PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

FY2017 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

Preschool Development Grants AUGUST 2018

Nevada
ED 524B Page 1 of 28

U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Grant Performance Report Cover Sheet 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

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

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

Reporting Period Information 

7. Reporting Period: From: 01/01/2017 To: 12/31/2017

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 $13,424,623.93 $4,168,436.54 

b. Current Budget Period $3,476,434.44 $1,687,378.34 

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 Specify other: Continued

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)?

✔ Other

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? 08/15/2018
ED 524B Page 2 of 28

U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Annual Performance Report 

Executive Summary 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

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.

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. In 2016, we received permission to 

expand our area of service in order to meet our seat goals. Subsequently, we modified our State Pre-k 

application process to preference programs willing to partner with Nevada Ready! Pre-k to expand half-day 

State Pre-k programs to full-day programs. We have expanded from working with seven sub-grantees to 14 

sub-grantees located within 11 of Nevada's 17 counties. Our sub-grantees consist of LEAs, private entities, nonprofits and charter schools. This report describes the goals and accomplishments achieved, as well as lessons 

learned throughout the past year. Our accomplishments include significant expansion of high quality, inclusive 

Pre-k programs around the state, and the corresponding supports for children and families. In addition, 

supports for teachers and leaders in developing and maintaining these programs has been planned and 

implemented. These supports and efforts include an integrated data system and assessments to track and build 

on our successes, QRIS, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEVADA scholarship, comprehensive wraparound services, 

and our B-3 work. 

Goals and Accomplishments 

The NDE's Year 3 enrollment goal was 2700 new and expanded preschool seats. We were able to enroll 2588 

students (96% of our goal). This year, our 14 sub-grantees worked with 83 different sites in a total of 147 

classrooms that prior to this year, did not exist or did not meet the federal government's definition of high 

quality. Even with our growth in seat numbers, we were able to increase our inclusion rates to 13.2% (up from 

10% reported last year). We are extremely proud of our success in including children with disabilities in our 

high quality Pre-k classrooms. 

The Nevada Ready! Pre-k team is fully staffed and dedicated to the development and implementation of 

policies and procedures to support high quality programs across the state. Nevada Ready! Pre-k programs are 

expected to achieve each of the quality standards outlined in the PDG grant. With a staff of three Education 

Programs Professionals we are more effectively able to communicate clear expectations, build capacity and 

monitor and review progress. We continue to update and refine our procedures document and FAQs. 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. 

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. This team collaborates regularly with other programs within the 

Office of Early Learning and Development (OELD), including Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and the 

Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) staff. We are also examining structures to improve 

collaboration with other offices who are involved in efforts that incorporate facets of early childhood. 

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

State's definition of readiness. Statewide training around KEA was completed and fall screenings for all 

Kindergarteners statewide has been completed. However, KEA scores have not yet been submitted to NDE as 

the modifications to our data collection system (Infinite Campus) is not yet complete. Completion of the Infinite 
ED 524B Page 3 of 28

Campus modifications is expected in early spring 2018 for full implementation beginning fall of 2018. 

To ensure alignment, the Brigance Screen III 3 - 5 Years has been adopted by Nevada Ready! and our StateFunded Pre-k programs as a common pre- post assessment. All affected teachers have been trained and 

assessments for the 2017-2018 have begun. Brigance has screeners available from birth and our goal is to 

require subsidized programs to administer this screener and submit these results annually. 

Since the implementation of this screening requirement, we have become aware of specific needs for 

professional development in the area of assessments. To reinforce the need for formative assessment that will 

guide instruction, we planned our fall Community of Practice around the topic of appropriate assessment in 

early childhood and planned an `assessment project'. At the Community of Practice, we spent half a day 

discussing comprehensive assessments (their purpose and importance, and how to use). We also explored the 

difference between the data sub-grantees should be collecting and analyzing for their own purposes and 

contrasted those data to the data the state collects, analyzes, and uses for decision making. The `assessment 

project' entailed an exploration of the important elements of a comprehensive assessment system (aligned to 

standards, appropriate for student population, comprehensive and integrative, usefulness for intervention and 

to inform instruction, evidence of research base, materials and activities, ease of use, and training 

component). Participants had an opportunity to examine assessments over a period of several months and 

submit a request to purchase one or more assessments in order to create a comprehensive assessment system 

within their program. As a group, we reviewed a rubric that contained the nine elements and together, we 

practiced rating one assessment. Each sub-grantee team then selected one assessment (from a collection of 

assessments that we had gathered) to take home to review and rate. We followed up this Community of 

Practice by emailing each team a PPT template on which they will add the information from the assessment 

tool that they rated. At our March Community of Practice, each team will present their assessment analysis via 

PPT. Teams will take notes so that they have a good understanding of a wide range of appropriate assessment 

tools. Teams will also receive a simple, two-page Assessment Project Grant Application. On this form, they will 

describe the assessment tool(s) they are currently using and, if desired, submit a request for supplementary 

funds to purchase one or more assessments to create a comprehensive assessment system for their program. 

