Meet Arzelia (CARE House #6)

About the property

This home sits on a corner lot in a beautiful and quiet neighborhood of Las Vegas. The primary child care area joins the former master bath to a family room via new French doors and boasts an attached bathroom, direct access to the outdoor space, and direct visibility from the kitchen. The large backyard now has a beautiful shade structure, and the turf is perfect for outdoor play.

About the provider

Born and raised in California, Arzelia’s career in child care began as a recreational assistant in a preschool setting with the local department of parks and recreation, where she quickly discovered her love of working with children.

Arzelia honed her skills at an in-home daycare in Los Angeles under the guidance of Sandra Phillips, a registered nurse who opened a special needs daycare center, quickly becoming Sandra’s “main go-to person” and effectively managing many aspects of the child care business. When Sandra retired, the families, recognizing Arzelia’s talents and expertise, asked her to care for their children at her home.

Arzelia got licensed for child care in California, where she successfully ran a child care home for 10 years. Seeking a change of scenery and a fresh start after becoming pregnant with her daughter, Arzelia moved to Las Vegas, hoping to replicate this model.

In Las Vegas, however, Arzelia encountered housing-related challenges. Homeowners Association (HOA) restrictions prevented her from obtaining a license for in-home daycare and limited her to operating as a Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) provider with a maximum of four children. Despite neighbors’ support for having additional child care in the community, the president of the HOA, who lived next door to Arzelia, created further difficulties, going so far as to place sharp rocks in her yard to deter children from going near.

These obstacles made it financially unsustainable for Arzelia to continue. She enrolled in pre-licensing training with Wonderschool, which helped pave the way for licensing; however, lacking a house where she was allowed to provide licensed care remained an obstacle. Arzelia then connected with Care Access Real Estate® (CARE).

“If not for CARE, I would have moved back to California,” says Arzelia. “But I was determined to pursue my dream in Las Vegas.”

Receiving the call about being matched with a property through CARE came at the perfect time, just a week before her apartment lease was up and around the holidays.

“It felt like a Christmas gift for me and my daughter,” Arzelia recalls. “The house was perfect and had everything I always wanted: an island in the kitchen, double doors to divide the kitchen and dining room, dedicated classroom spaces, and an amazing backyard for parent engagement and family picnics. I love having a clear separation between my work and personal life.”

Arzelia earned a four-star rating from Nevada’s child care rating system, a testament to her dedication and the quality of care she provides.

About Care Access Real Estate®

Care Access Real Estate® (CARE) purchases properties in areas without enough quality child care to support local families, renovates them into ideal spaces for licensable, quality care, and leases them to providers who have completed a vetting process with local partners. CARE’s national portfolio of commercial and residential properties is specifically designed to expand quality child care and help unlock the full potential and aspirations of center- and home-based providers.

Disclosure: The experiences of Arzelia, a current CARE provider tenant, are shared above. No compensation was provided in connection with the experiences shared.