Rachel Moore is building Kentucky’s first crisis nursery in Frankfort, giving children somewhere safe to go while their families navigate crisis.
A family crisis can happen fast.
Domestic violence. Addiction. Illness. Homelessness. A parent in the hospital. The sudden loss of someone you love.
For adults, it’s a crisis.
For a child, it’s a question:
“Where do I go?”
Rachel Moore is trying to make sure Kentucky has an answer.
In Frankfort, Moore is building the William Joseph Crisis Nursery, expected to become Kentucky’s first crisis nursery. The facility will provide temporary care for young children while their parents work through situations that make it difficult to safely care for them.
The goal is simple: give children a safe place while giving parents time to get stable.
Meals. Supervision. Clothing. Diapers. Care.
And, just as importantly, connections to resources that can help families move forward.
Moore’s mission is personal. Her experiences with domestic violence and a serious medical crisis involving her son helped shape the work. The nursery is named for her brother-in-law, Will Rawlings, who donated part of his liver to help save her son’s life before his death in 2017.
Her work has already reached beyond Frankfort. Through community partnerships, including Passport, Moore has helped distribute food, diapers, wipes and clothing to families in West Louisville.
Those things may seem small until you’re the person who needs them.
Then they matter.
Kentucky families are dealing with violence, poverty, addiction, domestic abuse, illness and housing instability every day. And when adults are overwhelmed, children often end up carrying the weight.
The crisis nursery won’t solve all of those problems.
But it can give a family something critical:
another option.
A place to breathe.
A place to regroup.
A place for a child to be safe while a parent fights to get their life back together.
Because children shouldn’t have to pay the price for a crisis they never created.
When a family falls apart, somebody has to catch the child.
In Frankfort, Rachel Moore is working to be that somebody.
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