This application will incorporate what they have learned through the `assessment project' process. In this way, 

we will be able to ensure all programs are using an appropriately comprehensive assessment and sub-grantees 

will have an opportunity to purchase materials, hardware/software, licenses and necessary training. 

Our goal of integrating the State Pre-K program and Preschool Development grant with Infinite Campus is on 

track to be realized in August of 2018. System testing continues and is in final stages leading to beta testing in 

March and data entry training for practitioners and administrators is planned for July. The Family Engagement 

Survey is on track to provide comprehensive longitudinal data for the school year 2017-2018. These data will 

provide information to generate pre to post achievement scores related to families' perceptions of the pre-K 

program. Practitioners have been instructed regarding the use of Family engagement data, and will begin using 

this information to inform Family Engagement plans and other programmatic activities. The Brigance Screen III 

was successfully deployed in fall of 2017 to generate entry (pre) scores for the 2017-2018 Pre-k class. Spring 

2018 data will provide the program with its first set of comprehensive post-instruction readiness data. Goals 

for 2018-2019 include further development of the Infinite Campus system to include custom features on a 

dedicated “Pre-k Tab” which will consolidate functions required to enroll students and simplify the enrollment 

process for data entrants. Year-to-Year studies of Family Engagement Survey returns and the Brigance screen 

will begin providing the basis from which informed, Nevada-specific baselines for student achievement and 

program accountability can be established. 

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. This spring marks the initial coaching period prior to formal program assessments and star rating 
ED 524B Page 4 of 28

assignments. We anticipate having data related to Nevada Ready! Pre-k program Star Ratings available by July, 

2018. 

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEVADA scholarships have been established to address the persistent teacher 

shortage faced throughout Nevada, which impacts the quality of teachers in Nevada Ready! Pre-k classrooms. 

Funds have been directed to the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEVADA scholarships programs exclusively for 

teachers in Nevada Ready! Pre-k classrooms who do not meet the quality standards outlined by the grant. 

Enrollment for the fall and spring semesters are as follows: 

Fall 2017 

During the Fall 2017 semester, 11 early childhood professionals received Nevada Ready! Pre-k stipends; which 

supported a total of 64 college credits at three participating community colleges and one university. Of the 11 

recipients, four recipients are pursuing the Birth to 2nd Grade License through the Nevada Department of 

Education; three recipients are pursuing Bachelor Degrees; and four recipients are pursuing Associate Degrees. 

As of February 20th, nine of the 11 recipients have submitted their grades for the Fall 2017 semester; with a 

combine GPA of 3.64. One recipient has completed the necessary coursework to earn the Birth to 2nd Grade 

License and is completed the Praxis tests; which will allow the recipient to earn the license. 

Spring 2018 

For the Spring 2018 semester, 19 early childhood professionals are receiving Nevada Ready! Pre-k stipends; 

supporting 127 college credits at three participating community college and two universities. 

 

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 

participating in Nevada Ready! Pre-k programs. This year, with several new sub-grantees in very rural areas of 

the state, we are working to determine the most efficient and effective way to provide services across new 

sites. 

In Northern Nevada, the Children's Cabinet CHERISH program absorbed all of Carson City school district and has 

been providing parent engagement and case management services since August of 2017. In addition, they 

traveled with NDE staff to offer support and parent workshops in Mineral County. Humboldt and Elko counties 

have been offered quarterly parent engagement face-to-face support, as well as resource coordination and 

virtual support via email or phone to any families interested in child development information. In Southern 

Nevada, the addition of 10 new Clark County School District classrooms created difficulty in accommodating 

school requests for parent engagement support; however the program was successful in increasing faculty buyin and increasing referrals from sites. Nye County, the state's largest geographical county, has also proved 

challenging as the need is high and schools are eager for support. Currently the team leverages travel costs as 

efficiently as possible by combining case management visits with parent engagement support, and by 

brainstorming an adapted schedule for face-to-face support during parent engagement events moving forward 

into the new year. 

The Children's Cabinet CHERISH program has been very successful in their goal to increase family protective 

factors. The completed Protective Factors Survey done by families at the end of case management services 

demonstrates accomplishment in reaching this goal, with the following scores reflecting the total points of 

positive change reported by families per area of functioning. Family Functioning (+276) - Social Supports (+178) 

- Concrete Supports (+300) - Child Development & Knowledge (+325) - Nurturing & Attachment (+129). 

