Pahrump youth summer program returns with games, sports and art

Parents looking for a summer place for children ages 6 to 12 had one answer in Pahrump: Pahrump Valley Youth Activities opened its six-week session at J.G. Johnson Elementary School. Director Christian Apolinar said the program is built for families that do not have access to babysitting, daycare or other child care, giving kids a structured place to spend the summer while school is out.

Inside the program, children moved through activity rooms designed to keep them engaged rather than idle. The lineup included an art room, a building room, a video game room, a board game room and a PE room, along with sports such as soccer and basketball. Apolinar said the setting also gives children from different parts of the community a chance to meet, socialize and build confidence in a shared space.

This summer marked a milestone for the program, which archival references place at a 2011 start, making 2026 its 15th season. That longevity matters in Pahrump, a community with a 2020 census population of 44,738 and part of Nye County, which the U.S. Census Bureau estimated at 57,336 residents in July 2025. In a rural county of that size, summer child care can be hard to find, and the need is still visible in other county services, including the Nye County School District’s Summer Food Service Program, which offers free meals to children and teens ages 2 to 18.

PVYA has filled that gap for years. In 2014, organizers said the program had reached capacity with about 170 children signed up. By 2017, it was running from May 28 through July 26 and had received a $10,000 donation from local businessman Tom Saitta. A 2019 update said the program was again at capacity, operating with trained staff at J.G. Johnson Elementary School in partnership with NyE Communities Coalition.

The program’s staying power also shows up in the people it sends back into the room. Some children who once attended later returned as staff members, giving PVYA a multigenerational pull that keeps the summer fixture tied to the town it serves. For Christian Apolinar, that continuity is part of the point: a safe, positive place where Pahrump children can play, learn and belong while families juggle work and the long summer break.