MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is a child abuse and neglect prevention nonprofit serving vulnerable families in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook Counties. The program focuses on families with babies and toddlers because the first few years of life are the most critical in terms of brain development. If that development is impeded because of a child’s traumatic experiences, it can affect his/her entire life.
The families MountainStar serves live with an average of eighteen stressors that put children in danger of being abused, neglected or subject to toxic stress. Those risk factors include homelessness, poverty, parental incarceration or substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence and more. Parenting is hard enough; imagine all of those extra challenges piled on top!
MountainStar’s specially trained staff intervene on behalf of young children in these situations and help the family address the root cause of problems. Parents get help developing positive caregiving skills as well as the confidence and motivation to make constructive changes.
Babies and toddlers come to MountainStar for therapeutic classes where they can learn, play and grow on a path toward healthy development.
Families also receive home visits, parent coaching, mental health therapy and basic needs support (food, diapers, clothing).
MountainStar’s prevention efforts have been shown to decrease the incidence of abuse within a family by 70 percent in just six months! Through the help of donors, business partners and community volunteers, MountainStar is able to offer crisis intervention and healing to over 450 families who reach out voluntarily for help each year.
You can get involved and add to our prevention efforts! Here are some ways to get started:
* Come for a tour of MountainStar’s therapeutic classrooms
* Spread the word about the local effort to prevent child abuse
* Volunteer with youngsters or help with office/fundraising projects
* Become a Fairy GodParent to give directly to a local child
* Donate to MountainStar – funding and wish list items are vital
* Attend an event: Carving For Kids, Annual Luncheon, Birdies4Babies
To sign up for the above opportunities or to learn more about MountainStar’s mission, call 541-322-6820 or visit mtstar.org.
