) is a partnership between the State of Nevada, the Department of

Education and The Children's Cabinet to provide comprehensive wraparound case management services to

families of preschool students. During the spring, Children's Cabinet met with the sub grantees and introduced

services and provided referral forms and flyers and began accepting referrals in May. By June, an established

case load that comprised children identified by Nevada Ready! Pre-K classrooms as benefiting from

wraparound case management over the course of the summer, since the traditional schoolservices would no

longer be available. Over the summer break, CHERISH compiled research, best practice and current child

development knowledge to create a series of Parent Workshops available to all schools in the fall. Throughout

the remainder of the year, the CHERISH team partnered with each site to answer questions and provide new

materials and when invited would present services to families.

Over the course of 2016, the CHERISH program received 225 referrals, and of those, 132 families accepted

services. Participating families were asked to complete a Protective Factors Survey (PFS) and a satisfaction

survey upon completion of services. On average, CHERISH program participants self-reported a gain in Child

Development knowledge by 58 points, Nurturing and Attachment by 43 points, Concrete support by 59 points,

Social support by 29 points and Family functioning by 56 points. Also, the satisfaction surveys revealed that

families (on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being “excellent”) rated the CHERISH program 4.99 across all categories. In

addition to parent workshops and case management successes, 79% of children who were identified as

needing a referral based on a development screening were connected to needed services.

Evidence-based health and safety standards: Nevada Ready! Pre-K programs housed in school buildings follow

the district or authorizing charter's health and safety standards. Those programs housed outside of school

buildings fall under the purview of State or Washoe County licensing authorities. Health and safety standards

are monitored as part of QRIS and must include comprehensive policies that address injuries, infectious

diseases, healthful habits, and care plans for children with chronic health conditions.

Selection Criteria (D)(4) from NIA

Describe the number and percent of Eligible Children served and the cost per slot.

Nevada projected to be able to serve a total of 2190 students in Year 2 of the Preschool Development Grant.

This projection included 1370 seats expanded to a full day program and 820 new seats. We were able to fill

76% of the seats we projected. We served 1665 students (351 expanded seats and 1314 new seats).

Last year, one of our largest providers of State-Funded preschool seats - Clark County School District (CCSD)

was unable to expand any of its half-day seats to full day due to lack of space and their desire to serve more

students in a half-day setting. As a result of relationship building along with technical assistance and support

from NDE, CCSD is now ready to expand all ten of its state funded Pre-K classrooms using Nevada Ready! Pre-K

funding for the 2017-2018 school year. We are hopeful that their participation will go a long way in helping us

meet our goals.

The cost per slot for the Nevada Ready! Pre-K program is $8000 for a new, full day program and $3900 for an

extended/improved program. The $3900 supplements existing half-day programs provided through the StateFunded Pre-K program and Head Start. In addition, sub-grantees are awarded an additional amount per grant

year to fund discretionary items such as transportation, rent, substitutes, etc. The additional amount for Year 2

was $1114.63 for each slot whether half- or full-day.
ED 524B Page 21 of 26

3. Collaborating with Each Subgrantee and Ensuring Strong Partnerships (Selection Criteria E

of the application)

Describe the extent to which the State has collaborated with each Subgrantee to ensure that each

Subgrantee is effectively implementing High-Quality Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria E

(1-9) of the application) and how the State ensures strong partnerships between each Subgrantee

and LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate.

The Nevada Ready! Pre-K team has conducted formal site visits to all sub-grantees. Site visits helped to establish

initial relationships among State staff and sub-grantees. In addition, the visits provided an opportunity for subgrantees to showcase their progress to date. NDE staff is more aware of the challenges and roadblocks faced by

the sub-grantees around important elements of the program including recruitment and retention of highly

qualified staff, access to quality and appropriate professional development, and the needs and challenges of

participating children and families.

