Early Childhood Professionals
Welcome Early Childhood Professionals
The Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) brings together voices from across the early childhood system to strengthen coordination, improve programs, and support children and families and Early Childhood professionals are at the heart of what we do.
Your experience, insight, and dedication matter. We invite you to share your perspective, connect with peers, and help shape decisions that impact young children across Nevada. Together, we can build a stronger, more connected system as we work toward a future where all Nevada children are safe, healthy, and thriving.
ECAC Workforce Goals
ECAC contributes to the sustainability of our early childhood system workforce through targeted goals and objectives supported by our Workforce Development Subcommittee. Below are some ways in which the ECAC prioritizes you in our goals and discussion topics.
Comprehensive Early Childhood System
- Better coordination between agencies and services
- Shared data systems
Workforce Development
- Recruitment and retention
- Career pathways
- Workforce compensation
- Workforce sustainability
Fiscal Policy & Sustainability
- Advocacy for sustainable and diverse funding streams
Advocacy & Influence
- Elevating workforce and voice in decision-making
Get Involved
- Attend a meeting
- Join the Workforce Development Subcommittee
- Participate in public comment opportunities during meetings
- Share your workforce experiences, challenges, recommendations, and ideas. Click the “Contact Us” button below!
Sharing Your Experiences
We value the expertise, experiences, and perspectives of Nevada’s early childhood workforce. Early childhood educators, providers, service professionals, and community partners play an essential role in support young children and families and have firsthand knowledge of the strengths, challenges, and barriers within the early childhood system.
Sharing your early childhood system experiences and perspective helps inform statewide advocacy efforts, elevate professional voices, and guide recommendations that strengthen programs, policies and supports for children, families and the early childhood workforce across Nevada.
We invite you to complete our Share Your Story form to help shape our work.
Professional Spotlight
Check back for our Professional Spotlights, coming soon.
Professional Spotlights – Coming Soon
Participating in Public Meetings
Joining a public meeting can feel new or even confusing. ECAC meetings are open to everyone, and your voice is welcome. Here are a few simple tips to help you feel more comfortable participating.
How can the Public Participate?
Every meeting includes time for public comment, where anyone can share their thoughts on topics related to the agenda items. You may be asked to follow simple guidelines, like a time limit for speaking, so everyone has a chance to be heard. Public meetings are designed to allow community input and your participation matters.
Keep in mind, the subcommittee members may be asked not to take action on your comments until they can be added to an agenda at a later time. This is to ensure that you are fairly heard without debate, and that the group creates time to openly discuss the recommendations or matters you raise.
What is Opening Meeting Law?
Open Meeting Law means that meetings of public groups, such as the Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council, must be open and accessible to the public. This helps ensure that decisions are made transparently and that members of the public have the opportunity to listen, learn and participate.
What does “Quorum” Mean?
A quorum means that enough subcommittee members are present to hold the meeting and make decisions. For meetings subject to Open Meeting Law, such as the ECAC, a quorum is a simple majority of the members on the roster (more than 50% of the members).
Helpful Tips
- It’s okay to be new – many people attend for the first time
- You can simply listen - you do not need to speak during meetings.
- Check the agenda in advance to see what will be discussed and access the meeting link.
- Be prepared with a few notes if you would like to speak during public comment
- Keep your public comment brief and focused so your main point is clear. Public comments are often limited to 2-3 minutes.
- If you plan to speak – wait to be recognized by the chair before beginning.
- Most meetings are virtual. Contact us if you need help joining the meeting.
- Use the chat box to ask questions if you are unsure about something you heard.
- Only subcommittee members vote – members of the public may observe but do not participate in voting.
- Keep your microphone muted unless you are speaking so everyone can be heard.
- Be respectful of different viewpoints, even when you disagree.
Family Resources
ECAC Hot Topics
The Hot Topic page hosts many family support resources. Some examples of items you can find on this page are:
- How to find quality child care resources
- Health resources
- Family support programs
Partner Resources
Other Meetings You Can Explore
Many agencies, councils, and commissions that support children and families must provide opportunities for public participation and make their materials available for you to review.
First 5 Nevada
Check out the First5Nevada.org website — designed to help parents find support during a child’s first five years. This website offers a quick and easy way to find out which programs, services and resources you can quality for at no cost.
