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Children who experience instability and homelessness are more likely to struggle to be emotionally, socially, and scholastically successful in school. Through programs such as Transformative Shelter Program, Mari’s Place nature-based childcare, and the Child Support Specialist, COI ensures that all the needs of children and their families will be met, ultimately improving family dynamics through skill building and encouraging stability. When the family dynamics show improvement, the children are calmer and less stressed, encouraging more success in both the parents and the children.

Mari’s Place

Mari’s Place is a nature-based state-certified childcare center providing engaging resources where children are encouraged to explore, experiment, and create in a safe and professional environment. Mari’s Place supports both parents and children by offering a stable, predictable, nurturing environment with a variety of age-appropriate activities. Class curriculum is designed to meet the unique needs of low-income families and to assist families in their journey toward stability and the creation of a healthy family system.

Mari’s Place is a state-certified childcare center providing structure and fun while offering professional and safe child care. Mari’s Place supports both parents and children by offering a stable, predictable, nurturing environment with a variety of age-appropriate activities. Class curriculum is designed to meet the unique needs of homeless or highly transient families and to assist families in their journey toward stability and the creation of a healthy family system.

  • Serves children six weeks to five years old
  • Open Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 5:30pm
  • Serves low income/homeless families
  • ERDC accepted and sliding fee scale available for self-paying families.

For more information about our childcare services, contact us below or call Bonnie Stutzman at 541-243-8037.

Mari’s Place Volunteers
Volunteers and interns play a key role in our ability to serve others in our community. Without them, we would not be where we are today and our capacity to serve would be nowhere near as great.

We are always looking for more volunteers, and thank you for taking the time to fill out an application. Visit the volunteer application page.

Child Support Specialist

The ultimate goal of the Child Support Specialist (CSS) is to support children in crisis while coordinating with other providers including the local 509J school district, Old Mill Center for Children and Families, and the Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis to provide a full continuum of services to the children we serve. While each family staying at COI is paired with a case manager, they are primarily focused on the needs of the parents. The CSS is focused on the needs of the children, and coordinates with the family’s case manager to ensure all the children’s needs are being met.

The core of the CSS role is to coordinate services for families, host weekly activities for children staying in COI’s transformative housing, provide childcare for children while their parents attend life skills classes, and to be onsite as needs arise. They also provide parenting support, modeling appropriate parenting behavior for families, and creating opportunities for positive parent/child interactions. Additionally, the CSS provides crisis intervention and referral services for the children.

Every week, the CSS hosts a homework club, which provides the kids who are in school the time to do their schoolwork as well as seek out help if needed. Other weekly activities include playing board games, arts and crafts, and playing outdoors. Additionally, the CSS also conducts one on one time with each child to give them undivided attention to see how they are doing socially, emotionally, and scholastically.

A key component to the role of the CSS is coordinating with the local 509J school district to ensure the needs of children in school are being met. The Homeless Education Coordinator and Crisis Team Coordinator at the school district communicate any concerns they have about families staying at COI to the CSS, and the CSS contacts them when a new school age child arrives at COI. They work together to make sure children are enrolled in school and address any barriers such as transportation or school supplies.