1. The Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council is hereby established as the state advisory council on early childhood education and care required to be established pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 9837b(b)(1)(A)(i). The membership of the Council must be appointed by the Governor and include, without limitation:

(a) One member who is a representative of the Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the Department whose duties include responsibility for child care;

(b) One member who is a representative of the Department of Education;

(c) One member who is a representative of the Department of Education whose duties include responsibilities for programs under section 619 or part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400 et seq.;

(d) One member who is a representative of the boards of trustees of the school districts in this State;

(e) One member who is a representative of the Nevada System of Higher Education;

(f) One member who is a representative of local providers of early childhood education and developmental services;

(g) One member who is a representative of Head Start agencies in this State, including, without limitation, migrant and seasonal Head Start programs and Indian Head Start programs;

(h) One member who is appointed or designated pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 9837b(a)(3)(A);

(i) One member who is a representative of the Aging and Disability Services Division of the Department;

(j) One member who is a representative of a nonprofit organization located in southern Nevada that provides early childhood education programs;

(k) One member who is a representative of a nonprofit organization located in northern Nevada that provides early childhood education programs;

(l) One member who is a representative of the pediatric mental, physical or behavioral health care industry; and

(m) Such other members as the Governor determines are appropriate.

2. The Council shall:

(a) Work to strengthen state-level coordination and collaboration among the various sectors and settings of early childhood education programs.

(b) Conduct periodic statewide assessments of needs relating to the quality and availability of programs and services for children who are in early childhood education programs.

(c) Identify opportunities for and barriers to coordination and collaboration among early childhood education programs funded in whole or in part by the Federal Government, the State or a local government.

(d) Develop recommendations for:

(1) Increasing the participation of children in early childhood education programs funded in whole or in part by the Federal Government, the State or a local government, including, without limitation, providing information on such programs to underrepresented and special populations;

(2) The establishment or improvement of core elements of the early childhood system in this State, including, without limitation, a statewide unified system for collecting data relating to early childhood education programs;

(3) A statewide professional development system for teachers engaged in early childhood education; and

(4) The establishment of statewide standards for early childhood education programs in this State.

(e) Assess the capacity and effectiveness of institutions of higher education in this State in developing teachers in the field of early childhood education.

(f) Establish, in cooperation with the State Board of Education, guidelines for evaluating the school readiness of children. The guidelines must:

(1) Be based on national school readiness indicators;

(2) Address the following components of school readiness:

(I) Physical and developmental health;

(II) Social and emotional development;

(III) Approaches to learning;

(IV) Language and early literacy development; and

(V) Cognition and general knowledge.

(g) Develop recommendations for increasing parental involvement and family engagement in early childhood education programs.

(h) Perform such other duties relating to early childhood education programs as designated by the Governor.

3. On or before December 1 of each year, the Council shall submit a report to the Governor and to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for transmittal to the Legislative Committee on Health Care and the Legislative Committee on Education, if the report is received during an odd-numbered year, or to the next session of the Legislature, if the report is received during an even-numbered year. The report must include, without limitation, a summary of the activities of the Council and any recommendations for improvements to the early childhood system in this State.

4. The Council may accept gifts, grants and donations from any source for the support of the Council in carrying out the provisions of this section.

(Added to NRS by 2013, 406; A 2019, 47)