Emergency Child Care for Families in Crisis

National Emergency Child Care Network is responding to both, the LA fires and the Hurricane Helene long-term recovery efforts. We are onboarding more than 200 trauma-informed volunteers to help with both disasters and recovery efforts. 100% of funds raised go towards our Emergency Child Care Volunteer Program. Read more on our LinkedIn or Website.

National Emergency Child Care Network (NECCN) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity. Founded in 2024, NECCN’s mission is to ensure every family has equal opportunity to access and utilize free emergency child care during a disaster or crisis.

A $20-$40 donation pays for a background check that ensures volunteers get through the vetting process. One volunteer has the incredible ability to support, care for, and provide emergency child care for many families and kids -- ONE VOLUNTEER ONLY. Jamie, a volunteer in North Carolina, has provided over 23 days of free child care to over 12 children. ONE VOLUNTEER ONLY. Please help to support these important compliance costs so we can help hundreds of families with crisis help. We are vetting over 200 volunteers in LA to help families impacted by the fires. Raising $6,000 can help us deploy hundreds of volunteers in LA, HUNDREDS of generous volunteers who want to help!!!

Your support will also help us: 1. buy toys, games, and books for the children we help; 2. train our amazing volunteers who all go through a rigorous vetting and training process to become trauma-informed child care volunteers in our local communities; 3. provide program-related staffing support to help our volunteers deploy at a moment's notice to help a family in crisis.

Purpose: Natural or man-made disasters create a crisis for families. Nearly 2.5 million Americans had to leave their homes due to 28 weather-related disasters in 2023. Approximately 30% of individuals injured in these disasters were children. Disasters expose children to things they should never have to see or experience—being evacuated, seeing injured or dying people or animals, losing their home and belongings, being injured themselves, and feeling that their own lives are threatened. Children may respond to disaster by demonstrating fears, sadness, or behavioral problems.

National Emergency Child Care Network can help children and families better cope when we provide them with social support systems such as free immediate child care. Child care after a disaster is a critical part of response and recovery. Studies have shown that children who have experienced trauma from a crisis or disaster need extra time with caregivers to ask questions to understand the crisis, to talk about their experience, be listened to, have their feelings accepted, provided with a space to cry and express feelings, have special one-on-one playtime and extra attention, do something relaxing or fun, and feel safe, cared for, and loved.