An Extraordinary Year!

Last year, the growing need for our services, was immense. We served more children than ever before in the Nursery’s history. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and pride that as a team we worked tirelessly, committed to keeping children safe, while never losing sight of our mission.

The Crisis Nursery’s programs don’t just protect children and help their families survive — they help families thrive. Last year, we saw growth in all nine of our programs. During my 16 years as executive director, we have seen tremendous resiliency of the children and families we serve as they cope with the intensifying burdens of poverty, housing insecurity, food shortages, and mental health challenges. 

In the last year, the Crisis Nursery provided 2,962 Safe Stays this is more than ever before in a single year. Cumulatively across our Safe Stays and Wraparound Services Programs we served 1,041 children and their families last year.

The Yolo Crisis Nursery Safe Stays Program keeps children well cared for while our wraparound services ensure families have the resources needed on their journey to independence. This powerful combination resulted in 97% of families referred to us by Child Welfare Services remaining intact and did not have their child removed.

Rising costs have made it difficult for parents working full-time to live in Yolo County and provide for their families. My heart breaks when hard-working families struggle with impossible questions like, do I pay rent or buy groceries this month and how do I get to work when I have no money for gas?  

Last year, the nursery distributed 5,212 care packages filled with essentials like diapers, wipes, formula, food, clothing, or a gift card for gas when needed. These care packages help families care for their children when they are faced with unexpected hardship and impossible choices. We could not have provided all these care packages without the support and generosity of our community. Thank you, to all in our community who generously donated. Your generosity is making a BIG difference in the lives of children in our community.

With growth in every Yolo Crisis Nursery program last year, the need for the Nursery’s services has outgrown our small rental house, which we have called home for more than 20 years. We are elated to announce the culmination of our Brighter Tomorrows Campaign and ceremonial groundbreaking on a new, larger home on Oct. 12.

With unwavering determination, Jane Eadie, capital campaign chairperson and the Capital Campaign Cabinet rallied our community, inspiring the compassion and support necessary to construct a new, expansive haven that will empower us to triple our capacity for our community’s most vulnerable children and families. 

While we await the opening of our new facility in 2025, The Yolo Crisis Nursery aims to serve more children and families in their own home environment through the growth of our Mobile Client Navigator, Family Life Skills and ABC Programs. We will also be dedicated to expanding our infrastructure and programs, ensuring that we can better serve the children who rely on us.   

We recognize that our achievements would not have been possible without the incredible support of our community, Thank you! With your continued support, we are confident that we will remain a beacon of hope, and a sanctuary for vulnerable children for years to come. 

If you would like to learn more about the Yolo Crisis Nursery or get involved, please visit our website at yolocrisisnursery.org or join us for our annual Barn Dance on Oct. 21. 

The Barn Dance is a lively event that brings our community together for an evening of outdoor fun, live music, and dancing under the lights of Davis Central Park. Come and dance the night away to one of the hottest modern country cover bands — MoonShine Crazy — performing live! Tickets for the Barn Dance are $25 and will be available for purchase in mid-September. 

The Yolo Crisis Nursery is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for children and families in turmoil. Our services are free of charge, voluntary, and we do not turn away any children. Every family the Yolo Crisis Nursery serves is different, but each one is in crisis and all need aid, having little or no support systems of their own.

The nursery helps families keeps their young, vulnerable children safe and parents resolve their immediate crises. As families complete our programs, the nursery continues to work with and follow families for one year to ensure that they successfully transition out of crisis, the children remain safe, and the family stays whole. To donate or learn more, please visit yolocrisisnursery.org. 

— This article was written by Heather Sleuter, executive director of Yolo Crisis Nursery. It originally appeared in the Davis Enterprise on August 27, 2023.