The Nevada Ready! Pre-K team includes one staff member in the north and one staff member in the south who

is responsible for communicating with, supporting, and monitoring each of the sub-grantees. These team

members visit and communicate with site leaders regularly, maintain close contact with coaches and

supervisors who are providing QRIS services, participate in on-going professional development around the

needs of the sub-grantees and providers, and analyze and address challenges or concerns experienced by subgrantees. Due to staff shortages, sub-grantees are contacting the grant manager directly in the interim.

As described previously, all sites go through a desk audit in which evidence of achievement or implementation

is uploaded to a website. Elements are recorded on a checklist, meetings with sub-grantees are scheduled to

review the desk audit results. Sub-grantees are provided an official letter from the Department that provides a

summary of their desk audit results. Sub-grantees are then required to submit an Improvement Plan that

addresses each deficiency and outline steps to remedy the deficiencies.

The NDE Nevada Ready! Team also meets with sub-grantee teams quarterly. These in person meetings are

rotated among northern and southern locations and are structured as Communities of Practice. This 

community is involved in book studies that address specific issues and concerns around high-quality Pre-K

programs. This year, our Community of Practice participated in book studies around inclusion - The Preschool

Inclusion Toolbox, (Barton & Smith) and family engagement - From Parents to Partners (Keyser). These

professional learning opportunities help build a strong network of professionals who can gain support through

each other. This year, two of these meetings were conducted jointly with the already-established State Pre-K

Directors' Meetings. This structure helped NDE share information and align messages across programs. We are

currently conducting a survey of sub-grantees and providers to gauge their interest in continuing Communities

of Practice, joint Directors' meetings or a combination of both.

4. Alignment Within a Birth Through Third Grade Continuum (Section F of the application)

Describe progress the State has made for alignment within a birth through third grade continuum in

activities for birth through age five programs ((F)(1)(a-b) in the NIA) and kindergarten through third

grade ((F)(2)(a-d) in the NIA).

Nevada has been working on P-3 activities since 2009. The Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council is

supported by seven local councils throughout the state. Nevada ECAC 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.” Membership includes representatives from the Division of Mental Health and

Development, the Head Start State Collaboration, Office of Student Services, Part B and Part C, higher

education, State Pre-K programs, School District Board of Trustees, Division of Welfare and Supportive Services,
ED 524B Page 22 of 26

local education agencies and private, public, and non-profit early childhood program providers.

Information around P-3 has been gathered, through attendance at:

· National P-3 Institutes (in May, 2012 and August, 2012)

· NGA Birth-3 Summit (spring, 2013)

and disseminated to educators around the state via multiple mega conferences, mini-conferences, and

NevAEYC events.

In 2015 Nevada's legislature passed the Read by Grade Three legislation (which includes procedures for

assessing student proficiency in Reading beginning in Kindergarten, a program of intensive literacy instruction,

provisions for ensuring Reading proficiency of English learners, and a learning strategists) and State-Funded full

day Kindergarten.

The Office of Early Learning and Development (OELD) oversees the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) quality

initiatives which include targeted programs to improve quality of child care programs, increase access 

to quality programs, and support providers with increase professional development opportunities. Quality

initiatives funded through CCDF funding include: QRIS, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood© Nevada scholarships, the

Nevada Registry, Early Learning Guidelines, child care substitutes, a leadership academy for child care directors

and owners, and an early intervention partnership program. This office works to facilitates smooth and

meaningful transitions from one setting to the next.

OELD has also been fortunate to receive funding from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to support the work of B-3

alignment. This funding is specifically being used to develop and implement the district QRIS model for the

Nevada Ready! Pre-k sites.

PDG funding has been dedicated to specific B-3 work to coordinate these efforts. This work is outlined in three

distinct projects: 1) Planning around a Nevada B-3 framework and policy development to support B-3 efforts, 2)

Pilot implementation of B-3 in selected communities, and 3) Professional Development to support other

communities in implementing a B-3 approach. Details of this effort are described in the Competitive Preference

Priority 2 section below.
ED 524B Page 23 of 26

Section A: Part C - Competitive Preference Priorities

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Contributing Matching Funds (if included in the State's

approved application.

