Nevada's 24-Hour Child Care Centers Drop to 35 Amid Shift Work Surge

Nevada operates as a state where many residents work outside standard business hours, yet the formal infrastructure to support their families during those hours has contracted sharply. The state currently has 35 licensed child care centers open around the clock, down from 71 in 2018.

The reduction in overnight providers is stark across the state’s regions. Twenty-six of the remaining 24-hour centers are located in Southern Nevada, while only nine remain in Northern Nevada. Rural and mining communities, including Elko, have very few or no formal options for overnight care.

This decline occurs as more families require care during nights and weekends. A 2021 Urban Institute analysis found that 44 percent of Nevada children under age six have parents working non-traditional hours, a figure second only to Mississippi and well above the national average of 36 percent. Among low-income families, half of children and 70 percent of children with single parents have parents working these hours.

Las Vegas holds the highest share of employees on such shifts among the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas. A 2022 analysis placed that share at 10.3 percent, representing approximately 112,000 people. The statewide rate stood at 9.5 percent, compared to a national average of nearly 6 percent.

Providers face financial and staffing hurdles that often force them to reduce hours. Chelsea Sliter, director of family resources at Reno-based nonprofit Children’s Cabinet, noted that requests for overnight care have risen over the past two to three years. Many licensed centers close at night because low enrollment and high staffing costs make the shift unsustainable. Molly Moser, a public information officer for the state’s child care licensing department, identified low enrollment as the primary reason centers cut back their schedules.

Glaiza Giron, a home-based provider in Northern Nevada, has operated 24 hours a day for two decades. She charges $65 per day, a rate that Children’s Cabinet subsidizes by $40 for eligible families. Giron stated that she can only stay awake for two consecutive nights before handing over to her licensed husband. She said, "No me puedo agotar," explaining that the work is physically demanding.

Employers rarely offer direct support for this need. A 2023 state survey found that only 5.5 percent of Nevada companies provide on-site child care, with most citing cost and legal risk as barriers. Sliter said that closing the gap in overnight care options will require additional state funding, including higher reimbursement rates for providers and technical support for licensing, changes that likely require legislative action.