‘Our community is struggling’: Henderson day care owner turns facility into nonprofit to help families afford child care

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A child care crisis has many families saying it’s out of reach to find affordable and reliable day care.

It’s either work or her kids, said Jaime, a mother of three.

“I’m getting emotional just thinking about it, trusting someone with your baby is super hard,” she told 8 News Now.

It shouldn’t be a choice.

“Because I love my kids so much and I just want the best for them,” Jaime said.

Emotions are running high for Jaime from not being able to afford day care and just wanting her kids to be safe.

Jaime’s two older children are now in school, but the situation is different for her 3-year-old daughter.

“I have been having her home because I can’t afford day care for the last about month,” she said.

Jaime works full-time and her husband is an educator. She said finding affordable child care is becoming too hectic.

“I paid about $4,300 last year in day care alone,” she says.

She said that amount is only for her toddler, but for all three it would average about $12,900 a year.

According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Labor shows child care costs more than $12,800 per child in Clark County.

Kayla Chapelle is the mother of Babygirl Niara who is full of smiles and energy.

Chapelle told 8 News Now she lives in constant worry.

We asked Chapelle if there was ever a time she worried about losing her job because she couldn’t find day care.

“Absolutely, it’s always a stress,” she said. “If I do not have child care, how am I going to work with two kids.”

Chapelle says she was stuck for a while until she was able to qualify for government assistance.

“I went to over 25 facilities before I found here,” she said.

She’s talking about Super Genius Academy in Henderson.

Some parents who call are in tears as they try to find affordable day care. The facility just became a nonprofit, able to provide grants and even get businesses to help families.

Its owner, Velena Baranova, also struggled finding child care.

“This community is suffering, [and] we have so many foster kids, so many adopted kids,” Baranova said. “We have so many single mothers here and they are all working.”

She is calling on businesses to donate to the facility so they can help parents.

“We have a fund just for parents alone where we put in the money,” she said.

Baranova said that money will eventually help parents pay for child care.

“Being a mom is hard, you have to find safety and you are responsible for a human being [and] it’s just really hard,” Jaime said.

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