DAHLSTROM HOUSE: Children six through eleven years. Food, clothing and loving care provided in a homelike environment. Average stay is 2 days. We can have up to six "small guests" at any time. Parents are required to contact children by phone or in person every other day. FREE, voluntary and confidential.

RESPITE: Available to families with children birth through age five after the crisis if needed or when stress and/or the lack of a support network are main reasons for admission. 48 hour (two day) stay once a month for up to six months, renewable on a case by case basis. Parents must drop their children off and pick them up on time and follow other program rules in order to continue using Respite Care. While younger siblings are at the Nursery for Respite, older children may stay at Dahlstrom House provided there is an opening.

CASE MANAGEMENT: Parents work with case managers to develop an action plan to resolve or alleviate the crisis or stress. Staff provides referrals to other services - e.g. substance abuse treatment, housing/shelter programs, domestic violence counseling, mental health counseling, parenting classes, drop in daycare, job training, assistance programs, etc. Parents must work their plan in order to continue using BACN services.

PARENT PANTRY: Limited resources - what we have we share - food, diapers, children's clothing and toys, toiletries, household items, phone cards. AVAILABLE ONLY TO PARENTS USING THE NURSERY'S CRISIS OR RESPITE PROGRAMS.

CRITERIA: For parents or guardians who care but temporarily can't cope. We serve children birth through age eleven. Person admitting the children must have legal custody of child. No geographic or income limitation. Minimum stay: 24 hours. Maximum stay: 30 days. Parent or legal guardian must bring child in and fill out basic paperwork. We will discuss with you the situation that brings you to the Nursery, basic information about your child: allergies, medications, dietary restrictions, habits, bedtime/mealtime routines, favorite toys, games, books, etc. We want to make your child comfortable while they are visiting with us. We are not equipped to serve children with severe medical, emotional or behavioral issues.

HOW TO REFER: Parent or legal guardian must call the Nursery first. A case worker can call for information, but we must talk directly to the parent or legal guardian to set up the admission. Parents are welcome to tour the Nursery beforehand, but cannot bring their children until they are ready to admit them.

HISTORY: The Bay Area Crisis Nursery (BACN) was started in 1981 by Sister Ann Weltz. Sister Ann believed that child abuse and neglect need not ever occur if children had a safe haven when their parents temporarily couldn't cope. As a teacher in two very different economic areas in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lafayette/Orinda and West Oakland, Sister Ann noticed that families in both areas had crises and stresses that rendered them temporarily unable to cope with caring for their children. They couldn't focus on solving the problem and adequately care for their children at the same time. Sister Ann discovered the crisis nursery model for tackling this issue when she worked for a summer at Casa De Los Ninos in Tucson, Arizona. Determined to bring the same program to California, she finished one more year of teaching and returned to Casa de los Ninos. After two years, she returned to the Bay Area and began knocking on doors looking for a house and support for the program. She found a house in Concord that could pass all the necessary inspections and raised over $300,000 to start the Nursery. From its first admission in 1981 BACN has grown to over 1,000 admissions annually, with two homes for children and a budget over $900,000.