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The University of Nevada Reno Extension is pleased to announce they are now accepting referrals for a new session of their Spiral Up Academy!

The University of Nevada Reno Extension is excited to continue their Early Childhood Spiral Up Academy Level 1 Program with TWO simultaneous sessions in English and Spanish beginning Tuesday, March 11 (English), and Wednesday, March 12 (Spanish), 2025.  The goal is to assist early learning leaders meet the challenges of training new staff by providing training and coaching to new hires.

The Spiral Up Academy is a comprehensive eight-week program which includes the State of Nevada Childcare Licensing required trainings (CPR/First Aid not included) as well as seven additional early childhood topics and up to five hours of coaching during the academy. This Academy is open to all new hires in the State of Nevada who are within their first 90 days (three months) of employment by the start date of the Academy. They are also able to accommodate a limited number of participants past their initial 90 days who would benefit from the additional training hours. The goal is to build a competent and confident workforce on the foundations of developmentally appropriate practices and the pyramid model.

The links below provide a detailed description of the academy as well as a schedule and the referral forms.

Flyer March 2025

Schedule MARCH Eng and Span

Spiral Up Referral Form English and Spanish

2025 Spiral Up Frequently Asked Questions

All referring directors will be required to participate in a 30-minute Spiral Up Academy orientation via Zoom before the first week of the Academy (multiple dates & times will be provided) and to participate in a coaching transition meeting during the eighth week of the Academy. The Spiral Up team will be providing support to directors to continue to coach their new hires after the conclusion of the Academy. These requirements are reflected in the director agreement portion of the referral form.

If you are interested in referring your new hires to this free program, please do the following:

  1. Carefully read through all the linked paperwork.
  2. Meet with your new hire(s) and let them know about the program and what will be expected of them. If possible, complete the referral forms with your new hire.
  3. Fill out the paperwork and return it to Danielle Pertile at dpertile@unr.edu.

Enrollment ends Friday, February 21, 2025 and space is limited! 

If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out to Danielle Pertile at dpertile@unr.edu.