Impact & Leadership

“We will be forever grateful for the Yolo Crisis Nursery. My daughter totally came out of her shell. She transformed into a sassy, confident two-year-old. We view the Yolo Crisis Nursery as family. Thank you!”

– Yolo Crisis Nursery Mom

Our Impact

The Yolo Crisis Nursery’s mission is to provide early intervention services in a safe environment to nurture healthy and resilient children, strengthen parents and preserve families.

Key measures of the Yolo Crisis Nursery’s impact in 2021/2022 include:

• 2,371 Safe Stays for at-risk children
• 3,296 Care Packages distributed to the community
• 836 Children were served last year by the Nursery
• Launched the Brighter Tomorrows Campaign to build a new, larger, home for the Nursery.

2021-2022 Impact Report

The Yolo Crisis Nursery Leadership Team

Heather Sleuter, Executive Director

Heather lives the mission of the Nursery every day. She has been protecting children and preserving families for over 20 years. Since joining the Yolo Crisis Nursery in 2007, Heather has built numerous programs to save more children from abuse and neglect, to provide additional crisis resolution services for families, and to offer parent education and support. Heather is tireless in her efforts to help families, and she has built several partnerships with other social service organizations in Yolo County.  

Heather supervises all three Yolo Crisis Nursery Licenses – Respite Care, Daycare, and Preschool. She leads all Nursery operations including programming, staff management and training, budgeting, and compliance.  

Heather is highly credentialed. She is trained in trauma-informed care, holds her Program Director permit, and is a California Commission on Teacher Credentialing in Child Development. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services Management from the University of Phoenix and has a master’s degree in counseling.

Yolo Crisis Nursery Board of Directors

Yolo Crisis Nursery opened in 2001 and became an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2014. Our board of directors is an active and involved group of volunteers that provide guidance, governance, and oversight for Yolo Crisis Nursery’s mission, operations, and program effectiveness. The board of directors all come from a variety of backgrounds and represent communities throughout Yolo County.