Nevada Department of Education seeks to expand pre-K seats while funding questions remain over federal grants and staffing

Deputy Superintendent Megan Peterson and Patty Oya, director of the Office of Early Learning and Development, told the joint legislative subcommittee on K‑12, Higher Education and CIP that the Nevada Department of Education proposes expanding Nevada Ready PreK seats to about 6,122 in fiscal year 2026 and 8,222 in fiscal year 2027 and recommends continuing $70 million a year for early childhood literacy and readiness.

The department presented the biennial proposal and described staffing and implementation needs while answering questions about expiring federal grants and eligibility rules. "The department does have a bill that's been proposed, SB 58, that would align the pre K amounts with those that are allocated through the pupil centered funding plan as part of a long term goal towards moving to universal pre k," Deputy Superintendent Megan Peterson said. "In general, we've been referring to the $94.16 statewide base as a proxy. But it would be the intent to align them with the adjusted base in each district."

Why it matters: the expansion would increase the number of state-funded seats in Nevada’s early-learning system, but the presentation and follow-up questions made clear that the department’s ability to deliver seats depends on multiple variables: the mix of state and federal funding, expiring federal awards, eligibility rules (including proposals in SB 58), district-level capacity and how funds are routed to districts and nonprofit providers.

Key details from the hearing

- Funding and seat counts: The department told lawmakers the executive budget recommendation would support 6,122 pre‑K seats in FY 2026 and 8,222 in FY 2027 and includes a proposed $70,000,000 appropriation for early childhood innovation and literacy in each fiscal year of the biennium.

- Funding sources and alignment: Peterson said the department intends to align pre‑K per‑seat amounts with the district-adjusted base in the pupil‑centered funding plan (PCFP) if SB 58 becomes law; currently the department has used a statewide base ($94.16) as a proxy. Peterson said the department split pre‑K funding across two budget accounts to separate federally funded programs (Office of Early Learning and Development) from state-funded programs, but called that primarily an internal accounting decision.

- Federal grants and timing: staff described a $30 million Preschool Development Grant (PDG) award and other federal funding that helped build capacity. Director Patty Oya said the department spent PDG funds primarily to build systems and supports, and that some PDG activities (for example, family child‑care pilots) were delayed because they require different arrangements than center‑based seats. Oya said the PDG expires Dec. 30, 2025, and officials expected that a proposed no-cost extension was unlikely.

- Wait lists and capacity: the department reported large unmet demand. Oya said Clark County School District alone had about 6,000 children on a wait list; she cautioned statewide wait‑list data are incomplete because some districts do not pre‑screen families until seats are available. The department also said 65 child‑care centers were waiting to be onboarded into the statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS).

- Eligibility and SB 58: program eligibility currently varies by grant. For Nevada Ready PreK the department said eligibility has been at 200% of the federal poverty level for 4‑year‑olds; other programs have used up to 250% FPL or included 3‑year‑olds in specific circumstances. Patty Oya said alignment would depend on the final form of SB 58.

- Staffing and operations: the department requested personnel additions in the pre‑K account, including an education and information officer and eight positions to support pre‑K implementation. Peterson acknowledged some positions were originally planned to be funded with federal dollars (CCDF or PDG) and said funding sources are still being evaluated; she said discussions about using CCDF (Child Care and Development Fund) funds were ongoing but CCDF awards had declined.

- Federal CCDF reductions: Oya said CCDF set‑aside awards the department receives through the state welfare division had fallen from about $11.3 million in FY 2024 to $9.7 million in FY 2025 and an estimated $8.0 million in FY 2026; she said the department had been informed reductions were needed to avoid impacting child‑care subsidy programs.

What lawmakers asked and what remained unresolved

Lawmakers pressed for clearer breakdowns of federal vs. state funding and for data on wait lists and capacity. Senator Cannizzaro requested a per‑seat dollar amount and a district breakdown; Peterson said the department would provide the district‑level adjusted base amounts. Several legislators asked how the department would maintain positions if federal grants expire; Peterson said original requests were for general fund but the department continued to explore options and might bring budget amendments once funding sources were finalized.

Director Oya said the department had prioritized building systems and professional development early in the grant period rather than spending immediately on pilot seats. "We did spend, and we are on track to spend the $30,000,000" of the PDG award, she said, but added the money was not always used for the minimal pilot seat counts originally described because the grant's primary purpose was system building.

Context and next steps

Superintendent Joan Ebert and department staff said the proposed continuation of the $70 million literacy funding is intended to sustain the early‑childhood programs established by Assembly Bill 400 from the last session. Officials told the committee the department would provide additional district breakdowns, and acknowledged that program rules, SB 58 outcomes and federal award timing will affect final implementation. Several legislators asked for a clearer accounting of federal awards and district wait‑list counts.

Ending note

The department told the subcommittee it plans to provide more detailed fund maps, per‑seat calculations and breakdowns of federal awards to the committee in the coming days. Lawmakers signaled they will look for that information before taking final budget actions.