STAR House Services

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STAR House is a non-profit crisis nursery dedicated to providing temporary, emergency childcare services for families facing crises or experiencing overwhelming stressors. We offer a safe, nurturing environment where children can stay temporarily while their parents or guardians address urgent situations.

Our services are available to families with children aged newborn to 6 years old who reside in Ramsey County and are experiencing a crisis or facing overwhelming circumstances. We prioritize serving families in need, regardless of their background or circumstances.

A crisis or overwhelming circumstance can mean many things, including but not limited to medical emergencies, domestic violence, homelessness, illness, mental health crises or stress. If you're unsure whether your situation qualifies, please don't hesitate to reach out to us for clarification.

Currently, STAR House is only open on weekends. Appointments are scheduled on Thursdays and Fridays and scheduled intakes happen on Fridays and child pickups happen in the morning and afternoon on Sundays allowing two nights of care for children. As we grow, STAR House will offer additional days during the week. 

Children can stay at STAR House for up to 48 hours (two days) while their parents or guardians address the crisis or situation they're facing. STAR House is open on weekends beginning Friday afternoon and closes on Sunday. Our goal is to provide temporary respite and support during difficult times.

No, our services are provided free of charge to families in need. We believe that every child deserves a safe and supportive environment, regardless of their family's financial circumstances.

To access our services, please call us at 651-356-8678. Intake appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 8 a.m. on Thursdays. To request an appointment, please leave a voicemail after 8 a.m., and calls will be returned in the order they are received.

Our intake team will work with you to determine if STAR House is the right fit for your family's needs. Please note, if you call before 8 a.m. on Thursday, your message will not be included for callbacks related to intake appointments. For all other inquiries or resource requests, your call will be returned within 24 hours. Children can be dropped off on Friday and picked up on Sunday. 

For immediate assistance with other community resources, please dial 2-1-1 to connect with United Way.

Yes, we can assist with transportation within Ramsey County for families visiting STAR House. We are conveniently located near bus lines running on Lexington Parkway, St. Clair Avenue, and Hamline Avenue as well.

When you arrive at STAR House, simply ring the doorbell and someone will warmly greet you and your family. We can assist with your children, belongings, or offer a snack or water. The Executive Director or staff will then guide you to the office for an introduction. If it is your first time visiting, you and your family will be offered a tour of the children's areas, including activity rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, and more. Then, you will return to the office to complete necessary paperwork and referrals to additional resources. During this time, your child(ren) will meet with the child care staff to begin preparations for their stay, including a wellness check, bathing if needed and authorized by the parent, and changing into STAR House clothes. Their personal belongings will be cleaned as needed and stored until discharge. Once all steps are completed successfully, parents can give the child(ren) a hug goodbye and are free to leave. Please allow an hour for this appointment. 

What should I bring with me to our drop-off appointment? 

Parents/caregivers bringing their child(ren) to visit STAR House should bring just a few things. 

1. Prescription medications with labels and any special care instructions from their pediatrician if necessary. 
2. Identification for yourself, picture ID preferred. 
3. STAR House provides infant formula, but not toddler formula. It should be brought with the child if needed. 

Additionally, there are a few things we ask you not to bring. 

1. We can only allow people necessary to an appointment into STAR House while children are present. We ask that friends and family members not attend with you as they cannot be accommodated in our space. 
2. Anything that could be of danger to children. This can include but is not limited to things like weapons, drugs or alcohol, and pets. 

STAR House has a set daily schedule of meals, snacks, and a nap. Outside of those times, we try our best to let the children lead their daily activities. We have many options to choose from such as arts and crafts, a toy-filled activity room, calming activities, child-friendly videos, books, outdoor space plus two nearby parks, and video games. We do limit screen time, but also recognize the value of these tools in the development and calming of children who are away from home. We may also have occasional guests who can provide enrichment activities such as music time and group activities. Children’s hygiene is also important to their experience at STAR House and some time will be dedicated to helping them with their daily and as needed hygiene activities such as brushing teeth, giving baths, and freshening up after toileting accidents. Hygiene routines will be partially decided by parent preference.

STAR House staff are trained in the importance of their roles as advocates for the children in our care. They also receive training in positive behavior management, trauma-informed care, avoidance techniques for head trauma, redirection, mindfulness, and care protocols. Staff are thoroughly trained in each aspect of child care, including bodily autonomy, child development, hygiene, safety, and how to respectfully interact with family members.

