2024 SPRING NEWSLETTER
MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is on a mission: we want all our community’s children to thrive, and we know that is no small feat!
MountainStar has been serving Central Oregon families for 23 years and a lot of our success is due to the unwavering commitment of our community. People who join MountainStar in this work develop a deeper understanding of family stressors that may lead to abuse. Once we understand those stressors, we can work upstream and approach families with trauma-informed, therapeutic services designed to break cycles of abuse and open doors to new opportunities for children and their parents.
We know that families confront big barriers – housing insecurity, mental health struggles, isolation, and addiction – and we remain engaged in those spaces to better support the families MountainStar serves. We believe every child deserves the best start possible. And we know that a strong start for babies and toddlers has a positive impact on our community for many years to come.
This spring, we are excited to bring you closer to our work. We are eager for you to develop a deeper understanding of the long-term impact of our services. We invite you to Walk With a Child on April 30. We’re producing new materials to illustrate the path of a child that walks through life With MountainStar or Without MountainStar. We serve children 0-5 years old and their healthy start at MountainStar remains present throughout their lives. Take a sneak peek on the next page!
After the event, these materials will be made available to the wider community. Maybe you are a local business and would like to educate your staff and customers around early intervention programs and how they ensure our community’s children thrive. Perhaps your faith community would like to focus on increasing awareness for child abuse prevention and get a closer look at potential outcomes for children and their families. We are excited to share this with you!
MountainStar pledges to be a continued leader in our community – raising awareness for prevention services that support families and keep children safe from abuse and neglect. We will continue to seek avenues and push conversations that drive lasting change. We will uphold our values to provide compassionate, non-judgmental care and continue to advocate on behalf of vulnerable families in our community.
Thank you for prioritizing the safety of children!
Thank you for your ongoing partnership!
HOME VISITING
0-2 YEARS
A family welcomes a new baby, which should be a happy event. But the family faces extreme stress due to housing insecurity, insu cient income, and/or lack of local friends and family.
Without MountainStar
Family members have a lot to do and a lot to worry about which leads to the baby’s needs getting pushed to the side. Sometimes baby's cries go unanswered, other times there is a lot of yelling, so no one hears baby. The child is experiencing neglect.
With MountainStar
Family members have a lot to worry about, but thanks to home visits from a MountainStar sta member, they have someone on their side to help them figure things out. They have help getting access to resources, and they learn that baby grows best when their cries, coos, looks and gestures are answered - so they do their best to answer. Baby has a good start in spite of challenging circumstances.
THERAPEUTIC CLASSROOMS 2-5 YEARS
The baby has grown into a spirited young child. The child has learned a new skill - how to "talk back" and say no. The family needs someone to watch their child during appointments and other times.
Without MountainStar With MountainStar
Because childcare is too expensive, the family chooses a neighbor who seems nice enough, but mostly just sits the child in front of the TV. When the child "talks back", the neighbor washes their mouth with soap. The parents just follow what their own parents did - slap the child's mouth. No one notices that the child can't grip a pencil or crayon. The child turns five but isn't ready for kindergarten.
Since the family is involved in MountainStar, they know they can schedule appointments while their child is in the Therapeutic Classroom program and it's free! In ongoing home visits and conferences with the teachers, they learn that "talking back" and saying no are normal, healthy development, so they respond calmly with redirection. MountainStar's well - trained sta notice that the child can't grip a writing instrument, so the child gets an assessment for specialized services to support their fine motor skills. The child and their family are ready to enter public school.
Home Visiting
Each family receives up to 4 home visits per month. Service includes: parental guidance, emotional and goal setting support, basic needs supplies, and connection to additional resources.
Therapeutic Classrooms
Children attend therapeutic classroom sessions twice each week where sta provide a safe, trauma-informed environment to give children the best start possible. Service includes: developmental assessments, child directed play, and facilitated learning experiences for social emotional skills, healthy attachment, coping skills, and problem solving strategies.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT FUTURE
The child becomes an adult with childhood experiences setting the trajectory for the rest of their life. While the future is not written in stone...
