In July 2022, the State of Nevada IDEA Part C Office submitted a proposal to the Department of Health and Human Services Director’s Office for increased federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Fiscal Recovery Funds from the Governor’s Finance Office to provide funding to develop an Early Intervention Early Intervention: “Early Intervention” is an offering of services to help infants and toddlers, birth to three with disabilities or delays in their development. Nevada Early Intervention Services provides services to both children and their families. Personnel Center. The proposed personnel center would provide a credible and comparable alternative option for early intervention staff to meet their licensure requirements. This retention initiative was planned to be free for personnel, with all costs to be covered by the ARPA grant and/or the IDEA Part C Office. The proposal was accepted, and the Nevada Early Intervention Professional Development Center’s first initiative is a Developmental Specialist Core Series (DS Series) that launched in April 2023 at no cost to professional learners Professional learning: Learning and support activities (e.g., coaching) that help develop educators’ competencies and skills.. The DS series brings together a cohort of early educators who take 8 five-week courses that meet virtually once per week. The cohort will meet for approximately 18 months, and participants are expected to devote 35 hours per 5-week course to their studies. The courses cover required Early Childhood Special Education areas as determined by the Nevada Department of Education. Completion of the DS Series will meet the Alternative Certification requirements with the IDEA Part C Office and is deemed to be equivalent to an Endorsement for Early Childhood Developmentally Delayed.
Sources:
Nevada Early Intervention Professional Development Center. (2023). Program Catalog 2023-2024.
Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Early Intervention FAQs.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
The early education workforce is the foundation upon which all daily work and any expansion and quality improvement efforts rest. Research suggests that states and cities should invest in the workforce across all early education setting types, focusing on enhancing educators’ professional learning, compensation, and workplace conditions.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Early educators play a critical role in supporting the well-being of young children and families across setting types.
- Yet their pay, benefits, and other professional supports are often inadequate in light of the job demands and their cost of living.