Our History
In 1978, the Junior League of Minneapolis conducted research on child abuse and neglect in the Minneapolis area. They found that overstressed parents had no place to bring their children when they needed a respite from child care. To fill this need, the League and partnering community groups established the first crisis nursery in the state of Minnesota - opening our doors in 1983 to shelter six children per day. In 1999, we established a new location in Golden Valley, and opened a second shelter in South Minneapolis in May 2004.
However, due to drastic cuts in both public and private funding, the Nursery has been operating at a deficit. This June our Board of Directors made the decision to temporarily consolidate all administrative and program services at the Golden Valley shelter, and to reduce services to 14 children per night. As we raise the funds needed, we will increase services accordingly. Our highest priority is to serve as many children and families as possible. The need in our community for a safe place for children and support for parents in crisis is greater than ever: Last year, the Nursery was forced to turn away more than twice as many children as we were able to place. Today, with adequate funding, the Nursery could shelter up to 42 children per day.
After 25 years, Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery remains the only residential crisis nursery in the state of Minnesota, and one of only 20 in the nation. We remain committed, through challenging economic times, to supporting and strengthening families in our community, and preventing child abuse and neglect.
Our Impact
During the past 25 years the Nursery has:
- Provided more than 107,000 days of care to children
- Managed over 68,000 crisis calls
- Provided more than 51,000 referrals
- Sheltered more than 40,000 children
- Provided crisis counseling to more than 20,000 families
Sometimes applying a face to statistics like those above can be difficult. We invite you to check out just a small sampling of the feedback we have received from the families we serve.
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