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Washoe County School District

The Nevada Registry is funded through the Federal Child Care and Development Block Grant - Quality Improvement Dollars and is administered through a contract with the Washoe County School District. The Nevada Registry is part of the Washoe County School District Department of Child and Family Services.

A number of other early childhood programs and services also fall under this department within the district:


Early Childhood Preschool Programs

The Washoe County School District's Early Childhood Education Preschool Programs currently serve 21 sites in Washoe County. The program is made up of two components: the Classroom on Wheels (COW Bus) and the Pre-K Program.

Both programs provide free quality preschool services and adhere to the same guidelines. The major difference between the two programs is the location of the classrooms. The Pre-K sites are locted in WCSD schools, Family Resource Centers or other community centers. The COW Bus is a mobile preschool program, which uses a converted school bus painted white with black spots to resemble a Holstein cow. It is a self-contained classroom that travels around to different neighborhoods to provide preschool service.

WCSD Early Childhood Preschool Program Mission

Our mission is that all children in Washoe County will have access to a variety of high-quality, developmentally appropriate programs with qualified teachers. Programs will meet the individual child and family's needs as well as performance standards that will prepare children to be successful in school.

Goals and Objectives:

  1. All children will enter school ready to learn so that no child will be left behind.
  2. Programs will serve all children providing inclusive settings to meet a variety of child and family needs.
  3. Parents will be involved in programs supporting the belief that parents are the child's first and most important teacher.
  4. Programs will be based on developmentally appropriate curriculum standards that are consistent with the WCSD Readiness Framework Guidelines for Four Year Olds and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation Criteria and Procedures.
  5. Programs will focus on literacy to support the goal of all children reading by third grade.
  6. Programs will be developed or improved based on community partnerships and collaboration with existing early education programs such as community preschools, child care programs, Head Start, and Family Resource Centers.
  7. A comprehensive professional development system will be implemented that will improve the quality of all programs and set standards for teacher preparation.
  8. Developmentally appropriate child assessments and program evaluations will be used in all early education programs.


Daily Schedule

Each day children will have the following experiences:

  • Planning and reviewing discussions
  • Literacy, math, and science experiences
  • Music
  • Storytime
  • Access to books
  • Exploration of materials
  • Social opportunities
  • Snack
  • Language experiences
  • Gross and fine motor activity
  • Large and small group time
  • Learning centers
  • Computers


Student Eligibility

The WCSD ECE program serves children aged three to five years old. Priority is given to children who meet the free and reduced lunch guidelines and/ or are English language learners, with preference given to children turning four by September 30th of the current year. Children must live in the neighborhoods designated as sites or "bus-stops." Children must not be enrolled in any other preschool program, such as a private preschool or Head Start. Class size is limited to 15-18 students per class.

Family Involvement

  • Parent Goals: To further benefit the families participating in the WCSD Early Childhood Education programs, parents (or another designated adult) are required to attend all parent-teacher conferences and to establish personal parenting goals that will be achieved by the conclusion of the program year.
  • Parent workshops are designed to develop and increase family literacy by providing programs such as Family Storyteller, RIF (Reading is Fundamental), Ready to Learn, and the CALF Resource Van, to our families. Each family will be able to choose the programs that are of interest to them.
  • COW Adult Learning Facilities (CALF) Resource Van currently serves nine sites and provides services to parents by offering a free book and toy lending library, workshops and trainings and weekly activity packets.
  • Parent conference attendance is mandatory.
  • Family Literacy Events are held twice a year; one is held before the December holiday and one is held at the end of the school year in May. Families from all of the Pre-K and COW Bus sites come together to participate in literacy and informational booths, enjoy snacks, and receive free books.
  • Referrals to community organizations such as family resource centers and Child Find can be made if the teachers or parents have any concerns about their children or families.


Virtual Pre-K 

Virtual Pre-K is an interactive, bilingual resource that brings teachers, parents and children together in the educational process.  With short video lessons, an easy-to-use web site and hands on activities, the award-winning Virtual Pre-K program helps parents take part in their children’s education, and helps early childhood educators enhance their teaching skills.  Additional resources include infant/toddler activities through the Born to Learn Program of United Way, online preschool teacher chats and a calendar of family events in your area.  Parent and caregiver workshops can be scheduled at no cost for your center throughout Nevada.  For more information or to schedule a workshop, please contact Rechelle Murillo at (775) 333-3523.

 

Calf Resource Van

The COW Adult Learning Facilities (CALF) Resource Van is a mobile educational unit that accompanies the COW Bus to its nine sites, with one slot open for a rotating Pre-K classroom site. It provides free training and resources for family day care providers, parents, and child care centers (licensed and unlicensed). The van contains a book and toy lending library and a mini-classroom environment to provide training and support to all formal and informal providers.

Every week:

  • The Book & Toy Lending Library, which is open to everyone, allows people to check out items such as Child development & Curriculum Resource Books, manipulatives (i.e. puzzles, blocks, etc.), theme bins (such as science and math), and art supplies. Consumable items, such as paper, are also given out.
  • The CALF Van gives out free activity packets with bilingual instructions and all of the materials needed for the activity for parents and child care providers to do at home with children.

Every 2 weeks:

  • The CALF Van offers free training and workshops to its clients. Past workshops include topics such as discipline and cognitive development, as well as ones that are offered through collaborative efforts such as Ready to Learn and Family Storyteller. 

The CALF Van collaborates with:

 


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