MOUNTAINSTAR FAMILY RELIEF NURSERY

What MOUNTAINSTAR FAMILY RELIEF NURSERY does

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is a Bend, Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 42-1560891) founded around 2001 to prevent child abuse and neglect by serving vulnerable families in Central Oregon. Its core offering is the Relief Nursery Program, a therapeutic early childhood intervention combining weekly classroom sessions, home visits, parent education, and crisis intervention for families experiencing risk factors such as homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, and mental illness. The program is delivered at no cost to qualifying families through a community-led enrollment funnel beginning with the Outreach Program, which determines the appropriate intervention level. Adjacent services include Preschool Promise (school-readiness preparation using strengths-based, trauma-informed practices), the Fairy God-Parent Program (monthly donor matching that provides grocery and gas cards to families), and the Partners 4 Kids corporate partnership program offering year-round marketing benefits in exchange for annual business investments.

The organization operates five physical locations across Central Oregon: Bend (administrative headquarters), La Pine, Redmond, Prineville, and Madras, covering Crook, Jefferson, and Deschutes counties. Services are provided through direct delivery rather than digital channels, with classes averaging 6 hours per week per enrolled family. The underlying "technology" is a human-delivered, trauma-informed service protocol that has produced documented outcomes in child development and family strengthening, positioning the organization within the broader Oregon Relief Nursery model. MountainStar is governed by a Board of Directors under Tim Rusk as longtime Executive Director and operates without parent-company or private equity backing.

Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic channels: individual tax-deductible donations, monthly giving through the Fairy God-Parent Program, the signature Birdies 4 Babies annual gala and golf tournament (which has raised $3 million cumulatively over 11 years), the Witches Paddle Halloween paddleboarding event, named endowments including the Gloria's Infant Endowment and Tim Rusk Legacy Fund, and corporate partnerships via Partners 4 Kids. Community organizations and local businesses (Bend Senior High School, Broken Top Club, Cascades Academy, Integrity Auto-La Pine, Webfoot) support operations through food drives and advocacy. The organization serves more than 300 families annually and is currently celebrating 25 years of service in 2026.

Name

MOUNTAINSTAR FAMILY RELIEF NURSERY

Legal name

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery

Website

https://mtstar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Central Oregon delivering therapeutic early childhood and family support services to prevent child abuse and neglect. Founded in 2001, it operates five locations across Bend, La Pine, Redmond, Prineville, and Madras, serving 300+ vulnerable families annually at no cost.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare and Family Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child Care Services (62441), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Therapeutic & Developmental Preschools (Specialized Support) (EDACABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ), Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs (EDACALAC)

Keywords

• Child abuse prevention
• Therapeutic early childhood
• Family support services
• Relief nursery programs
• Trauma-informed care

Headquarters

HQ city

Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting child abuse prevention efforts in Central Oregon
2. Fundraising Events: Annual signature events including Birdies 4 Babies golf tournament and gala, and Witches Paddle paddleboarding event
3. Partners 4 Kids Corporate Partnerships: Business partnerships providing year-round marketing benefits in exchange for annual investments supporting MountainStar's mission
4. Endowment Funds: Named endowments including Gloria's Infant Endowment and Tim Rusk Legacy Fund providing ongoing support for programs
5. Monthly Giving Program: Recurring monthly donations from supporters

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery provides a therapeutic Relief Nursery early childhood program that combines weekly classroom sessions, home visits, parent education, and crisis intervention for at-risk families with children ages 0-5 in Central Oregon. Complementary offerings include the Preschool Promise school-readiness program, an Outreach and crisis intervention enrollment service, the Fairy God-Parent direct family financial support program, and the Partners 4 Kids corporate engagement program, all delivered at no cost to qualifying families.

