Leaders in Nevada are working hard to coordinate efforts to achieve the state’s strategic plan for early learning. An essential step toward better coordination and increasing the impact of this work was drafting a policy statement that defines developmentally appropriate practice for learning and development from birth through grade 3.

This brief describes the Nevada Department of Education’s (NDE) efforts over the last several years to align and strengthen its system of supports for early childhood learning and development through grade 3. The brief provides insights into the journey that Nevada’s leaders have undergone to navigate the state’s complex early care and education systems. It also highlights how the recent policy statement aligns systems support for best practices in the education of young children.

State leaders can use this brief to learn from Nevada’s efforts to align its early learning and development systems—and includes questions they can ask to assess ways to strengthen their own state’s early childhood learning and development efforts.