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5.01.2024

First 5 Nevada Eligibility Portal - Finding the Help You Need

What is the Early Childhood Programs Eligibility Portal?

The First 5 Nevada Early Childhood Programs Eligibility Portal is a tool to help parents and families identify what programs and services they may qualify for. The Portal serves as an online gateway where parents and families can check if they or their child qualify for early childhood programs, such as preschool, child care assistance, or early intervention services, among others. By entering some basic information about their child, like age, household income, and any special needs, the portal helps determine eligibility for nearly 30 different programs and provides guidance on how to apply or learn more. It only takes about 5 minutes to see what you may qualify for!

How Does it Work?

First 5 Nevada has worked to identify nearly 30 early childhood programs and services that are offered throughout the State of Nevada. Our team gathered information on each program including eligibility requirements and enrollment processes. We then put all of that information into the Portal and set up an easy way for parents and families to identify the programs and services they may qualify for. In order for the system to know what programs and services families may qualify for, we created a brief series of questions that align with the eligibility requirements for all of those programs and services. 

Below is a step-by-step process for completing the questions in the Portal:

Step One: Enter your contact information including name, email address and phone number – this information is only used by the First 5 Nevada team to contact you regarding enrolling in publicly funded programs that you may qualify for. First 5 Nevada does not share or sell your contact information.

Step Two: Enter your child’s date of birth – this information is used to determine eligibility for programs that serve specific ages of children. If you are currently pregnant, you can enter your expected due date. If you have more than one child, you will have an option at the end to enter the birthdate for another child, without having to complete most of the other questions.

Step Three: Enter your address – this information is used to determine which programs and providers of those programs are available in your area. While there are some programs that are offered statewide, such as Medicaid and SNAP, other programs are offered locally through community-based organizations. As you type your address, the system will automatically pull up potential matches – if you see the right one, just click it to auto-fill your address.

Step Four: Check the list of additional criteria for your family and child – the items on the “Additional Criteria” page are directly tied to eligibility requirements for the programs and services listed in the Portal. Just read the statements and check the box next to any statements that apply. Although many programs have income requirements for eligibility, some programs include additional requirements or will waive the income requirements if certain conditions are met. For example, the Nevada Ready! PreK program does not consider household income for eligibility if the age-eligible child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). 

On this page, you will also see that some statements have an “i” in a circle at the end. You can click on the icon to see additional information or definitions for those statements. This information is not stored in the system or shared with anyone at First 5 Nevada or our partners. If new programs are added to the system, additional statements may be added to reflect the specific requirements of that program or service.

Step Five: Enter your household income – income is one of the main criteria used to determine eligibility for publicly funded programs and services. Most programs that have a household income limit for eligibility use the Federal Poverty Guidelines, often referred to as the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). 

To determine your FPL, the system needs to know how many people live in your household and the total annual income of the household. If you do not know your exact annual income, you can put an estimate in here, but please keep in mind that any programs you may qualify for which have income limits for eligibility may require documentation and/or proof of income when you apply. 

Click here to learn more about the FPL, including links to the most recent FPL chart to determine your household’s level. 

Step Six: Get your results! Once you complete the first 5 steps, you will be provided with a page including all of the programs in the Portal that you or your child may be eligible for. Please keep in mind that this is only a list of programs that you MAY be eligible for. Final eligibility is determined by individual programs based on their specific requirements. There are several actions that you can take from this page:

• Email Me My Results – There is a button at the bottom of the page that you can select to have your results sent to you by email. If you’d like to save the information on your results page, we recommend that you click this button to have the results sent before clicking on any programs to ensure you do not get redirected from this page and lose the information.
• Learn More – click on the program name or the “Learn More” button below the brief description to find out more about the program or service. Clicking here will take you to the program description page on the First 5 Nevada website. On these program pages you will find more detailed information about the program as well as specific eligibility requirements and information on how to apply or get in contact with the program.
• Add Another Child – If you want to complete the screener for another child, click on “Complete for Another Child” at the bottom of the page. You will be taken back to the beginning, but all the information you entered the first time will be saved except for the Child’s Birthday. You will also have the option to change selections on the Additional Criteria page, as needed.
• Start Over – You can also clear all of the information entered by selecting the red “Start Over” button at the bottom of the page. This feature is most often used by programs that are using the Portal with their clients. Please keep in mind that once you select “Start Over” all of the information you entered will be erased and you will need to re-enter all answers if needed.

What Programs and Services are Included?

First 5 Nevada Early Childhood Programs Eligibility Portal includes nearly 30 programs and services for young children and families. These programs represent most of the key publicly funded programs for young children and families available in Nevada, but are not inclusive of all of the programs and services that are available. 

There are literally thousands of programs and services available throughout the state offering a range of services and supports for families. There are resources, such as Nevada 2-1-1, that provide a much wider range of programs and services, but those can often be overwhelming. 

The intent of First 5 Nevada is to narrow down programs and services aimed at supporting young children and their families, providing an easy-to-navigate site focused on the main programs and services families may need.

Submitting a Program for Portal Inclusion

If there is a program, service or resource that you think should be added to the First 5 Nevada website and Early Childhood Programs Eligibility Portal, let us know! We have set a few rules about which programs to include to ensure that all programs listed are right for families:

1. Publicly Funded – the program or service should be primarily funded through a government agency (local, state or federal)
2. Financial Benefit to Families – the program must be provided to eligible families at no-cost or at a reduced cost based on a sliding scale model – programs, resources, or services that include direct marketing of for-profit goods or services will NOT be included
3. Provide a Direct Service – the program or service must provide a direct benefit to young children and/or their families – however, programs that do not provide a direct service may be included on the First 5 Nevada website as a “resource”
4. Early Childhood Focus – the program or service must be for the target population of prenatal up to age 5 (pregnant persons, children age 0-5, and their families) – programs that are inclusive of the target population, but also serve other age groups are allowed
5. Non-Discrimination – the program cannot discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any other factor that would be considered discriminatory by state or federal law

Organizations that would like to have their program added must submit a request for inclusion, which will be reviewed by First 5 Nevada staff and our advisory council. 

Questions or Additional Assistance?

We are here to help! If you have any questions or need additional assistance to identify what programs or services you may qualify for, understanding your Eligibility Portal results, or getting access to the programs and services you need – let us know. Our Community Navigators can help you or get you connected with someone who can. Use the form on our Contact Us page to request assistance or email us at [email protected].