Product overview

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery operates as a single, unified nonprofit service organization offering multiple interconnected programs to prevent child abuse and neglect in Central Oregon. The core program is the Relief Nursery, a therapeutic early childhood intervention combining weekly classroom sessions, home visits, parent education, and crisis support. This integrates with Preschool Promise for school readiness, the Fairy God-Parent Program for direct family financial assistance, Partners 4 Kids for business community engagement, and seasonal fundraising events including Birdies 4 Babies and Witches Paddle. Services are delivered through five physical locations (Bend, La Pine, Madras, Prineville, Redmond) and serve families experiencing risk factors including homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, and mental illness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Relief Nursery Program A therapeutic early childhood program providing weekly classroom sessions (approximately 6 hours per week per family), home visits, parent education, and fairy god-parent matching for children at risk of abuse and neglect. Designed for families in Central Oregon experiencing risk factors including homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, and mental illness.
• Preschool Promise Early childhood education program using a strengths-based approach with trauma-informed practices to prepare children for school readiness. Served families are enrolled through the MountainStar site.
• Outreach Program Outreach and crisis intervention services that help families enroll in MountainStar programs and access community resources, using a needs-first approach to determine intervention levels and possible transition to therapeutic classroom programs.
• Fairy God-Parent Program Monthly giving program where donors provide direct financial support to MountainStar families through grocery and gas cards for basic needs, creating one-to-one donor-to-family connections.
• Partners 4 Kids Corporate partnership program offering year-round marketing benefits to business partners in exchange for annual investments supporting MountainStar's child abuse prevention mission.
• Birdies 4 Babies Annual signature fundraising weekend featuring a gala and golf tournament in support of MountainStar's child abuse prevention mission; has raised $3M over the last 11 years and celebrated 25 years of service in 2026.
• Witches Paddle Annual Halloween paddleboarding event held at the Old Mill in Bend, Oregon, raising awareness and funds to support MountainStar's efforts to protect babies and toddlers from abuse and neglect.

Quantifiable outcome

• Parents demonstrate increased positive parent-child interactions and improved family functioning
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bend Senior High SchoolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal high school that hosted a food drive to support MountainStar families
• Broken Top ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal club that hosted a food drive to support MountainStar families
• Cascades AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal school that hosted a food drive to support MountainStar families
• Integrity Auto – La PineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business that hosted a food drive to support MountainStar families in La Pine
• Partners 4 Kids BusinessescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partners who make annual investments in exchange for year-round marketing benefits and recognition supporting MountainStar's child abuse prevention mission
• WebfootminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business co-owner Gavin Hepp advocates for MountainStar's early intervention programs supporting vulnerable children

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Family Development Center: Eugene-area family support nonprofit combining home visiting, parenting education, and early childhood services for at-risk families. Closely comparable model mix to MountainStar's wraparound Relief Nursery design and outcomes measurement.
• Parents as Teachers: National evidence-based parent education and home-visiting model serving families from pregnancy through kindergarten. Comparable parent-mediated early intervention approach and similar target population of families experiencing adversity.
• Healthy Families America: National home-visiting model for at-risk families with children ages 0-5, directly overlapping MountainStar's parent coaching, home visit, and crisis intervention components, with similar funding mix of philanthropy and government contracts.
• Nurse-Family Partnership: National home-visiting program pairing nurses with low-income first-time mothers. Overlaps with MountainStar's at-risk family population, home-visit delivery model, and trauma-informed approach to preventing child maltreatment.
• The Relief Nursery (Eugene, OR): Eugene-based Relief Nursery is the originator of the therapeutic Relief Nursery model that MountainStar replicates. Same therapeutic classroom + home visiting + parent education wraparound structure serving at-risk families with comparable age range and outcomes measurement approach.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Home Society of Oregon: Oregon's largest child welfare nonprofit offering adoption, foster care, and family preservation services statewide. Comparable mission on child safety and family strengthening, but with broader scope and significant statewide infrastructure.
• Children's Institute: Oregon early childhood policy and systems-change nonprofit. Comparable focus on early childhood well-being and family support, though operating at policy and research level rather than direct therapeutic service delivery.
• Oregon Child Development Coalition (Head Start): Regional Head Start grantee operating early childhood programs for income-eligible families across Oregon. Comparable preschool-age target population and early childhood education mission, though federally funded rather than donation-funded.

Regional players

• Catholic Charities of Central Oregon: Regional faith-based social services provider covering the same Central Oregon geography. Comparable family-support mission (housing, domestic violence, case management) with broader service breadth and institutional funding base.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Oregon: Regional youth development nonprofit operating across Central Oregon counties. Same geographic service area and overlapping donor/funder ecosystem (corporate Partners 4 Kids-style support) but serves school-age children rather than 0-5.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mtstar.deschutes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MOUNTAINSTAR FAMILY RELIEF NURSERY