Tackling the child care desert: Smart Start preschool opens in Carson City
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Tue, 01/16/2024 - 12:15pm
If you ask what some of the biggest issues caregivers and parents of small children are currently facing in the Silver State, there is one answer above all else: The lack of affordable childcare and preschool.
In our region alone, there are nearly 2,000 children under school age who don’t have access to affordable daycare according to the most recent Childcare Policy Report.
This is due to a lack of childcare facilities, which drives the prices up for those that are operating. Many parents say they are paying more for childcare than they do for their rent and utilities combined, and 79 percent of rural families lack access to affordable childcare.
The Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada in Carson City has taken on a new way to address this issue: Smart Start.
The Smart Start preschool center begins operations today, Tuesday, at their campus on Russell Way.
The preschool will be able to serve around 40 children ages 3 to 6 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There is currently a ratio of 1:12 teachers to students, and curriculum is driven from the Nevada Department of Educations’ Pre-Kindergarten Standards.
Lunch is provided, along with snack time. Potty training is required.
The cost is $192 per week or $768 per month, and subsidized childcare is accepted.
“The mission of BGCWN Smart Start is to provide an age-appropriate environment that meets the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs and abilities of each child,” a spokesperson for SmartStart wrote. “In doing so, we seek to inspire and enable the healthy development of all young children, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential in life.”
For those with children younger than preschool age who are also looking for affordable childcare, the Boys and Girls Club is also working on opening a facility on Mountain Street which will be able to provide care to around 100 children ages 6 months to 5 years.
You can learn more about that proposed facility here.
Interested in enrolling with Smart Start? New enrollments are still being accepted. Go here to apply.
