End of year-round school presents challenges for parents

This month brought with it one of kids' favorite days of the year, the last day of school.

But for the parents of the Clark County School District's more than 300,000 students, it can be a challenge to keep children safe and occupied during the summer .

There also are more than 60,000 kids who used to be on a 12-month school schedule who will be out of class for the first time, as the district decided to eliminate year-round schedules.

For parents who are looking for options, here are some to consider:

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas and Henderson are a safe, inexpensive option for parents.

Ken Rubeli, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson, calls the clubs "the best-kept secret out there."

"With year-round schooling going away," Rubeli said, "we can fill the void. We're the perfect alternative."

Club hours vary, but many are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. They are available for kids of all grade levels, and annual membership fees begin at $10.

A typical day, Rubeli said, may include time in the game room playing foosball and ping pong, arts and crafts, kickball, lunch, a giant water balloon war outside, time in the computer lab and a club wide obstacle course competition.

Kids usually are grouped with others of the same age or grade level and are rotated to different activities throughout the day.

"It's basically a summer camp," Rubeli said, "where we encourage parents to leave their children with us all day. It's essentially as much fun as a sleep away camp but without the sleep over. We're doing the same sort of action-packed days."

Know what your kids are doing

Idle hands in summer also bring with them more crime, according to Lt. Ken Young of the CCSD P olice Department.

"We may see an increase in vandalism and burglaries," Young said. "With fewer youth job opportunities for young people, we could see a spike."

Young recommends that parents look into summer programming through recreation centers or faith-based entities as alternatives to leaving children home alone.

"The main thing is accountability," Young said. "Parents need to keep track of their kid's activity."

Keep kids reading during summer

Bridget Bilbray-Phillips, director of the School-Community Partnership Program for CCSD, said summer is a crucial time for a child's mental development and that it's important to keep kids' brains active, despite them being out of school.

"You want your kids reading or being read to," Bilbray-Phillips said. "You can lose a lot of academic ground in three months."

Phillips recommends taking the kids to libraries and museums if possible.

A great resource can be grandparents, Rubeli said. They get to spend time with the kids while parents are at work, and the parents can feel good knowing their children are with a caring adult.

Bilbray-Phillips, a former principal, most recently at Bilbray Elementary School, which was named for her father, James, credits her children's grandparents with making education fun during the summer.

The kids played math games with dice and cards, read and worked on puzzles all the time, Bilbray-Phillips said.

For more information about Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas, visit bgclv.org.

For more information about Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson, visit bgchenderson.org.

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 224-5524.