Stories featured in The Union

Refuge for troubled times
Nursery helps families in crisis deal with young kids

By Dave Moller
January 25, 2007

Have you ever wanted to be physical with your child because he or she just wouldn't be quiet during a family crisis?

What do you do when you and your spouse are in the emergency room and you need a place for your child to spend the night?

Have you ever had your day-care facility close without notice?

If you can relate to any of these questions, you could have used the KARE Crisis Nursery, a south Nevada County nonprofit that deals with kids up to 6 years old whose families are in a rough spot.

Executive Director Lynn Woerner said that many referrals come through the courts and involve parents mired in drugs who need a hand getting on their feet. But a lot of people who walk through the door are law-abiding, living comfortably and are in the middle of a marriage or personal crisis.

"I wish it was around when I had my kids," said Berni Strohbin, a trained senior child-care worker at the nursery. "I'm a good mom, but there were times I would have used it. You can come to the breaking point."

KARE Crisis Nursery is all about eliminating that breaking point, Woerner said.

"We prevent child abuse before it happens, and we connect (parents or guardians) to community services," Woerner said. "We've had homeless children, and we've helped moms through (drug) rehabilitation, watched their kids when they attended meetings."

One mother even used the discreet facility while she was in the federal witness protection program.

"She needed help with her kids while she got her (college) degree," Woerner said.

The nursery's almost always free services are in a nice home in a quiet neighborhood, staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can be used up to 30 days at a time in any six-month period.

The cut-off prevents people from leaving their children at the site forever, which has not happened yet, Woerner said. If a child stays for a period of days, the parents must contact them each day and visit every other day.

A lot of the families and children are referred to the nursery by doctors, clinics and Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Woerner said. The only people who pay are those in quick need of day care who drop by. They are asked to do so on a sliding scale.

All others in crisis don't have to pay, but the nursery can't just run on the vast amount of love shown and generated there. The nursery's original grant is drying up, and although Woerner will apply for more, she would like to see the community donate funds - along with the material goods.

"It costs a ton to run this place - $780 a day when we have six kids," Woerner said. "We don't want to rely on grants all the time, we want community involvement."

If you can't help with building and payroll expenses, you can donate your time and help with child care or even yard work, Woerner said. Volunteers need to pass a background check.

The facility has a large backyard that needs to be taken care. It has a bike path, a children's garden and an outdoor play room with lights.

Court-ordered visitations are also offered in a separate room of the facility by Clea Lassiter, the supervised visitation monitor. Supervised visitations suggested by any other agency or professional can also be dealt with at the facility.

The visits involve only one parent and are confidential, but Lassiter does take notes for the courts and the clients who may need the information down the line.

"We meet in this room or go outside," Lassiter said, and occasionally, she will meet the person at a neutral site.

Overall, "It's a home environment where the kids can be safe and the staff is trained in (dealing with) high-risk kids," Woerner said. "There's lots of reading and lots of nurturing."

To contact senior staff writer Dave Moller, e-ail, or call 477-4237.

Taking KARE of kids in times of need
Nursery to house youngsters when families are in crisis

BY DAVID MIRHADI
February 24, 2005

It's being billed as a place of tender loving care for children who, once they enter the doors of the remodeled two-story home, may need it the most.

Each of the three bedrooms at the new KARE Crisis Nursery has been decorated in a theme that sparks thoughts of joy, not of the troubles that led them there.

When it opens next month, the home near Nevada Union High School will be the first of its kind in Nevada County to serve children who need temporary shelter while their parents or guardians work through emergencies that require them to be away for extended periods of time.

For the backers of the Kids Assistance and Respite in Emergencies Nursery, next month's opening represents the culmination of a five-year journey and an important step in establishing a service that nearby communities have been providing for years.

"People have been excited about this for a long time, particularly the type of people I work with," said Mary Graebner, president of the nursery's board of directors and a Nevada County public health nurse.

Bringing your child to the nursery is voluntary and isn't meant to be punitive in any way, Graebner said.

"We're here to help parents get the services they need and make sure the children have a safe place to stay."

Making the two-story home into a safe and inviting place for six children took five years of fund raising, hundreds of hours of volunteer time and nearly $750,000 for construction and program costs, Graebner said.