PDG funding has been dedicated to specific B-3 work. Our B-3 project has been contracted out to a local nonprofit - Turning Points, Inc. (TPI). During 2017 we identified two key strategies that would guide the B-3 

project and serve as the vehicles for designing a theory of action and framework that would guide: 1) planning 

for a Nevada-based B-3 Approach at the state and local level and 2) a professional learning series that would 

identify appropriate, relevant and useful professional development opportunities for leaders and educators 

across the Birth through 3rd grade continuum. These two strategies are a Statewide Input Project and an 

Implementation Project. This work is progressing well with assistance from our national partners (Kristie 
ED 524B Page 5 of 28

Kauerz; National P-3 Center and Sharon Ritchie; FirstSchool). See more about this project in Section A: Part B, 

#4 below. 

NDE continues our efforts to collaborate with all of our contractors 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. 

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 

qualified personnel necessary to open high quality Pre-k classrooms, acquiring appropriate preschool 

classroom loactiosn and working to better support our partners at in private pre-k sector. 

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

into the Pre-k realm. As on administrator commented, “ With the expansion of the ECE statewide programs the 

hiring pool for qualified ECE teachers has become virtually non-existent.” This year, 89% Nevada Ready! Pre-k 

classrooms are led by a highly qualified teacher (teacher with a bachelor's degree) up from 85% last year. 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 are available specifically for Nevada Ready! Pre-k teachers and require a commitment to serve in a 

Nevada Ready! Pre-k classroom for the life of the grant. 

An additional challenge centers on the need for classroom space. Several school and districts have expressed 

interest in opening full-day, high quality Pre-k programs. They understand the value and realize the long-term 

benefits for children entering Kindergarten. However, space is a concern. Schools are short on classroom space 

and with the prohibition to spend PDG funding on portables, some districts and schools simply cannot add 

more Nevada Ready! Pre-k classrooms. This issue is at the forefront as we plan for Pre-k after the Preschool 

Development Grant ends. With state funding making up the entirety of our funding for continued services, we 

believe we will have more flexibility to approve portable purchases and are planning accordingly. 

In addition, we continue to learn through our current partnerships with community Pre-k providers. As these 

providers learn what it means to partner with the Department of Education on Pre-k implementation, we learn 

ways to support their efforts. We have created a document that can be presented to potential partners that 

outlines the purpose of the public funding they would receive and the implications for their program. It serves 

to start the conversation around what high-quality means and the roles and responsibilities for the program 

and the state in a potential partnership. We hope to expand this work to include a PowerPoint presentation 

and will closely monitor the conversations with potential partners and make adjustments to these materials as 

needed. 

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

are thankful for the lessons we have earned 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. 

 
ED 524B Page 6 of 28

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. 08/31/2020

Section A: Performance Objectives Information and Related Performance Measures Data 

(narrative) 

1. Project Objective

Grantee State: NV PR/Award #: S419A150004

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, 2017.

Nevada set a goal of providing a cumulative 2700 new and improved high-quality preschool seats by Year 3 of 

the Preschool Development Grant implementation. As of December 1, 2017 we were able to fill 2588 seats 

(96% of our goal). Of the 2588 seats now available are seats that have been expanded/improved by: expanding 

from half-day to full day (1091), limiting class size and reducing child to staff ratio (2588), employing and 

compensating a teacher with a bachelor's degree (2564), providing in-service, evidence based professional 

development (2588), and providing comprehensive wrap around services (2078). 782 of the seats are new highquality seats that did not previously exist. 

Clark County School District, the largest district in the state, was able to expand 100% of their state funded Prek seats from half day to full day using PDG funds. 

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, 

342 of the 2588 children enrolled in Nevada Ready! Pre-k are reported to have a disability. This percentage 

(13.2%) exceeds the minimum percentage required (8.7%) in Nevada and far exceeds the national percentage 

(6.4%). 

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. 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 

personalized site visits), and guidance from ECTA. 
ED 524B Page 7 of 28

The Nevada Ready! Pre-k team participated in an ECTA sponsored Inclusion Cohort in which NDE received 

intensive technical assistance in the development and Publication of the Nevada Early Childhood Inclusion 

Guidance Manual. The manual was the collaborative effort of a nine-member Early Childhood Inclusion team 

that worked over the course of a year to develop the document. The document has been disseminated 

statewide. Nevada continues to following the federal requirements to ensure that eligible children with 

disabilities are being appropriately identified and served in least restrictive environments. In addition, NDE staff 

is working to support the State Sponsored Charter School Authority in appropriately accessing IDEA funds and 

providing services to children with disabilities in their Pre-k programs. 
ED 524B Page 8 of 28

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

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant.