Describe the progress the State has made on its credible plan for obtaining and using non-Federal

matching funds to support the implementation of its ambitious and achievable plan during the grant

period. For progress not made in this area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that

measurable progress will be made by the end of the grant period. Please describe any changes made

to the data reported in Table 7(a); explain if your Year 2 Target differs from the Year 2 Actual.

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Supporting the Continuum of Early Learning and

Development (if included in the State's approved application).

Describe progress made in creating a more seamless progression of supports and interventions from

birth through third grade, such as high-quality infant and toddler care, home visitation, full-day

kindergarten, and before and after care services for, at a minimum, a defined cohort of eligible children

and their families within each high need community served by each Subgrantee. For progress not

made in these areas, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be

made by the end of the grant period.

In October, 2016 NDE contracted with Turning Point Inc. (TPI) to facilitate our B-3 efforts. This endeavor will

support transitioning of children address the full continuum of services for children in the state. The substance

of this plan will address components of home visiting, parent education, and transitions from child care to

preschool as well as transitioning of essential wrap around services to support children and families.

The State's B-3 work (which will complement Nevada's Child Care Development Funds plan) will build on the

Early Learning and Development standards and the Early Childhood Crosswalk (designed to show the link

between Common Core Standards and Pre-K standards). A progression of professional development will be

provided which reflects research and best practice in order to meet the developmental needs of infants,

toddlers, preschool and school-age children that are aligned to foundational and specialized competencies

including English language learners and children with disabilities. This professional development will

incorporate knowledge and application of early learning and development guidelines. The Nevada Early

Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) has developed subcommittees who will work to strengthen state-level

coordination and collaboration between the various sectors and settings of early care and education programs

in the states. The subcommittees' areas of focus are: Professional development, Systems, Family & Community

and Early Learning. Since the work of ECAC and B-3 is so cohesive, teams will be working in concert to ensure

alignment of resources and efforts and prevent redundancy.

TPI has succeeded in establishing strong working relationships with national consultants (Sharron Richie and

Kristie Kauerz) and partners, forming a Project Management Team that communicates regularly through

Nevada's Governor, Brian Sandoval, has submitted assurances and certifications to provide the state-required

matching funds for each of the four years as follows:

Year 1 - $2,135,288

Year 2 - $4,727,993

Year 3 - $6,918,816

Year 4 - $8,983,737

for a total across four years of $22,765,834. This amount has been fully funded for Year 1 and Year 2. No

changes will be made to the matching funds certifications.

The Office of Early Learning and Development budget closing hearing was held on April 20, 2017 and the

Senate Committee on Finance and Assembly Committee on Ways and Means approved the closing, indicating

that the State match for Years 3 and 4 will be approved. We will receive final approval on session close (June 5,

2017).
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biweekly conference calls focusing on key decisions and activities. Through these calls TPI has established a

working structure for getting input, making decisions and completing deliverables. The largest deliverable todate consisted of the Statewide Committee meeting on January 18-19, 2017. The meeting participants were

members of one of three committees: Steering Committee, Statewide Committee General Members and

Executive Members. This inclusive meeting structure allowed us to gather valued opinions and contributions

from 48 people who fulfill various diversity profiles and ensure representation of all Nevada families and their

children in the Birth-3rd grade initiative. In addition to those who formed the overall Statewide Committee TPI

has conducted 12 Key Stakeholder interviews and presented the findings to the Statewide Committee for

consideration in their plan. Also, a Needs Assessment survey of Birth-3rd grade school and community-based

teachers and local level administrators was conducted. 125 surveys from around the state were received.

Through these efforts, we have achieved consensus around key priorities for the Nevada B-3 Implementation

Plan: Cross-Sector Work and Continuity and Pathways. Through our partners we have developed an analysis

rubric based around the National P-3 Center's Framework for use in analyzing Nevada's strengths and existing

assets and resources. TPI has also created a web-based system for each committee to share and distribute key

resources and documents with 24/7 access to input and update the project timeline.

Competitive Preference Priority 3: Creating New High Quality State Preschool Slots (if included

in the State's approved application).

