LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A handful of local families are scrambling to find childcare after Milestone Family Solutions, one of the Las Vegas Valley’s few inclusive after-school programs for children with special needs, closed its doors due to financial hardship.
Owner Staci Frazier said a drop in grant funding paired with broader economic pressures on families forced the closure.
“Unfortunately, I think the economy is what hurt us the most,” Frazier said.
For local parents of nonverbal autistic children, Milestone provided a rare, supportive environment that traditional providers could not accommodate.
“I believe that a typical childcare, it would have been very disruptive. He would have needed more one-on-one attention. He does have loud outbursts when he’s not being understood,” Violetta Taing, a mother of an autistic child enrolled in Milestone, said.
Frazier says Milestone strived to be fully inclusive and was keenly aware of the limitations of other providers in the area.
“All diagnoses. Verbal, nonverbal. If you’re in a pull-up, we’ll help you go to the bathroom. That’s inclusive,” she said.
Finding comparable care elsewhere will be an uphill battle, advocates warn.
A 2024 survey of nearly 280 programs conducted by the Nevada Afterschool Network found that less than 20% have the capacity to care for children with severe disabilities.
Kendra Gipson with the NAN said that while many programs aim to be inclusive, most fall short due to training deficits and staffing constraints, especially when a child requires a dedicated one-on-one shadow.
According to Gipson, the crisis comes down to a lack of designated state funding, which forces providers to compete for scarce resources.
“The only federal dedicated funding for after-school is 21st Century funding, but it’s limited, and it’s highly competitive as well,” Gipson said.
While Frazier is currently offering limited care out of her home, she is actively working to fundraise and secure a permanent residential property.
“A house setting would allow us to not just care for the kids, but now we can teach them in each room how to basic living skills,” she said.
Frazier is fundraising to reopen the center. For more information, visit: Community Creates Change | Mfs Nevada
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