Nevada Ready! Pre-k has expanded its partnerships from seven to 14 sub-grantees as a result of the revised 

State Pre-k application. Sub-grantees including school districts, State sponsored charter schools, non-profit 

entities, and Head Start partners in a total of 87 different sites to enhance and expand high quality Pre-k seats 

through the Preschool Development Grant. We currently serve 2588 children and their families. This number 

reflects 96% of the Year 3 goal set out in our PDG application. 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. 

NDE is currently working with sub-grantees on their projections for next year and we are confident in our 

ability to meet our Year 4 goal of 2990 children. 

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

Pre-k funding application. Through this application process, districts that outlined their plans to expand their 

existing half-day Pre-k programs to full-day using Nevada Ready! Pre-k funds, received funding preference. We 

are extremely proud that, through this process, all but three former half-day State Pre-k classrooms were 

expanded to full day. 

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 2017-18 school year.

With the addition of Nevada Ready! Pre-k, we have opened 1213 new slots funded with Nevada Ready! Pre-k 

funds and have improved (by expanding from half- to full-day) 41 Head Start slots and 243 non-Head Start slots 

for a total of 1,497 new slots. In addition, we have improved 1091 slots that were previously half-day state 

funded to full-day, high quality seats. This year, we serve a total of 2,588 children in new and improved 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. 
ED 524B Page 9 of 28

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 3 APR, grantees will provide disaggregated data on the school readiness of the children enrolled 

and served by the grant. This may include information collected about the children enrolled and received 

services by the grant during the 2016-17 preschool year. States may provide data from a sample of children 

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

In the Year 3 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 state mandated 

Kindergarten Entry Assessment. The screener is nationally standardized, norm- and criterion-referenced and 

measures Physical, Language, Academic/Cognitive and Social-Emotional development. 

The KEA will be administered as the first screening opportunity required for all Kindergarten students by our 

Ready by Grade Three Legislation. The State of Nevada has 35,083 students enrolled in kindergarten (as of the 

October 1, 2017 count day) who will be screened upon entrance to Kindergarten to identify individual student 

needs and track their progress. Kindergarten teachers will be entering their scores into the statewide Student 

Information System, Infinite Campus. 

 

The same tool (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. The Brigance Screen III is also used to 

screen children enrolled in the state child care subsidy program. Children in family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) 

are screened within the first 45 days of enrollment of entering the child care subsidy program and annually 

after. Children in licensed child care are screened within the first 90 days of enrollment into the program and 

every six months after that (which follows child care licensing regulations). 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. 
ED 524B Page 10 of 28

 

We currently have `readiness' data based only on our pre-k `pre' assessments collected in Fall, 2017. This `pre' 

test data is collected prior to any substantive instruction, so is not a true picture of `readiness' except as an 

indicator of where children entered our program. While the KEA was also administered in the fall of 2017, our 

statewide data collection system (Infinite Campus) is not yet configured to collect these data and guidance 

around this new reporting has not yet been disseminated. 

 

As of December 1, 2017, the fourteen sub-grantees in the state of Nevada reported 2588 PDG eligible 4-yearold students enrolled in Pre-k programs at school-district and private based sites. Children in classrooms colocated with Nevada Ready! Pre-k classrooms are also assessed using this tool. Across the fourteen sites 3,026 

students were screened within the first 30 days of enrolling in school using the Brigance III 3-5 Screens. The 

results from those screenings indicated that 49%, or 1,493 of the students were Below the Delay Cutoff 

established by Curriculum Associates, 47%, or 1,413 were within Normal Limits, and the remaining 4%, or 120 

students were Above the Gifted Cutoff. Between December 1, 2017 and January 26, 2018 an additional 43 

students were screened. The results from those screenings indicated that 47%, or 20 of the students were 

Below the Delay Cutoff established by Curriculum Associates, 49%, or 21 were within Normal Limits, and the 

remaining 5%, or 2 students were Above the Gifted Cutoff. 

 

To provide the context of our broader work I have included the following data. The State of Nevada has 

Licensed Child Care capacity for approximately 36,109 children birth to age 5 across 12 counties. As of January 

26, 2018 twelve Licensed Child Care Centers have been enrolled in and accessed the Brigance III Online 

Management System (OMS). Among those twelve centers, 59 classrooms have been entered into the OMS. 

110 children have been assessed with results indicating 63% (69 children) Within Normal Limits, 26% (29 

children) Above Gifted Cutoff and 11% (12 children Below Delays Cutoff). 

 

The State of Nevada is working with two community agencies, Children's Cabinet and Las Vegas League to 

assist with the screening of children who are receiving care through Family, Friends and Neighbor providers 

(FFN). There are currently 826 FFN providers in the OMS system, but no children receiving those services have 

been entered at this time. 

