A west Las Vegas educator who teaches little kids received a big honor on Monday.
Connie Johnson, a preschool teacher at Piggott Academy of International Studies, received the 2026 Nevada Early Educator of the Year award from the Nevada Department of Education. She earned the distinction along with Kyleigh Abittan, an early childhood home visitor in Reno.
To honor her achievement, Johnson received $500 and gifts from the education materials retailer Lakeshore Learning.
“Early childhood educators are integral to building the strong academic foundations our youngest learners need to achieve lifelong success,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Victor Wakefield in a statement. “This recognition elevates the dedication, hard work, and profound impact of these educators who serve as the anchor of both our school system and our communities.”
Johnson teaches kids ages 3 through 5 in her preschool class, she said, including students with developmental delays. She has worked in Piggott Academy for two years and the Clark County School District for five.
“No matter how challenging each day is, it’s great to see the curiosity, and every day magic happens in here,” Johnson said. “I love the challenge of being able to figure out how to help each individual student meet their needs, meet their goals and meet who they’re supposed to be.”
Johnson said she uses the “power of play” to get her nearly three dozen pre-K students to learn. Hand puppets, wooden building blocks and a grocery store check-out line are stationed around Johnson’s classroom, and student-made art hangs proudly on the walls.
“A lot of kids in early childhood, that’s how they learn is through the power of play. It’s how they develop social emotional skills, how they develop literacy, how they develop mathematics, how they develop relationships with one another,” Johnson said.
Johnson also engages kids in inquiry-based learning, she said, letting students follow their curiosities through asking questions and finding the answers as a class.
By combining the two techniques, Johnson, said, “it really helps them be who they’re meant to be and to instill that foundation of a love of learning so that they are lifelong learners.”
“I have seen students who have been in early childhood with me and, because of that foundation of pre-K, they’re thriving now in the older grades,” Johnson said. “It’s just amazing to see how well they’re doing.”
Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.
