Nevada slips in ranking for pre-K access

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Bucking a national trend of states increasing their investment for pre-kindergarten programs, Nevada continued to lose ground in its percentage of children enrolled and per-child spending in early childhood education.

A new study from the National Institute for Early Education Research found Nevada fell one position to 37th among 41 states for its level of access to quality early childhood education.

Only 3.8 percent of 4-year-olds in Nevada were enrolled in pre-K last year, according to the report. Nevada serves no 3-year-olds.

Currently, Nevada spends just $2,383 per child enrolled in a preschool program, according to the study. That’s nearly $2,000 less than the state spent in 2004 and the lowest level of spending on record.

Across the nation, the report found state funding for pre-K increased by nearly $120 million in 2013-14, with states spending an average of $4,121 per child enrolled in preschool.

“Trends in support for Nevada’s pre-k program are disappointing,” Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research, said in a statement. “Still, we are encouraged by the state’s recognition that providing funding for local preschool opportunities for dual-language learners is an important investment.”

State lawmakers have considered legislation, which has the backing of teachers unions, that would create a policy for teaching English to preschool-aged children who have limited proficiency in the language.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education last year announced Nevada will receive $6.4 million as part of a four-year award that could grow up to $43 million to expand pre-K programs for 4-year-olds in five school districts.

“Nevada only spends about $3 million now, so $6 million in federal money is a big addition, and the state needs to make sure they have a plan on how to continue it,” Barnett said.

“It provides an opportunity to get over the hump of the initial investment costs and then only have to pay for the recurring costs.”

Contact Neal Morton at nmorton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Find him on Twitter: @nealtmorton.