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Nevada

Nevada, like all states, has a unique early childhood policy landscape that is shaped by economics, demographics, political history, coalitions, and other factors that create a state-specific environment for policy advocacy.

State early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s environment and the numerous efforts—by the organizations listed on this page, other organizations, parents, policymakers, practitioners, and more—who work both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.

2024 State Early Childhood Policy Environment and Progress

Early Childhood Landscape:

Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children.

Young Children in Low-Income Households: Declining

Approximately 41 percent (133,000) of the state’s children 0-8 live in households below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (2022). This number represents a decrease from 49 percent (140,000) in 2017.¹

Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High

Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.²

(NOTE: Selecting for age 0-8, state, and race can yield small cell sizes that can make percentages less accurate. Bars marked with S indicate data with extremely small cell sizes, which is not displayed. Bars marked with C should be interpreted with caution. Though the cell sizes are larger, they still fall below a threshold of reliability.)

Advocacy Landscape:

State General Fund Appropriations: Growing

Nevada’s governor signed multiple bills comprising the state’s fiscal 2024-2025 biennial budget in June of 2023. The budget provides $5.2 billion in general fund spending for fiscal 2024. The state’s revenue forecast approved ahead of budget enactment projected general fund revenue after tax credits of $5.7 billion for fiscal 2024 (a 0.4 percent annual increase) and $5.9 billion for fiscal 2025 (a 2.7 percent increase).³

Largest Per Capita Revenue Sources (after federal transfers):⁴

- - General Sales Taxes: $2,283 per capita
  - Charges: $1,303 per capita

Nevada does not levy an individual income tax or corporate income tax but does have a gross receipts tax.Charges are public payments connected with a specific government service, such as tuition paid to a state university, payments to a public hospital, or highway tolls. Nevada also collects a relatively large amount of revenue from taxes related to gambling. Census categorizes much of this revenue as amusement tax revenue. In 2021, Nevada’s per capita amusement tax revenue was $245.

State Budget Rules:⁴

Nevada uses a biennial budget. The legislature must pass a balanced budget, but it can carry a deficit over into the following year. Nevada further limits both spending and revenue with a budget formula based on inflation and population growth. The rules are binding and require a legislative supermajority or vote of the people to override. A two-thirds supermajority is also required for all tax increases. The state also limits total authorized debt and debt service incurred by the state.

Permanent State Funding Stream Dedicated to Early Childhood: Yes

Nevada dedicates birth and death certificate fees to a child abuse and neglect prevention fund. The Children’s Trust Fund was established in 1985 by the state legislature and is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services. Every two years HHS takes grant applications from primary and secondary prevention programs for child abuse and neglect. Distributions are around $1.5 million annually.

Political Alignment: Divided

In 2024, the state’s Senate and House were both Democrat controlled. The state’s Governor was a Republican.⁵

Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:⁶Five

- Legislature-Initiated Constitutional Amendments – A constitutional amendment that appears on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.
- Voter-Initiated Constitutional Amendments – An amendment to a state’s constitution that comes about through the initiative process.
- Legislature-Initiated State Statutes – Appear on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.
- Voter-Initiated State Statutes – Earns a spot on the ballot when sponsors collect signatures according to the laws governing the initiative process in Nevada.
- Veto Referenda – When citizens of Nevada disagree with a statute or legislative bill enacted by the Nevada State Legislature, they can collect signatures to force the issue to a vote. If enough signatures are collected, the bill is placed on the statewide ballot.

Nevadans also have an uncommon form of ballot measure called statute affirmation, a citizen-initiated ballot measure that prevents the legislature from repealing or amending a statute in the future without a direct vote of the electorate. Nevada is the only state with this type of ballot measure.

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:⁷

2024 Policy Progress:

Nevada had no state legislative session in 2024.

At the municipal level, the City of Las Vegas passed an ordinance that addresses restrictive permitting requirements for group child care, a significant step forward in reducing barriers to expanding family child care in Clark County. Previously, group child care providers faced many challenges, including the inability to permit a recently purchased house due to lot-size restrictions, despite it meeting state licensing requirements after planned renovations. With the passage of this ordinance, this property can now move forward as a Group Child Care home, helping to address the child care shortage. State early childhood advocates continue to encourage jurisdictions to align local permitting standards with state licensing.⁸

Ongoing Grantee Areas of Advocacy

The Alliance’s lead ally in Nevada, Children’s Advocacy Alliance (CAA), is an independent voice for Nevada children, advancing systemic change in the areas of early childhood education, children’s health, and child welfare. They achieve public policy wins through collaboration and collective impact within the community to ensure every child in Nevada thrives.

Children’s Advocacy Alliance is working to advance early childhood policies in several areas that align with the Alliance’s birth-through-eight policy framework:

Early Care and Education

Child Care

Child Care Workforce

K-3 Education

Preschool and Pre-K

Child and
Maternal Health

Home Visiting

Maternal Health

Early Intervention (Age 0-3)

Family
Supports

Child Welfare

Family Economic Security

Paid Family and Medical Leave

Early Childhood Infratructure

Early Childhood Governance

Click here for more information on advocates’ policy agenda.

RECENT ADVOCACY SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

¹Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, January, 2024.

²National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 through 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, October 2024, NCCP analysis of ACS 5-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2018-2022.

³National Association of State Budget Officers, Proposed and Enacted Budgets, FY 2025.

⁴Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, June 2024.

⁵National Conference of State Legislatures, 2024 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, April 29, 2024.

⁶Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, retrieved July, 2024.

⁷Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, July, 2024.

⁸Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-October, 2024; and 2024 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Highlights, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, July, 2024.