Describe progress made in using at least 50% of the State's federal grant award to create new State

Preschool Program slots that will increase the overall number of new slots in State Preschool

Programs that meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. For progress not made in this

area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be made by the

end of the grant period.

We are on track to spend only 14% (of the maximum allowable 35%) of our total funds requested on program

administration costs which include training, contractual obligations, equipment, supplies, travel, salaries and

benefits. The remaining 86% will be distributed directly to providers through our sub-grantees to provide highquality preschool programs in high-needs communities.
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Section B: Budget Information

Budget and Sustainability (Section G in the application)

1. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies between the State's approved budget and

its total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that have not been expended or

obligated from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.

2. Please describe any substantive changes that you anticipate to the State's Preschool Development

Grant budget in the upcoming fiscal year (January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017).

3. Describe the State's progress on its plan for sustainability at the end of the grant period to ensure

that the number and percentage of Eligible Children with access to High-Quality Preschool Programs

in the State will be maintained or expanded, including to additional High-Need Communities.

4. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies, if any, between the Subrecipients'

approved budgets and their total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that

have not been expended or obligated from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.

Tracking this grant budget has been challenging considering different funding calendars (SFY vs. calendar year),

federal and state match ratios, and discrepant formula funding. However, NDE program staff and budget/fiscal

staff work closely to monitor funding, allocations, and spending to ensure compliance.

We have revised the budget allocation process to provide a per-pupil allocation that includes a separate

We are well on our way to our goal to provide evidence that a high-quality, full-day Pre-K program led by a

highly qualified teacher is an effective intervention that will improve outcomes for children in high-need

communities. By providing the support necessary to ensure Nevada Ready! Pre-K providers meet their quality

goals and serve the number of students projected and a data system to collect and report results, coupled with

our systemic B-3 work and broad communication of our accomplishments we will be positioned to leverage

resources and secure legislative approval for funding necessary to sustain the program beyond the grant

period.

During the 2017 legislative session (2/6/17 - 6/5/17), NDE staff has responded to several questions regarding

Pre-K outcomes (seat numbers) and past, current and future costs. This is a hopeful sign that funding beyond

the Nevada Ready! Pre-K grant is being seriously considered.

We do not anticipate any substantive changes to the budget. We are working hard to increase the number of

State-Funded Pre-K seats expanded with Nevada Ready! Pre-K funds. We have revised the state Pre-K

application to preference those programs willing to partner with Nevada Ready! Pre-K. While we anticipate

level funding for State-Funded Pre-K this year, we won't know until the legislature adjourns on June 5, 2017.

Any legislative changes to the State-Funded Pre-K program may require adjustments to Nevada Ready! Pre-K

allocations.

While the grant runs on a calendar year, NDE and the sub-grantees operate on a fiscal year. Adjustments were

needed to align program reporting requirements which have proven confusing for sub-grantees. We have

refined and clarified our processes to simplify for our sub-grantees and ensure their draws, as well as funds

drawn by NDE, are performed in a timelier manner in order to reduce carryover. We are building in

professional development opportunities and guidance documents for sub-grantees around budget and grant

administration processes that are specific for Nevada Ready! Pre-K sites.

Department-level staffing changes have improved our ability to draw down funds in a timely manner.
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allocation for budget items that may include transportation, rent, etc. for each sub-grantee. We refer to this as

'remainder to split' and the amount remains flexible and is awarded in addition to the base per pupil funding

($3900 improved, $8000 new). Adjustment may need to be made to this formula (amounts of remainder to

split) depending on the number of counties applying to expand State-Funded Pre-K seats with Nevada Ready!

Pre-K funds.

We have instituted an allocation process in which first allocations are awarded on a student count projection

submitted in April or May. The final count date (Dec. 1) produces an actual count. The difference, if any,

between the projected number of students and actual count is adjusted and the second allocation is awarded

in January. Bi-annual count periods allow us to provide funds for sub-grantees based on actual student counts

rather than solely on projections, yet still provide funding for the beginning of the school year.

Coupling this funding formula and process with the State-Funded Pre-K program's separate and different

application and allocation process is a challenge we will face in the near future.
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