National data collection and evaluation would strengthen understanding of outcomes, cost savings, and best practices. The current research body on crisis nurseries is limited to a small number of studies that took place from 2005 to 2016. Additional longitudinal studies and long-term evaluations are needed, particularly that link to child welfare and maternal and child health data. Understanding how crisis nurseries affect child welfare outcomes is particularly important as state and federal leaders increasingly understand the need to build and strengthen services outside of the child welfare system to keep families from entering foster care. This growing focus on effective prevention services is a core component of the Administration for Children and Families’ A Home for Every Child Initiative. Enhanced federal funding for crisis nurseries should include support and funding for evaluation to guide approaches most likely to safely keep children with their families.

A stable federal investment would allow states to expand crisis nursery capacity, support staffing and ensure equitable access to more families. Crisis nurseries had a dedicated federal funding stream from 1986 to 1995 through the Crisis Nursery Congressional Act. Today, some crisis nurseries utilize federal pass-through dollars through their states, but no dedicated federal funding source exists.

Expanding public and legislative awareness of crisis nurseries would help ensure their role as a preventative support for families during emergencies is more widely understood. Greater national visibility could build broader support for these services and promote more national expansion of crisis nurseries.  Individuals can make a meaningful difference by learning more about local crisis nurseries and reaching out to local elected officials to encourage them to support crisis nurseries.

The Wraparound Emergency Child Care Advocacy Network (WECAN) is a coalition of crisis nurseries and allied organizations dedicated to ensuring every family has access to safe, affordable and high-quality emergency child care should they need it. WECAN was founded in 2025 to address the gap in awareness and federal funding for emergency child care services.

Visit the WECAN website to learn more about how to join or support.

Crisis nursery programs are effective in reducing parental stress and improving parenting skills. In an evaluation of five crisis nurseries in Illinois, caregivers reported marked reductions in stress after receiving crisis nursery support. Parenting capacity also improved after accessing services. Between 77 and 96 percent of caregivers self-reported enhanced parenting skills, and between 73 and 98 percent of caregivers reported a reduced risk of child maltreatment. According to outcome data from the St. Louis crisis nursery, 95% of parents reported reduced stress levels after accessing emergency child care services.

Crisis nurseries are effective in preventing child welfare involvement. A five-year outcome study of the Providence House Crisis Nursery model found that families that families that utilized crisis nursery and case management services had a reduced likelihood of foster care placements. Crisis nurseries are also support to child welfare-involved families and can improve family reunification for children placed in foster care. A longitudinal study of five crisis nurseries in Illinois found that children whose families accessed crisis nursery support before entering foster care were twice as likely to be reunified with their biological parents, compared to children whose families did not receive crisis nursery services.

Research also highlights the critical role crisis nurseries play in helping caregivers access safe care for children during moments of acute stress. A multi‑state evaluation conducted by the ARCH National Respite Network found:

• 50 percent of caregivers accessing crisis nurseries “never” or “very seldom” had access to child care during emergencies
• Caregivers reported that in the absence of crisis nursery services:
  • 67 percent would have left or kept their children with them in potentially unsafe situations
  • 10 percent would have turned to foster care as their only available option.

The national body of research on crisis nurseries consistently demonstrates that programs positively affect parental skills and stress, and lead to reductions in child maltreatment and foster care placements. However, the research body is limited to a small number of studies that took place from 2005 to 2016. Additional longitudinal studies and long-term evaluations are needed to understand the impact of crisis nurseries on family outcomes.

Studies that link caregivers to child welfare data exist but could be expanded to understand the relationship between crisis nurseries and child welfare outcomes. Few studies examine the relationship between crisis nurseries and maternal, infant and child health, despite the fact that many caregivers utilize nurseries’ care to address their own physical and mental health. Investment in targeted research is necessary to quantify the return on investment crisis nurseries provide. By studying their impact on maternal and child health, policymakers can better understand how short-term, community-level interventions prevent deeper crises for families and far more costly, long-term government interventions.