 

Curriculum Associates, in conjunction with the Office of Early and Development, has offered multiple trainings 

across the state, open to classroom teachers, childcare providers and community educators. The trainings 

focus on administering and scoring the Brigance III Screens, Train the Trainer for the Brigance III Screens and 

several webinars that were recorded for future viewings that focused on accessing and using the Online 

Management System (OMS). Four traingings were conducted in the basics and administration of the Brigance 

III screens during the month of July, 2017 for kindergarten teachers, 140 attended. Fourteen traingings were 

conducted in the basics and administration of the Brigance III screens during the month of August, 2017 for 

kindergarten teachers, 295 attended. Eight traingings were conducted in the basics and administration of the 

Brigance III screens during the month of August, 2017 for Pre-kindergarten teachers, 124 attended. Two 

traingings were conducted in the basics and administration of the Brigance III screens during the month of 

September, 2017 for child care teachers, 38 attended. In September 2017, four Train-the-Trainer sessions 

occurred (two for Pre-k and two for child care), 51 attended. Two trainings were conducted in the basics and 

administration of Brigance III during the month of October, 2017, 25 attended. Two Train-the-Trainer was 

conducted in October as well, with an attendance of 29. In November 2017, two trainings were conducted on 

the basics and administration of Brigance III screens, as well as one Train-the-Trainer specific to Child Care 

Providers. In December 2017, two trainings were conducted on the basics and administration of the Brigance 

III screens and one Train-the-Trainer. One training was conducted on the basics and administration of the 

Brigance III screens in January 2018, 23 attended. A Train-the-Trainer specific to Child Care Providers was 

conducted in January 2018 with an attendance of 17 individuals. 

As of February 15, 2018 seventy school district employees have accessed the OMS webinar live or at a later 

time; twenty-three community partner (Urban League and Children's Cabinet) employees have viewed the 

webinar; and thirty-eight childcare providers have viewed the webinar. 

 

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 
ED 524B Page 11 of 28

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. Parent surveys were rolled out in 2016/2016 with 998 “pre” surveys 

completed and 787 “post” surveys completed. Results of the surveys were made available at the State, Subgrantee, and Site level. Data are used to 1) measure the effectiveness and 2) improve outcomes in the 

following areas: 

Family Engagement 

School Fit 

Family Support 

Family Efficacy 

Learning Behaviors 

School Climate 

Roles and Responsibilities 

 

Family engagement plans that reflect activities to support growth in identified areas will be developed and 

submitted to NDE. “Pre” and “post” surveys will be conducted each year and family engagement plans will be 
ED 524B Page 12 of 28

updated according to the survey results. 
ED 524B Page 13 of 28

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.

During 2017-2018, the technical goal of fully incorporation pre-k under the Infinite Campus system umbrella 

met a number of challenges, requiring the Office to continue to utilize the ECE Database system rather than 

transition to the Infinite Campus system. These challenges were mitigated by the preparation and availability 

of the database as a fallback plan, and disruption to the staff and programs was minimal. The growth of the 

Office staff has allowed much more robust data collection and review processes, generating more complete, 

accurate data. The Infinite Campus implementation as planned will incorporate pre-k data from programs 

within and outside of the Nevada Department of Education into the statewide longitudinal data system, the 

NDE parent reporting system, and will allow easier, more accurate transitions for students as they move 

through the system. 

 

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. These plans are monitored regularly and supported by NDE staff. 

 

High staff qualifications - 

Definition: Certified teacher (requiring a minimum of a Bachelor's degree) with endorsement in either early 

childhood OR special education with an early childhood developmentally delayed endorsement. 

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 - 

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 or sign-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. 
ED 524B Page 14 of 28

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. 

Documentation: QRIS Class size worksheet verified and signed by coach to meet this criterion 100% of the 

classrooms must meet the ratio. 

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 8.7%. 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) 

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). 

 

Instructional staff salaries - 
ED 524B Page 15 of 28

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. 

Additional site 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). 
ED 524B Page 16 of 28

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 

is communicated and monitored regularly by NDE Education Program Professionals and the Education 

Programs Supervisor. Monitoring evidence, coupled with joint observations, is used to create a continuous 

improvement plan that will, in turn be monitored. NDE uses 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. 
ED 524B Page 17 of 28

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 evidencebased 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 28

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. 89% 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 continue to be available through Nevada Ready! 

Pre-k funding. 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! Pre-k 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. 

During the Fall 2017 semester, 11 early childhood professionals received Nevada Ready! Pre-k stipends; which 

supported a total of 64 college credits at three participating community colleges and one university. Of the 11 

recipients, four recipients are pursuing the Birth to 2nd Grade License through the Nevada Department of 

Education; three recipients are pursuing Bachelor Degrees; and four recipients are pursuing Associate Degrees. 