Caregivers/ Parents or authorized emergency contacts are allowed access to children as needed. There may be times that staff may encourage that this access happens during times that do not disrupt the schedule of the child(ren). We ask that arrangements be made in advance and caregivers/parents do not show up unannounced to retrieve children. This allows staff to ensure that the child(ren) have been transitioned to leave and staff have time to gather any personal belongings and process discharge paperwork. When possible, we ask for at least two hours notice to allow our internal processes to take place. At the time of intake, requests can be made to have the child ready for doctor’s appointments or school days.

STAR House does not provide transportation to school, but will make the child available to be picked up by a caregiver, parent or emergency contact for the school day. If the child attends a school within walking distance (.8 miles) and the staffing allows, STAR House may agree to walk the child to school. If the child has homework from school to work on while at STAR House, we encourage parents to bring those materials with them for placement and as time allows will help the child complete the homework.

Due to licensing requirements, STAR House must plan for each child(ren) to stay for at least one night. However, STAR House does not restrict a parent from picking up their child early. We hope this extra time allows parents to rest and care for themselves before reuniting with their child(ren), benefiting the family relationship.

Your child(ren) will be well cared for at STAR House. We understand that being away from home can cause stress, and our staff are prepared to deal positively and mindfully with any displays of those emotions. Our staff are trauma-informed and have received training in positive behavior guidance. While we do have a time-out policy, we require staff to try multiple calming methods before resorting to this option. Additionally, we do not allow time-outs to be presented as forms of discipline, but rather as an opportunity to move to another location in the house to calm down. If these methods are ineffective, staff may pick up a child to temporarily move them to a location where they cannot hurt themselves or others and remain with the child. Staff are not allowed to use physical discipline, and we take such actions very seriously. We also have safe ways to deescalate and help children calm down. If the stay at STAR House becomes too stressful for a child, a caregiver, parent, or emergency contact will be asked to pick up the child at their earliest convenience or within the timeframe set by leadership.

At this time, STAR House does not have the resources to meet all of the basic needs of each family who visits. Occasionally, we may have an excess of donations that we can offer to families, but this is not guaranteed. Any additional basic needs items shared with families will be at the discretion of the Director. For other needs, our team is happy to provide referrals to local agencies and organizations that specialize in supporting families with essential items.

No. STAR House hopes to be a prevention measure for families to seek support when things are stressful at home. We encourage parents to reach out for help from STAR House or other sources before problems arise. STAR House staff are mandated reporters and are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect. To help prevent this from happening, STAR House staff are trained on ways to reduce reports in favor of supporting families. This training helps staff and leadership recognize the difference between neglect and poverty, cultural differences in child-rearing practices, and look for opportunities when possible to further support families instead of reporting.

We welcome all Ramsey County families to bring their children between birth through 6 years old to visit STAR House when support is needed. However, there are some limitations related to our licensing requirements and safety concerns. STAR House may not care for children who: 

• Need mobility support. STAR House is not handicap accessible at this time. 
• Are prescribed Injectable medications other than epi pens
• Require nursing care
• Are currently experiencing contagious illness symptoms such as COVID, chicken pox, and pink eye
• Have open sores such as severe diaper rash
• extreme violent behaviors or advanced mental health needs

Each child is allowed to visit STAR House for up to 14 nights per year, exceptions may be made for emergency situations if staff and space are available. 

Yes, since STAR House is only currently open on weekends, we are open on all holidays that fall on a weekend. However, we do not observe holidays with children who are visiting STAR House. 

No. STAR House will not question citizenship status nor ask for documentation of status. There will be no retaliation against or reporting of families who disclose an undocumented status.

Yes. All staff and volunteers who have unsupervised access to children are required to have background checks. One-time visitors, contractors, or virtual volunteers who have not had a background check performed must be supervised at all times when children are present at STAR House.

Yes, STAR House is licensed by the Minnesota Department of Human Services “DHS”. We adhere to strict guidelines and standards to ensure the safety and well-being of the children in our care.

Your feedback is important to us and we want to hear about your experiences, even the bad ones. We encourage you to reach out directly to our Executive Director by calling 651-356-8678. If our Executive Director is unable to satisfactorily address your concerns, we encourage you to submit your concerns to info@starhousemn.org. Emails of concern will be forwarded to the STAR House Board of Directors and addressed promptly. Please include your contact information, including a phone number where you can be reached. If your concerns cannot be resolved through STAR House, please contact the licensing division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.