Without MountainStar
As an adult, the person is more likely to have lower educational achievement, lower lifetime income, and lower relationship satisfaction. They have a higher chance of developing physical and mental health issues, self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, or engaging in criminal activity. It will take a very large personal investment of time and energy (and likely a large public investment) to help this person get back on track to a long, healthy, productive life.
PARENT EDUCATION
5-11 YEARS
The child has become an elementary school student and sometimes has a hard time following directions. The family receives several notes that were sent home indicating poor behavior.
Without MountainStar With MountainStar
Family members feel fed up with receiving notes, but they also don't want to get scolded by the teacher, so they avoid school conferences. The family tries various consequences and punishments to make the child do better. As the disconnect between school and home grows, the child continues to struggle. The punishments at home get more severe, but their grades get worse and the child starts to feel like a failure.
Family members remember what they learned in monthly parent education sessions at MountainStar: children are trying to do their best, and it is the adult's role to provide support. They also learned how to advocate for what their child and family needs, so they start weekly check-ins with the teacher. The family sets a daily homework time to support the child and help the child set goals for classroom behavior. When the child does well, they get a special park day with their family! The connection between school and home grows, and the child starts to find success in the classroom.
Parent Education
Families are o ered one parent education session each month. Service includes: organized topics (e.g. child development, healthy foods and cooking, financial management) presented by sta or guest speakers, dinner for the whole family, and child care during the
With MountainStar
Even if they don't remember being a part of MountainStar, and without any further supports later, research studies show that programs like MountainStar carry long-term positive outcomes for the original family and child, as well as for their descendants and the communities where they live - higher education, better paying jobs, healthier lives, happier relationships, and more re-investment into their neighborhoods and communities. MountainStar helps build a better NOW and a better LATER.
GENERAL SUPPORT 11-18 YEARS
The child has grown into a teenager, and multiple temptations from friends and the world crop up in their daily life.
Without MountainStar
Because they felt unsuccessful in earlier grades, the child has learned to hate school, and the family has given up on discipline. The child wants to find ways to enjoy their life, so they decide to try new things and connect with new people. The child connects with others who also don't like school - which gradually leads to skipping classes, breaking some laws, trying various substances, and increasing intimate physical interactions. The child might not graduate from high school.
With MountainStar
The child has felt somewhat successful at school and continues to believe they can do it if they try hard. Thanks to skills they initially learned at MountainStar, the child and family members have a trusting relationship. Family members have shared their expectations and values, and the child tries to live up to themwhile also knowing that they can ask for help if they need it. The family supports the child's activities and holds the child accountable when needed. The child starts to solidify their goals for the future.
General Support
Each family in our therapeutic programs receives 300 hours of direct service each year. The wrap-around support they receive helps reduce stress and brings them closer to long-term success and healthly outcomes.
Return on Investment
A monthly donation at any level provides continuity and brings a huge return on investment for the child, their family, our community, and our future.
Learn more and help give kids the best start possible.
MountainStar's services are provided to families with children 0-5 years old. The outcomes listed on this poster are not guaranteed, but they are symbolic of experiences of MountainStar families. These outcome examples are supported by various research studies including Nobel Prize winning economist James Heckman, www.heckmanequation.org.
Mountain Star
2125 NE Daggett Lane Bend, OR 97701
MtStar.org | info@mtstar.org |
MountainStar Bend | 541.322.6820
MountainStar La Pine | 541.213.6502
MountainStar Madras | 541.475.2537
MountainStar Prineville | 541.416.0146
MountainStar Redmond | 541.527.1025
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
… at MountainStar, it’s what we do every day, all year long. We get involved with families facing tough challenges at a time when it matters most - the first 1,000 days of their child’s life. Children attend therapeutic early childhood classes designed for babies and toddlers living in high-stress and chaotic homes and who typically do not get enough quality time with a responsive caretaker. MountainStar’s staff and volunteers create a safe and predictable environment to respond to the unique needs of each child in our program.
Deschutes County
730
730 Central Oregon children were victims of abuse and neglect in 2022.
47%
571
Jefferson County
73
Crook County
86
47% of reported cases of child abuse in Oregon happen to children under the age of six.
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