As of February 20th, nine of the 11 recipients have submitted their grades for the Fall 2017 semester; with a 

combine GPA of 3.64. One recipient has completed the necessary coursework to earn the Birth to 2nd Grade 

License and is completed the Praxis tests; which will allow the recipient to earn the license. 

For the Spring 2018 semester, 19 early childhood professionals are receiving Nevada Ready! Pre-k stipends; 

supporting 127 college credits at three participating community college and two universities. 

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

alternative routes to licensure, using external hiring agencies and scheduling job fairs to locate teachers. In 

addition, sub-grantees are expanding appropriate professional development opportunities in order to meet the 

high staff qualifications outlined in the grant. 

More globally, our efforts to address workforce issues in the early childhood field are a focus of our ongoing 

work with the Early Childhood Advisory Council and other efforts at the State level. 

High-quality professional development for all staff: 

There are several avenues for high quality professional development for Nevada Ready! Pre-k staff. These 

include Directors' Meetings/Communities of Practice, professional development around B-3 (which is still in 

pilot phase), the Leadership Series, and QRIS. 

Directors' Meetings/Community of Practice: The Nevada Ready! Pre-k staff plans and implements a minimum of 

two Directors' Meetings/Community of Practice per school year. At this 2-day meeting, a group of 3 to 5 team 

members from each sub-grantee spends one day hearing program updates, learning new processes and 

procedures and sharing successes and challenges in implementing PDG. During the second day, the team 

participates in a Community of Practice around a topic identified as a need (such as inclusion, curriculum or 

assessment). Often, a book-study is conducted, offering participants an opportunity for learning, sharing and 

reflecting. 

B-3: 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 
ED 524B Page 19 of 28

around the state. The framework will be informed by the pilot that is occurring in the communities of three of 

our sub-grantees. The National P-3 Center and FirstSchool are sub-contractors of this work and Dr. Kristi Kauerz 

and Dr. Sharon Richie are working directly with our pilot sites. The B-3 work will inform and be informed by 

state level policy work around workforce development in the B-3 arena. 

Leadership Series: NDE has contracted with TNTP to develop our Leadership Series. Through this work, cohorts 

of early childhood directors and principals participate in sessions to develop skills in coaching and teacher 

development skills in either language/literacy or math concepts. Participants meet monthly to learn and reflect 

for six months and participate in significant work at their sites. In addition, job-embedded coaching has been 

provided to participants who have completed the literacy and math cohort. To date, 32 directors and principals 

have participated in the literacy leadership series, 23 directors and principals have participated in the math 

leadership series, and 22 principals have received job-embedded coaching. 

QRIS: All Nevada Ready! Pre-k sites (including early childhood classrooms that are not part of Nevada Ready! 

Pre-k but are co-located at those sites) are required to participating in QRIS through which teachers receive 

intensive coaching and support around high-quality 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. Requests to extend the ratios have been rejected. 

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. However, even as we increased the number of children being served this year in Nevada Ready! Prek classrooms by over 900, our percentage of qualified teachers actually increased from 85% to 89%. We believe 

that this increase is due to extended recruitment efforts as well as our increased investment in T.E.A.C.H. Early 

Childhood® NEVADA. 

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 disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all opportunities: Currently, 

342 of the 2588 children enrolled in Nevada Ready! Pre-k are reported to have a disability. This percentage 

(13.2%) exceeds the minimum percentage required (8.7%) in Nevada. This percentage exceeds last year's 

percentage of 10.4%. Some sub-grantees are meeting and exceeding the required service percentage of fouryear old children with disabilities, while other sub-grantees are not. The Nevada Ready! Pre-k team will 

continue to partner with NDE staff from the Special Education office to increase awareness around this 

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

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 statewide. 

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 can be used to 

inform teachers and leaders of the Nevada Ready! Pre-k 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 
ED 524B Page 20 of 28

plans. 

Individualized accommodations and supports so 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 8.7% 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 referral services, 

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. 

Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff; 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. Currently, all sub-grantees are in 

compliance with this requirement. 

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 partnerships that 

promote families access to services that support their children's learning 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 

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. As of December 2017, the CHERISH program has 98 active clients. 

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 2700 students in Year 2 of the Preschool Development Grant. 

This projection included 1430 seats expanded to a full day program and 1270 new seats. We were able to fill 

96% of the seats we projected. We served 2588 students (1091 expanded seats and 1497 new seats). 

Last year, one of our largest providers of State-Funded preschool seats - Clark County School District (CCSD) 
ED 524B Page 21 of 28

was unable to expand any of its half-day seats to full day. As a result of relationship building along with 

technical assistance and support from NDE, CCSD was able to expand all ten of its state funded Pre-k 

classrooms using Nevada Ready! Pre-k funding for the 2017-2018 school year. 

