Safekey can assist parents, aid students with learning

Teresa Hinds

Thursday, Aug. 21, 1997 | 10:53 a.m.

As any working parent will attest, back-to-school preparations don't end with shopping trips for school supplies and calls to the school district transportation department for bus schedules.

No. There's that nagging little detail of what to do with the kids early in the morning when both parents have to be at work by 8 a.m. but the kids don't have to be at school until 9 a.m.

And what do you do about that three- or four-hour lag in the afternoons, after the school dismissal bell rings and before quitting time at the office?

For thousands of families, the option is Safekey, a before-school and after-school care program run by the Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City and Clark County parks and recreation departments.

According to Bobbi Allen, a recreation field supervisor for the city of Las Vegas, about 6,500 students in the Clark County School District are expected to enroll in the Safekey program this year.

She said the children come from all types of families.

"We don't have a typical or average family customer," Allen said. "We have families that have one child with both parents working, single parents with two or three children, families from schools that have their Safekey program supported entirely through grants, children living in housing supported by the housing authority and alternative families," she said.

"But the biggest group we serve is probably the dual-working or single-parent household."

The Safekey program offers on-site before-school supervision for students from 7 a.m. until about 8:45 a.m.

Sandwiched between an afternoon snack time and recreational activities is a 45-minute homework assistance session for all students enrolled in the after-school session.

"We work very closely with the Clark County School District, so if a child needs extra assistance or help, we can work directly with the classroom teacher," Allen said.

Even students who pull the no-homework scheme have to participate. They're given reading assignments or worksheets.

At least one of the employees working with kids is apt to be a school district employee. Allen said school principals are usually the first contacts made when staffing the Safekey program, for referrals of interested teachers and other school employees.

"After that we work with (UNLV) and try to get education or physical education majors," Allen said, adding that moms entering or re-entering the work force and retirees also fill out the staffing pool.

School Board member Mary Beth Scow said the Henderson Parks and Recreation Deparment has been especially cooperative in accommodating the community's Safekey needs.

Sue Weakland, a field supervisor for the Henderson program, said that city expects an enrollment of about 2,000 this year, compared with about 1,800 last year, adding that the program enrollment has "increased dramatically over the past five years."

Weakland said Safekey's enrollment typically doubles at schools on double sessions.

She attributes the program's growth to the valley's population boom and the trend of both parents working.

"We are growing but more and more people are going back to work now," Weakland observed.

Allen said there is talk about expanding all Safekey program hours, but additional hours are decided on a site-by-site basis.

Fees for the program are based on the number of days a child attends the program but the basic fee is $12 per week per child attending five days a week in the mornings and an additional $26 per week per child attending five days of afternoon sessions. Discounts are given for families with more than one child enrolled.

Program fees are doubled at schools on double session, Allen said, to pay costs for the extended hours of operation.

Scholarships are available for families that cannot afford the fees.