Lesley Pittman presented Assembly Bill 212 on behalf of the Waterford Institute. AB212 renames and makes the state’s virtual early childhood family engagement pilot a continuing program and requests a general-fund appropriation of $1,000,000 per year (total $2,000,000 across the 2025–27 biennium) to sustain the program. The Division of Welfare and Supportive Services administers the program.

Why it matters: Supporters said the program improves kindergarten readiness by delivering family-facing virtual supports in eligible households and helps professional development for early-childhood educators statewide. Sheila Bray of the University of Nevada, Reno and Leonardo Benavides of UNLV testified in support; Tom Clark, representing the Nevada Association of School Boards and partner organizations, also supported the measure.

Fiscal note and testimony
The bill as presented includes the appropriation in statute (section 6). Committee members asked questions about program performance and funding; no fiscal notes from agencies opposed to the request were presented. Supporters emphasized the program’s demonstrated role in kindergarten readiness and professional-development alignment.

Public input and next steps
There was no public opposition at the Ways and Means hearing. Committee staff and the bill presenter said they would proceed through the fiscal process; the appropriation language remains part of the version presented to the committee.

Ending: With supportive testimony from both university extension programs and education stakeholders, the committee closed the hearing and will consider the appropriation language in further committee scheduling and budget deliberations.