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 $1000.00 for each slot whether half- or full-day. 
ED 524B Page 22 of 28

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, including each sub-grantee's assigned Education Programs Professional (EPP) 

and the Education Programs Supervisor (EPS), 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 sub-grantees 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 now includes two staff members 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. The EPS convenes a weekly update call in which EPPs provide sub-grantee updates, successes and 

challenges. These calls serve as an opportunity to identify needs and resolve global issues that may be 

impacting more than one sub-grantee. 

 

The NDE Nevada Ready! Team gathers sub-grantee leader teams twice yearly. These in person meetings 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 involved the study of 

assessments and out assessment project. 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. 

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.” In cooperation with the State Board of Education, the Council is responsible for 

establishing guidelines to measure the school readiness of children. Membership includes Part B and Part C 

coordinator. 

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 
ED 524B Page 23 of 28

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. 

 

OELD oversees the CCDF quality initiatives which include targeted programs to improve quality and care for 

infants and toddlers. This office works to facilitates smooth and meaningful transitions from one setting to the 

next. 

 

 PDG funding has been dedicated to specific B-3 work to coordinate these efforts. Our B-3 project has been 

contracted out to a local non-profit - Turning Points, Inc. (TPI). During 2017 we identified two key strategies 

that would guide the B-3 project and serve as the vehicles for designing a theory of action and framework that 

would guide: 1) planning for a Nevada-based B-3 Approach at the state and local level and 2) a professional 

learning series that would identify appropriate, relevant and useful professional development opportunities for 

leaders and educators across the Birth through 3rd grade continuum. These two strategies are a Statewide 

Input Project and an Implementation Project. 

Statewide Input Project: 

Three statewide committee meetings were held in 2017 (January, March, and August), and included a diverse 

set of stakeholders from across the state across the B3 continuum in local, regional and state roles. Feedback 

gathered from the first two statewide committee meetings was published in three Information Briefs. These 

were distributed to all members of both the statewide and executive committees and shared with DCA Boston, 

the consultants working with ECAC to facilitate the development of their strategic plan. TPI partnered with DCA 

Boston during the fall of 2018, with the commitment to help support the development of the ECAC plan using 

information gained through the B3 committees. In the fall 2018, B3 Leadership Team members, under the 

guidance of Kristie Kauerz and the National P3 Center, began reaching out and scheduling focus groups with 0-5 

Directors and Leaders and K-12 Administrators as well community forums with the general public. Outreach 

was successful in laying the groundwork for groups to be involved and getting commitments from community 

groups to provide focus groups and community forums. Community focus groups/forums were begun in 

December in Elko kicking off the input component of our project. A B3 newsletter was initiated in the fall with 

highlights from the Information Briefs and has become the standard form of communicating with the Statewide 

committee and other B3 stakeholders. Focus group members are being added to our distribution list as we 

hold focus groups, expanding our B3 base. 

Key Successes: 

• TPI team members interviewed key stakeholders prior to the statewide committee meetings, providing 

critical information about how key leaders in Nevada view B-3 

• High-level NDE officials attended the first committee meeting and were influential in supporting the concept 

of B-3 in the ECAC. 

• B-3 staff participated in strategic planning for the ECAC to ensure that the B-3 approach is an integral part of 

the ECAC plan. 

 

Challenges: 

• Key state level leaders did not sustain their engagement in the second statewide committee and thereby, 

some of the early momentum to work closely with Nevada's Read by Grade Three and ESSA plans was 

stalled. 

• The Project Management and Steering Committee structures merged into one B3 Leadership Team. By May 

the group decided to delay the third statewide committee meeting to meet as a whole group and 

revisit the scope of work, deliverables, and build a greater sense of consensus and focus moving 

forward. While this effort has proven valuable, we continue to work on a common understanding of 

our shared vision for our work and to be consistent in our communication with other B3 stakeholders. 

• TPI has served as a bridge between the development of the ECAC plan and the B3 statewide input gathering 

process; the goal of a unified statewide B3 plan (identified as ECAC's) still remains a (doable) challenge 

in terms of bringing the best of all of the NDE plans into one theory of action and guiding framework 

for how to think and what to translate into action to support high quality B3 practices and workforce 
ED 524B Page 24 of 28

(leaders and educators) 

 

Implementation Project: 

FirstSchool provided guidance in the design of the Nevada B3 Pilot project. Three school community 

partnerships were selected to serve as Tier 1 Schools and additional Washoe County School District teachers 

elected to participate in the on-line course offered through FirstSchool. Four Regional Liaisons were selected 

from TPI's team and the Regional Professional Development Program (RPDP) to provide support, monitoring 

and feedback to the on-line course participants. Tier 1 team member classrooms were observed in September. 

