NATIONAL EMERGENCY CHILD CARE NETWORK INC

National Emergency Child Care Network (NECCN) (https://emergencychildcare.org/) is a North Carolina 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit that provides immediate child care services to families in the U.S. who are experiencing an emergency. Founded in 2024, NECCN’s mission is to ensure every family has equal opportunity to access and utilize emergency child care during a crisis. Skilled and trained volunteers are dispatched immediately after the family calls the crisis line for emergency child care services. Volunteer child care providers will meet families at their home, at a disaster shelter, or where the crisis has occurred to ensure the safety and well-being of the children. While children are safe with a child care provider, the family has the time to deal with the crisis. This support, in result, reduces high levels of stress for the family, as well as the potential for violence, abuse, or neglect to the child during a crisis.

Why National Emergency Child Care Network (NECCN) exists today!

Every year, families across the U.S. find themselves in the difficult position of dealing with natural disasters (droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes), or a human-made disaster (home fires, vehicle accident, school shootings). Regardless of the type of the disaster, such events create a crisis for families. Nearly 2.5 million Americans had to leave their homes because of 28 weather and climate-related disasters in 2023 (02/22/2024 article in the New York Times). Nearly 30% of individuals injured in these disasters were children.

We are seeking 50 emergency volunteers to serve up to 50 families in crisis in North Carolina in 2024. Emergency volunteering helps people connect in profound ways to their local community, and keeps their brain active -- which contributes to good mental health and well-being. Heartfelt productive activities, like providing child care at a time of great need for families in crisis, can help people feel happier. Data shows that senior volunteers experience decreased anxiety, depression, and loneliness.