Involvement of all system partners is crucial in building a foundation for the well-being and development of young children. Whether you're a parent, educator, policymaker, or community member, there are various ways you can contribute to shaping and enhancing Nevada’s Early Childhood System.
Why Your Involvement Matters
A family-centered early childhood system is a circle of support where families are right in the center. It means that everything is designed with families to help them give their children the best start in life. The system is there to make it easier for parents and families to take care of young children, with programs, resources, and services that focus on the needs and well-being of the whole family. It's all about enabling families to help their children grow and learn in a loving and supportive environment.
Nevada Early Childhood Family Leadership Council
The Nevada Early Childhood Family Leadership Council helps parents and families of young children have both leadership and decision-making roles in the early childhood system. This can include the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and resources to support equitable access to programs and services for the prenatal to age eight population. Council members participate in an advanced leadership training program to prepare them for the opportunity to serve on local and/or state level advisory boards, councils, commissions or related bodies to advance the overall vision and mission of the Council. To learn more or to apply click here.
Children’s Advocacy Alliance - Strong Start Child Advocacy Ambassador Program
The Child Advocacy Ambassador program brings together parents, caregivers and other early childhood champions across Nevada that believe in the value of quality early childhood experiences for ALL children. The program aims to empower participants by developing skills to strengthen advocacy efforts to create a collective impact. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the legislative process including, how bills are created, testifying in front of the legislature, story sharing to influence policy, how to use social media for social good, and many more skills for creating real change. The Children Advocacy Alliance recognizes that real change cannot happen without the voices of strong advocates with lived experience having a seat at the decision-making table. To learn more, visit caanv.org or call 702-228-1869.
Governor’s Office of Boards & Commissions
The Governor is responsible for appointing citizens to approximately 250 boards and commissions representing various areas. Boards and commissions are created to provide citizens a voice in their government and influence decisions that shape the quality of life for the residents of the Silver State. Members are responsible for advising the Governor, the Legislature and state agencies. Serving on a board or commission is a privilege and one of the most effective ways citizens can take in becoming an active voice in state government.
The Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions maintains a list of open positions. Applications for open positions are completed through an online application. NOTE: All applicants must complete an “Authorization for Release of Personal Information and Waiver” which must be notarized and mailed (or hand delivered) to the Governor’s Office.
For more information, including links to the open positions list and the online application, visit: gov.nv.gov/Boards/Boards_Home/. Or contact the Office of Boards and Commissions at 775-684-5670 or [email protected].
To see a list of all public meetings, visit the Nevada Public Notice Website at notice.nv.gov.
Below are a few of the state level boards and commissions that support Nevada’s early childhood system. All state boards and commissions are subject to Nevada Open Meeting Law, meaning that even if you are not a member, you are able to attend meetings and provide public comment, as appropriate.
Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC)
The Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) works to strengthen state-level coordination and collaboration among the various sectors and settings of early childhood programs.
ECAC members are appointed by the Governor of Nevada. ECAC meetings are held every other month and are open to the public. The ECAC also has five subcommittees who hold meetings monthly:
For more information on the ECAC, including meeting information, visit NVECAC.com.
Maternal and Child Health Advisory Board (MCHAB)
The Advisory Board provides comprehensive advice and guidance to the State Division of Public and Behavioral Health to ensure the enhancement and development of vital services to promote the healthy birth, growth and development of Nevada’s children. Per Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) the Board advises the Administrator of the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health “concerning perinatal care to enhance the survivability and health of infants and mothers, and concerning initiatives to improve the health of preschool children.” Every effort is made to ensure that the State Maternal and Child Health Advisory Board is representative of Nevada’s population both culturally and geographically while including a broad range of disciplines and interests, including parent representation.
For more information on the MCHAB, visit https://dpbh.nv.gov/Boards/MCAB/Meetings/Meetings/ or contact the Division of Public and Behavioral Health at 775-687-7576.
Early Intervention Interagency Coordinating Council
The Nevada Early Intervention Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) brings policy makers, service providers, and parents together. It serves to support and assist with the ongoing development and implementation of quality statewide early intervention services for young children with disabilities and their families. Its members work to ensure that the supports and services offered to families are in line with their needs and maximize outcomes for children and families. You can get involved by attending a meeting, joining a subcommittee, and/or meeting with a member to provide ideas and input.
For more information, visit dhhs.nv.gov/Programs/IDEA/ICC/Home or contact Project ASSIST at 800-522-0066 or email [email protected].
Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities
The Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities (NGCDD) is a federally funded, self-governing organization within the State of Nevada. The Federal charge of the Council in the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) is identifying the most pressing needs of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Nevada and developing innovative and cost-effective ways to advance advocacy through policy, capacity building and systems change activities to promote equal opportunity, self-determination, and community inclusion.
For more information visit nevadaddcouncil.org or call 775-684-8619.
Policy and Advocacy – Why it Matters
Children need caring adults in their life to help make decisions that will help them grow, be healthy and safe. Those adults include parents, child care providers, teachers, health care providers, community partners, and elected officials. Elected officials at all levels of government (city, county, state and federal) play an important role in determining what programs are available, how they are funded, who can participate, and how those programs operate. Parents and families can, and should, be involved in selecting elected officials that support improving access to the early childhood programs and services that young children and families need. Parents and families can also be advocates to influence public policies and encourage positive programming that support children in a variety of ways.
You can get involved by learning about the legislative process and identifying the issues that are important to you, your family, and your community, then contacting policy makers to share your voice.
Click here to learn more.
Nevada Institute for Children's Research & Policy (NICRP)
The Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP), located within the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the lives of children through research, advocacy, and other specialized services. In addition to conducting research on a wide range of children’s issues throughout the state, NICRP provides information, resources and opportunities for community members to participate in advocacy efforts. Each legislative session they track all bills related to children, develop policy briefs to help explain important issues and host a Children’s Week at the Legislature.
For more information, please visit nic.unlv.edu. You can also visit the Children’s Week at the Legislature website at https://nic.unlv.edu/childrens-week/.
Children’s Advocacy Alliance (CAA)
The Children’s Advocacy Alliance advocates in the areas of health, child welfare and equitable access, school readiness and early childhood systems, and economic well-being. The Children’s Advocacy Alliance builds consensus around priorities and leverages our collective strength toward real changes in policy and practice to ensure that every child has a chance to thrive.
For more information, visit caanv.org.
If you have recommendations on how to improve our programs and services, or if you are having any issues accessing them, we want to hear from you.
We invite all parents and community partners to join us for a Training Session to learn all about First 5 Nevada and how it can be most valuable to you. Register now!
The Children’s Cabinet is hosting a learning series for HR professionals and Nevada executives to build a foundational understanding of how child care impacts our workforce and employer-driven solutions that create a return on investment.
The overall purpose of the Nevada ECAC is to strengthen state-level coordination and collaboration among the various sectors and settings of early childhood programs. The Nevada ECAC focuses on improving the system to increase access to the programs and services young children and families need.
This campaign is supported with funding from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Child Care and Development Fund through the America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) administered by the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services Child Care and Development Program (Federal Grant #2021, G990232) and the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5) (Federal Grant #90TP099) administered by the Nevada Department of Education, Office of Early Learning and Development, subawarded to The Children’s Cabinet. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Departments, Division, Office nor ACF.
