Nonprofits outline early‑childhood, food and health resources for North Las Vegas families

At its Nov. 3 meeting, the North Las Vegas Education Advisory Committee heard five nonprofit organizations describe services aimed at supporting families and children across the city.

Julie Helgens of United Way of Southern Nevada described the Nevada Ready State Pre‑K Tuition Scholarships, a program that offers free tuition for qualifying 4‑year‑olds at participating private child‑care centers. "United Way supports the Nevada Ready State Pre K Tuition Scholarships, which is a free tuition scholarship for qualifying 4‑year‑old children," Helgens said, adding that the program uses 2024 tax documents for income verification, follows Clark County School District age rules and offers income waivers for children with active IEPs and English‑language learners. She said the program has about 1,900 seats across Southern Nevada and runs through June 30.

Project 150 community outreach manager Stacy Chapter summarized free services for high‑school students, including on‑site boutiques where students can pick clothing and hygiene kits, weekly food distributions and scholarships. "We are now in 84 high schools," Stacy said, noting the group distributes several hundred meal bags weekly and provided 2,000 holiday food boxes over Thanksgiving and Christmas in past years. Committee members asked about donations and logistics; Stacy said most clothing donations are women's but the program especially needs full‑size male clothing and accepts gently used items (not socks or underwear). A volunteer, Araya Ramos, said her group is fundraising to collect supplies for Project 150.

Steven Flores, CEO of Hope Christian Health Center, described the federally qualified health center network serving North Las Vegas. "We see about 2,900 patients a month," Flores said, adding that roughly 70% of those patients are at or below 150% of the poverty level and that the clinics provide sliding‑fee charges, discounted pharmacy options and behavioral‑health and substance‑abuse services. Flores said the center operates three clinics plus mobile units and will accept uninsured patients with alternative payment arrangements when necessary.

Kelly Maxwell, CEO and executive director of Baby's Bounty, described an 18‑year nonprofit that provides baby bundles (cribs, car seats and supplies), operates the region's consistent diaper bank with a North Las Vegas distribution that serves as many as 900 families, and runs mobile diaper banks throughout Clark County. "We've provided over 12,000 of those baby bundles since our inception," Maxwell said, and she noted Baby's Bounty is preparing to expand formula distribution through partnerships with food‑assistance programs.

Erica, a social‑work intern with Fuente de Vida Mental Health Services, outlined bilingual, culturally responsive therapy available in‑person and via telehealth, free walk‑in assessments at the Dolores Huerta Resource Center and crisis support that can include accompaniment to hospitals. "We provide both in person and telehealth therapy, both in English and Spanish," Erica said, and she described a parents' workshop beginning the following week.

Staff member Wilson Ramos closed the presentations by underscoring outreach channels and announcing a food distribution at the Veterans and Community Resource Center from 9 a.m. to noon the following day; he said staff had to turn away about 100 people at an earlier distribution. "We sincerely appreciate" the nonprofits' participation, Ramos said.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved the meeting agenda for Nov. 3, 2025 (motion by Stephanie Johnson; second by Kim Spurlock) and approved the consent agenda (minutes from Aug. 4, 2025) on a motion by Kim Spurlock and second by Charice Coleman; the chair called both voice votes and declared the motions carried.

The committee will continue coordinating liaison connections between schools and the nonprofits discussed, and staff invited members to direct follow‑up questions to the outreach center.