On a Friday afternoon, kids are romping outside on the playground at Providence House, a crisis nursery in Cleveland鈥檚 Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood. A couple of kids rev their toy cars by pulling backward, as they prepare for a race. The others watch and offer advice.
is a crisis nursery 鈥� one of a few nationwide that provide necessities for children and families struggling economically, mentally or physically.
鈥淎 crisis nursery is not foster care,鈥� says Ashley Stock, the director of programming & clinical operations at Providence House. 鈥淪o what we are doing is trying to come alongside families who are experiencing a crisis and prevent escalation in the child welfare system.鈥�
What is a crisis nursery?
Providence House is Ohio鈥檚 first crisis nursery, and one of the nation鈥檚 largest 鈥攚ith space for up to 20 kids. There are no income restrictions. Kids of any socioeconomic background can stay here. The nonprofit started in 1981 in Ohio City but opened its Buckeye-Shaker location in 2025 to meet demand.
鈥淲e serve moms who just had babies, pregnant and parenting folks, kinship providers who have custody of their grandkids,鈥� Stock says. 鈥淲e serve folks who are experiencing domestic violence and survivors.鈥�
Those problems are becoming more common. According to a recent survey, with young children say they鈥檝e had issues meeting one or more basic needs. With like Medicaid, SNAP and housing subsidies, many families previously on the brink could be underwater.
A rare find
But crisis nurseries can be hard to find. Providence House is one of only two crisis nurseries in Ohio (the other is Blessing House in Elyria), and one of only about 80 nationwide.
鈥淚t is shocking to me that it's not more widely available, because I think it would literally help families to have that break, and having that support, having someone understand,鈥� says Cassie Ciesleski, a mother of three living in Cleveland.
Ciesleski's children stayed at Providence House for a few days six months ago when she was suffering with anxiety and depression. That鈥檚 when her therapist recommended Providence House.
She says even after the visit, Providence House is providing for her family. The organization introduced her to a local parent support group to check in with other families, and sends her care packages.
While case managers help the parents meet the families鈥� needs, kids get food, shelter, education and entertainment.
Uhlyzia Gay, 12, of Cleveland鈥檚 Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood, spent a week at Providence House in January for respite care during a family move. He says his favorite part of his stay were the activities.
鈥淚 played on a Nintendo Switch,鈥� Gay says. 鈥淚 played board games. I watched TV. It's a safe place there and I like it.鈥�
Replicating the model
Back at Providence House, the kids have abandoned the thrill of racing their cars to start a bigger game of Ninja Warrior. They take turns seeing who can jump the farthest from the jungle gym.
Both kids and families say the real value of crisis nurseries is having places where kids can be kids as their parents navigate adult challenges.
But the model is hard to replicate in part because of the price tag. Providence House spent more than $4 million dollars on its two nursery locations last year. Between 70% and 75% of the organization's revenue comes through Cleveland's robust philanthropic community, a luxury most cities across the state and across the country don't have.
鈥淚f you're saying, 鈥極ur goal is to keep kids safe and families together鈥� 鈥� everybody can get behind that. But it's an expensive model to run,鈥� Stock says. 鈥淚t's 24-7. You have to have staff here all the time. You have people who want to understand that that heart work is hard work.鈥�
Furthermore, there鈥檚 not a lot of on whether crisis nurseries are effective at improving families' situations long-term, making their impact hard to gauge.
But there seems to be political will in Ohio to build more crisis nurseries. Providence House says it鈥檚 working with the state鈥檚 Department of Children and Youth on a feasibility study to replicate the model across the state.
The idea for this story came from 精东影业鈥檚 commitment to engaged journalism, telling stories with people and communities across Northeast Ohio. If you have an idea, call or text us at 216-916-6090.
