What

Court Care provides free child care for anyone who needs to be in court in our region. This service keeps (mostly low-income) children from seeing and hearing courtroom matters (e.g., domestic violence, divorce, rape, child custody, etc.). Court Care allows parents or caregivers to fully participate in their legal matters with dignity and without distractions, and it helps our court system operate more efficiently.

Why

Court matters are for mature audiences only, and so Court Care lets children play while parents attend to their legal matters. Each year our staff cares for more than 4,000 children. Without this program, thousands of our community’s most vulnerable children would be exposed to an environment that could cause psychological harm and change the way they see their family members and authority figures forever.

Needs

Gently-used children’s books, washable art supplies, construction paper, diapers/pull-ups (all sizes), baby wipes, and volunteers (18+) at our child-care center (background check is required).

Did You Know

Of those families using Court Care, 95 percent are low-income. This program protects children and helps our justice system to be more accessible and equitable for all families.

“My kids were at Court Care while my husband and I were in a divorce hearing. While my husband and I deal with depressing, overwhelming things, it means so much to me that we don’t have to worry about our children. This really reduced my stress.” — Mother of two preschool-aged children