Las Vegas, NV August 30, 2023
Today, the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS) Child Care and Development Program and The Children’s Cabinet announce the completion of the Nevada Early Care and Education (ECE) Workforce Framework.
The partnership with The Children’s Cabinet to develop a comprehensive, unifying framework to support Nevada’s ECE professionals and the families they serve was started in 2022. Workgroups made up of ECE experts and stakeholders identified five priorities to improve the ECE workforce:
1. Support a well-prepared, qualified, diverse, equitably compensated, and thriving early childhood workforce in Nevada.
2. Ensure early childhood professionals have access to a living wage and affordable benefits package.
3. Strengthen and enforce program standards and policies intended to ensure positive work environments.
4. Ensure leaders and stakeholders have access to and use timely and accurate data about the ECE workforce to inform decision-making.
5. Develop a policy agenda and public awareness campaign.
“For Nevada’s children to be safe, healthy, and thriving during the early years of their life, so must be the adults who care for them,” said Child Care Agency Manager Karissa Loper Machado. “For the ECE workforce, while resilient and passionate, a lack of comprehensive funding corresponds to low pay and benefits, high turnover, and limited opportunities for professional development and career advancement. This framework is intended to serve as a plan of action to support sustained investments in the ECE workforce in Nevada.”
DWSS and The Children’s Cabinet will work with stakeholders to implement the framework to support Nevada’s child care workforce.