Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2017-2018 | Page 112

n
Success story
Saving
Families,
one child at a time
YOLO CRISIS NURSERY
PROVIDES A SAFE,
TEMPORARY HOME
FOR CHILDREN
DURING FAMILY CRISIS
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CAPITAL REGION CARES 2017 | comstocksmag.com
BY Cherise Henry PHOTOS: Kelly Barr
K
aren Adams, Yolo Crisis Nurs-
ery board member and interim
coordinator of marketing and
communications, tells a story
about a woman named Mi-
chelle. Michelle was about to give birth
to her second child and, having recently
fled her abusive husband, brought her
4-year-old son to Yolo Crisis Nursery for
24-hour care during her hospitalization.
She later returned to the hospital to treat
severe complications from her labor and
delivery, at which time the nursery took
in both of her children to provide respite
care, and helped to find Michelle a job
and housing. Once employed, her new
wages didn’t cover childcare for two chil-
dren, so she qualified for ongoing care in
the nursery’s specialized infant program
and preschool.
Today, Michelle and her young fam-
ily are thriving, thanks in large part to
the nursery — a nonprofit organization
that provides a safe, temporary home for
children during times of extreme family
crisis.
The nursery offers a cozy three-bed-
room home in Davis that can accommo-
date four children, up to age 5, overnight
and 12 during the day. Trained support
staff, with smiles and hugs on-the-ready,
are onsite 24/7 for children and families
in need.
Adams says what makes the nursery
unique in California is that it holds three
licenses: crisis and respite care, infant
day care (ages 0-2) and preschool (ages
3-5). The nursery can therefore care for
children of families in immediate cri-
sis, and continue to provide ongoing