LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — More Clark County School District families are turning to the city of Las Vegas SafeKey program to bridge the gap between work schedules and later school start times.
WATCH | Shellye Leggett heard from parents about how the program is helping them:
CCSD changed school start times this year to help with student mental health. For working parents, the shift has created a daily juggling act.
Andrew Kent is one of those parents. Both he and his wife have to be at work long before their daughter starts class at 9:15 a.m. at Wing and Lilly Fong Elementary School.
"My wife gets up in the morning with her to take her to school cause I'm already gone for work, and she has to be at work at 8:00 in the morning," Kent said.
The SafeKey program allows the family to drop their daughter off earlier in the morning and pick her up after school.
"We get to bring her here about 7:15, 7:20, and then she's here up until school so that my wife can get to work on time," Kent said.
Without the program, Kent said the costs would add up quickly.
"We would have to look into like babysitting or, you know, hiring someone to pick her up, watch her until we get off of work, which would cost us even more money," Kent said.
Israel Alvarez helps run the SafeKey program. He said the later bell times caused a massive spike in morning attendance.
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"We've seen an upward of maybe 16 kids now in our program here specifically at Fong where we once only had six students in the mornings, so it's more than triple the amount of students," Alvarez said.
To keep up with demand, Alvarez said staffing had to grow as well.
"Before, we were able to only have two staff here, especially for the mornings and the afternoons," Alvarez said. "Now we're seeing four staff in the mornings, especially for those rise in numbers for the morning programs."
Alvarez said the program holds a personal connection for him.
"I grew up in SafeKey myself because my mom would work late until 5, 5:30 in the afternoons, and she needed a place, especially somewhere safe," Alvarez said.
For Kent, the new routine has already won over his daughter. She actually gets upset if he shows up early to pick her up.
"She actually looks forward to getting up in the mornings and coming, staying after school," Kent said.
SafeKey gives students a place to eat, do homework, play, and spend time with friends, while helping parents make the new school schedules work.
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