How do legislative changes to Nevada's full-day kindergarten affect health? -- A Health Impact Assessment

There is substantial energy in Nevada around improving the public education system, which consistently ranks poorly on most measures of quality.  One element sometimes missing from this conversation is how improving Nevada’s education system could also affect health.  Our health impact assessment (HIA), which aims to highlight these connections, is an attempt to incorporate heath into decisions about education as a move toward “health in all policies.”   

Currently, many children in Nevada lack access to publically-funded full-day kindergarten (FDK).  The current state legislature is discussing ways to improve Nevada’s education system, including expansion of access to FDK.

Research has demonstrated that FDK can improve academic achievement, particularly for certain vulnerable students (e.g. low socio-economic status; minority; English Language Learners; and inner-city).  In turn, higher lifetime academic achievement is associated with fewer heart attacks, strokes, diabetes; less asthma and high blood pressure; and increased healthier behaviors like exercise and smoking cessation.  

During the 2015 Nevada Legislative Session, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and its partners (including our local health department; educators; parents; and two-policy-oriented non-profit organizations) are conducting an HIA to analyze how these proposed legislative decisions about FDK could impact health.  Our HIA will make practical recommendations to maximize positive health impacts. 

This presentation, scheduled after the completion of our HIA, will discuss the HIA process and outcomes and share lessons learned.  Through questions and answers, the presentation will also aim to further the discussion about how to better connect decisions about education to health.