Relief Nurseries

What are Relief Nurseries?

Relief Nurseries seek to prevent the cycle of child abuse and neglect through early intervention that focuses on building successful and resilient children, strengthening parenting skills, and preserving families by offering comprehensive and integrated early childhood therapeutic and family support services. Relief Nursery services are available to children from birth through five and their families. Relief Nursery services are trauma-informed, non-stigmatizing, voluntary, strength-based, culturally responsive, and designed to achieve appropriate early childhood development and healthy and attached family functioning. Relief Nurseries are replicated through and certified by OARN.

How do Relief Nurseries support children and families?

TECP classrooms provide nurturing, culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate activities, and interactions. Classrooms promote the healthy development of children who have multiple stressors. The curriculum includes activities that focus on an individual child’s needs, determined goals, and social emotional development. Classroom teachers support families in their homes, with visits scheduled at least monthly.

Home Visiting

Home visits are a strength-based and family-focused approach which considers the unique needs of the child and the family’s goals. Visits promote healthy development, care,and support of the child in the context of the family, by providing parenting support and education; including child development and parent/child interactions.

Outreach Services offer immediate assistance to eligible families to help meet short-term needs and provide crisis response. The immediate goal is to ensure the safety of the children, provide support and constructive problem solving for the parents. Respite care is available to families in the Outreach Program and represents the same high standards of nurturing demonstrated in the Therapeutic Early Childhood Program.

Parenting Education

Parenting education and support is offered to all parents served by the Relief Nursery, through home visiting and/or groups, using an evidence-based curriculum that is appropriate to the needs of the family.

Relief Nurseries also provide transportation support for their services, crisis support, and supported referrals to other resources.

How do Relief Nurseries partner with ECE community?

Relief Nurseries partner with communities and organizations in their regions to outreach to eligible families. Relief Nurseries receive referrals from a variety of sources, from direct family calls to other organizations that serve young children. There is no income requirement for families: Families are eligible if they are experiencing at least five stressors on the Relief Nursery Family Stressor Checklist. Relief Nurseries work closely with families to provide families with choices for other resources or transitions into the next phase of their children’s journeys, such as preschool or kindergarten. Anyone working with parents of young children who are seeking support are encouraged to call their local Relief Nursery to get more information.

Oregon Association of Relief Nurseries

OARN supports, strengthens, and develops Oregon’s network of independent Relief Nurseries who maximize family resilience and prevent the abuse and neglect of young children. OARN provides training, support, certification and replication, and monitoring of Relief Nursery programs https://www.oregonreliefnurseries.org/