LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When children aren't able to safely live at home with biological parents, the foster care system steps in to help. This month's Vegas Stronger Champion, Jayne Rovianek of Foster Change, makes sure foster kids and foster families have the support they need. She brings decades of experience to advocate for the foster community, and furthermore, she's currently a foster parent to three teenagers.
"There are so many children that need a home," Rovianek tells Channel 13, "all children deserve a home." She adds, "What you pour into a child, that child will have whether that child lives with you, or if they go back to their relatives."
Clark County has about 600 licensed foster care homes but many more foster kids.
"We always have, on average, 3,000 children in care at any time, and we don't have enough homes ready to take those children in," explains Cindy Tarrant, who also works at Foster Change.
While becoming a foster parent is a big ask, she says there are lots of ways to help.
"If you don't feel called to provide foster care yourself, find someone who's already doing the work and support them. Be a friend, lend an ear, bring a meal, offer babysitting. There's always ways to help," Tarrant says.
"We want to make sure people know that this is not easy work, but it's heart work," Rovianek said as she was honored as a Vegas Stronger Champion.
For her heart work, and hard work, professionally and personally, Jayne received a $599 check from Findlay Automotive Group's Jeff Giles.
"We want to highlight you as our Vegas Stronger Champion for the work that you're doing for foster kids, and personally having three foster teenagers right now, it's just an incredible thing," Giles said as he presented the check, adding "it highlights the best of the people of Las Vegas."
Championing on behalf of foster children is what Jayne Rovianek is all about.
"It's enabling children to live their best lives. And hopefully, the fact is that if they return home, that they will take those skills that they learned in your home, and be able to take that as they go on and become adults," she says.
In addition to helping foster families in day-to-day struggles, Foster Change is focused on advocating for more mental health funding in Nevada's 2025 legislative session. They explain that lack of timely mental health care is one of the biggest disruptions for foster families.
Here's a list of local foster care support groups that are sponsored by the Department of Family Services as well as other local foster support organizations.
