Nevada
In Nevada, 1,068 children under the age of three are enrolled in Early Head Start. However, only 3 percent of the state’s four-year-olds are enrolled in Nevada’s state-funded pre-K program, known as the Nevada State Pre-Kindergarten Education Program (PEP). The project supports and funds both community organizations and school districts to help them implement preschool programs. The average annual cost of center-based infant care in the state is $9,608.
- What state leaders are saying: Kathleen Sandoval, Nevada’s first lady, is kicking off an early education initiative to call on “businesses and civic organizations to help young students prepare for a lifetime of learning.” The education campaign is called “Strong Start Nevada.” Sandoval says Nevada is the only state that does not have a business-backed effort promoting early learning, and that the goal of the campaign is to ensure there are more preschool opportunities for low-income families.
- What’s happening in the Legislature: The Education Initiative that could help fund Nevada’s first lady Kathleen Sandoval’s early education campaign through the two percent “business margins tax” will be on the ballot in the November 2014 general election.