Childcare, early learning, IEP, 504, and special-education transition

Build the care brief before searching

Write the child's age, required days and hours, earliest drop-off, latest pickup, location constraints, transportation, meals, language, accessibility, health plan, medication, developmental or learning support, calendar, backup needs, and complete budget. Mark each required, preferred, or optional. This keeps a polished tour from quietly negotiating away a nonnegotiable service.

Use Nevada's licensed-care search, then verify the provider

Nevada Child Care Licensing directs families to its licensee search, where provider records and inspection reports can be reviewed. Search by the actual work-and-home geography, not only the mailing city. Open the full record, note the search date, then confirm enrollment, classroom, hours, price, staffing, services, transportation, and current status directly. Citations: 1

A 2025 legislative exhibit reports 2024 average annual licensed-care prices in Clark County of $12,744 for an infant and $10,739 for a four-year-old in centers; family-child-care averages were $9,319 and $8,451. Nye County figures were lower in that exhibit. These are dated county averages, not quotes, open seats, quality ratings, or household results. Citations: 2

Prepare an IEP interstate-transfer packet

Federal IDEA regulation 34 CFR 300.323(f) says that when a student with an IEP transfers from another state and enrolls in a new school within the same school year, the new public agency, in consultation with the parents, must provide FAPE, including services comparable to those in the prior IEP, until it conducts an evaluation if necessary and develops and implements a new IEP if appropriate. Citations: 3

Send the current IEP, evaluations, eligibility, progress and service data, behavior or health plans, assistive-technology information, transportation, extended-school-year information, provider contacts, and relevant records before enrollment when possible. Ask who owns the handoff, when the team will meet, what comparable services will begin, whether a new evaluation is proposed, and how any disagreement is documented. Citations: 5

Use Child Find and Nevada procedural safeguards

CCSD's Child Find Project evaluates potentially eligible preschool-age children who are not enrolled in school and school-age children who are homeschooled or in private school and reside in Clark County; school-age evaluations for enrolled public-school students begin through the responsible school. Use the current referral path and district instructions for the student's actual situation.

Nevada Department of Education publishes IDEA policies, procedural safeguards, Child Find, evaluation, eligibility, IEP, and dispute-resolution resources. Read the current parent-rights document and keep written requests, notices, consent, meeting records, and service decisions. This guide does not decide eligibility or services for a student.

Treat a 504 plan as its own transition

Section 504 is separate from IDEA. Send the current plan, evaluations, medical documentation where relevant, accommodations, implementation evidence, and contact information to the new school. Ask the receiving school to confirm its review process, responsible coordinator, interim implementation, and any proposed reevaluation in writing.

Do not describe an IEP as ‘transferring automatically’ or promise that a 504 plan will be copied word for word. The practical goal is continuity with documented decisions and the appropriate federal and state process, not a slogan.

Keep education research separate from housing steering

Verify the assigned school for an exact address directly with CCSD, then research programs and services based on the student's stated needs. Boundaries, programs, admission, transport, and capacity can change. A nearby campus does not prove assignment. Citations: 67

Roby can compare homes, documents, and objective route implications within his Nevada license. He should not rank neighborhoods by school scores, protected characteristics, disability, or household composition, or choose a school or service for the family.