In October, two Regional Launch Meetings, facilitated by FirstSchool, with the support of the Kristie Kauerz and 

TPI, were held in Washoe and Clark Counties. All Tier 1 teams were invited to participate and become oriented 

to the B3 approach, the on-line course, and the commitment to work through Spring 2019 on a B3 approach. 

The Evaluation team began conducting interviews with Pilot site principals and directors to learn more about 

their understanding and commitment to the B3 approach. 

Key Successes: 

• Approximately 10 data collectors were trained in EduSnap and conducted observations in 36 classrooms 

associated with the school-community partnerships: Mater Academy and Discovery Gardens in Clark 

County; Lemmon Valley and SNAC in Washoe County; 3 Churchill schools and St. John's Preschool in 

Churchill County. 

• TPI staff have been able to provide ongoing support to school-community partnerships participating in the 

online course and meeting at the school sites with teachers: Regional Liaisons have met with the full 

Tier 1 teams in two of the three sites. 

• Teachers have reported that they have used strategies from the online course in their classrooms and have 

shared experiences with other teachers. 

Challenges: 

• The pool of candidates for selection of the B3 pilot sites was very limited. The B3 Leadership team decided to 

rethink the pilots not as those “most ready and capable” but those willing to engage in a B3 approach. 

• The principal who applied for the pilot site was transferred to another school. The new principal at the 

school is still learning about his school and how B-3 fits into the school priorities. 

• In two of the three sites the community partners are a bit disconnected from the school-based Pre-k B3 

effort: convening all of the Tier 1 team members with the Regional Liaisons is challenging in terms of 

finding a common meeting time. 

• On-line participation and course completion is lower than expected, although even those that have enrolled 

and completed portions of the course report insights into their practice and have made positive 

changes. 

 TPI and NDE staffs continue to work to coordinate the varying efforts related to B-3 across internal state 

offices as well as external entities. The PDG grant manager has applied to participate in the CEELO Leadership 

Academy for assistance in synchronizing this work. 
ED 524B Page 25 of 28

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 3 Target differs from the Year 3 Actual.

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. 

In addition, OELD is moving forward with efforts to ensure that the approximately 3000 seats we will have 

established by the end of Year 4 will be fully funded at the end of Year 4, should PDG funding not be available. 

Budgeting, communicating, and advocacy efforts are currently underway. 

 

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 addresses 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. 

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 

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. 
ED 524B Page 26 of 28

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 8% of our total funds requested on program administration costs which include 

training, contractual obligations, equipment, supplies, travel, salaries and benefits. The remaining 92% will be 

distributed directly to providers through our sub-grantees to provide high-quality preschool programs in highneeds communities. 
ED 524B Page 27 of 28

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, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

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 have developed, and 

continue to refine professional development opportunities and guidance documents for sub-grantees around 

budget and grant administration processes that are specific for Nevada Ready! Pre-k sites. 

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

Grant budget in the upcoming fiscal year (January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018).

We do not anticipate any substantive changes to the budget. However, we have discussed with our federal 

project officers the need to transfer unspent AID to infrastructure to cover the costs of the assessment tools 

for sub-grantees that will be outlined as a result of our 'assessment project'. 

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.

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 at 200% of the 

poverty level. 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. 

Further confusion, especially for sub-grantees occurs when funds are braided among other Pre-k programs 

existing in the state such as Title I, Zoom, and Victory. Varying program and reporting requirements as well 

differences in allowable expenses make monitoring difficult. NDE has been selected to participate in a 

Coherence Lab Fellowship sponsored by the Aspen Institute. Our goal for this work is to reduce the program 

and funding silos that cause confusion at the district and school levels and increase the coordination of services 

in order to ensure equitable access to highly effective teachers and programs. A high-level leadership team, 

including key community partners, will work with the institute over the course of 18 months to resolve this 

problem of practice. The resulting changes to policies, processes, procedures and routines will be shared with 

the Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council and the B-3 Statewide Committee. 

NDE's Office of Early Learning and Development has outlined costs for sustaining the 3000 high quality Pre-k 

seats that we anticipate to have in place by the end of the Preschool Development Grant. In addition we have 

outlined costs and the implications to scale up these efforts in order to serve all children in the state at the 

200% Federal Poverty Rate. Finally, we have determined approximate costs for serving all children in a 

voluntary, universal statewide Pre-k program. We are making this information available to NDE staff, the 
ED 524B Page 28 of 28

Legislative Committee on Education, and others. 

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, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

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 

allocation for budget items that may include transportation, rent, etc. for each sub-grantee. In addition, a 

reporting process that incorporates a student count projection, followed by a final count date, with allocations 

periods twice each year has helped us more accurately provide funds for sub-grantees based on actual student 

counts rather than solely on projections.