MountainStar Family Relief Nursery (MountainStar) kicks off the school year with themes of growth, commitment and gratitude in mind. As MountainStar staff look back at 21 years of service, continued growth has been essential to meet the needs of families across Central Oregon. Each year, they look at ways to better serve families and effectively expand their service area. Each year, they renew their commitment to the community to provide services to those families struggling the most — keeping kids safe and parents successful. They continually reflect on partners, funders and volunteers with gratitude.
Expanding services means more than just building new sites. It means having the staff and expertise to build trusting relationships with families which creates the opportunity for meaningful change. Today, MountainStar is excited to report that it’s doing both — building new classroom spaces and increasing staff capacity.
Redmond
MountainStar has talked a lot about Redmond over the past few years, and for good reason. In August 2020, MountainStar established a new site amid the pandemic. MountainStar recognized the risks during that time, but its commitment to Redmond families was more important.
As with other projects at MountainStar, this site started with gratitude. Funds from the Estate of Jean Thompson combined with a generous three-year commitment from a local couple, enabled MountainStar to purchase the Redmond property. This year the conversation returned to expansion through a unique partnership opportunity with American Rescue Plan Act funding from Deschutes County and Representative Zika’s office. MountainStar is thrilled to announce a second classroom opening this month. MountainStar Redmond Open house is scheduled for September 29 at 4:30pm located at 2724 SW Timber Ave.
La Pine
With almost a decade of outreach service experience in La Pine, MountainStar is establishing a permanent site with two therapeutic classrooms for families in South Deschutes County. This is MountainStar’s fifth site in Central Oregon, in addition to Bend, Redmond, Madras and Prineville, and has been made possible through funding from Deschutes County, United Way and Senator Knopp’s office in addition to private donations from several individuals and groups. Funds provided have covered most capital costs, and MountainStar is grateful for the opportunity to expand its services and reach more families. Later this year, MountainStar will look to the greater community to help finish setting up our high-quality therapeutic classrooms for La Pine babies and toddlers. Keep a look out for the ribbon cutting for MountainStar La Pine early in 2023.
Increased Staffing
MountainStar received a grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to support its outreach programs in Redmond, La Pine, Madras and Prineville. This grant will fund four new part-time outreach coordinator positions across Central Oregon and ensure MountainStar connects with families that have the greatest needs.
MountainStar also received funding from the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation to support a new program assistant position in Madras. This is one of five new positions that have been added to each of our locations. These new positions reflect MountainStar’s commitment to expanding services and lead Central Oregon’s efforts in providing trauma-informed care and building resilience in our community’s children.
Kara Tachikawa, MountainStar executive director, shares “We are grateful for the many partnerships that enabled this expansion of sites, services and staffing. The Central Oregon community exhibits a tremendous commitment to keep children safe and to give them the best start possible. With their continued support, MountainStar will remain a leader in early childhood care and help meet the needs of families that are struggling the most. It takes all of us working together to build hope for children and their families, and this hope can become the foundation for the future of our community. Thank you for your partnership.”
About Mountainstar Family Relief Nursery:
MountainStar Family Relief Nursery (mtstar.org) is a local nonprofit that provides child abuse and neglect prevention services for the most vulnerable children and families in Central Oregon. We are the only program in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook Counties providing therapeutic classrooms, parenting education services and family support targeted at protecting babies and toddlers who are at significant risk for abuse and neglect. We envision communities that support each parent’s effort to nurture their children’s emotional, physical and intellectual development in a safe environment.
Now in its 21st year, MountainStar has served 5,300 children and their families. We provide over 300 hours of direct family support each year and over 98 percent of children enrolled in our program remain safe from abuse and neglect.
