New Las Vegas nonprofit teaches children life skills

It’s all too common to enter adulthood and realize you’re struggling to manage your finances, fix things around the house and manage stress.

A new Las Vegas nonprofit aims to remedy those problems by giving children a head start on learning life skills.

Kiki’s Kids Corp. gained nonprofit status in July and is holding its first classes this spring at Black Mountain Recreation Center in Henderson. Starting this summer, the nonprofit also plans to offer classes in Las Vegas.

At Black Mountain Recreation Center, the nonprofit is offering multiple sessions for three classes: after-school life skills, kids’ business exploration and heart serenity. Most are geared toward ages 8-13.

Topics covered during the after-school life skills class — which runs Mondays through Fridays — include financial literacy, healthy eating, exercise, art and meditation. The kids’ business exploration class on Saturdays focuses on helping children start an age-appropriate business and market it.

Summerlin resident Taquisha Lloyd — founder of Kiki’s Kids Corp. — said she hopes to offer more classes in the future, such as a “man of the house” program that teaches children how to use power tools.

“That’s the one everyone loves,” she said.

Others include sewing, a junior CEO program, exercise and meditation, healthy eating, art and a “becoming me” program.

Monaye Marcia — a life coach and mother of two — leads the heart serenity workshops, with two sections (ages 5-15, and 16 and older). As of early February, no one had registered.

According to the class description: “Participants will be taught how to regulate heart rhythms with the goal of aligning the heart with the mind and emotions. The benefits of achieving this alignment are improved mental clarity and reduce stress and anxiety.”

‘Journey to self-discovery’

Lloyd said the idea for Kiki’s Kids Corp. came about on her “journey to self-discovery.”

Lloyd, who’s originally from Chicago, said she was struggling with depression and wanted to figure out what to do with her life. She knew she was interested in teaching.

She said family members were also dealing with health issues, and she wanted to learn about natural ways to heal their bodies.

Lloyd and her family moved to Las Vegas 1½ years ago seeking a new environment. She home-schools her three children, ages 12, 10 and 9.

One day, while meditating, she visualized a nonprofit called Kiki’s Kids Corp. where children learn life skills.

It was a vivid experience, she said.

“I was in it. I was there.”

The next day, she started the process of registering with the IRS and Nevada Secretary of State.

Lloyd is now working on growing the organization. And as a mother, she oversees her children’s projects: making investments — including in stocks — and her daughter’s business of making and selling lip gloss and body butter.

Those are life skills she hopes instill in other children, too.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.

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