Hour Children
Who We Are: Hour Story
Hour Children is a leading provider of services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in New York State. Focused on women and their children, we support families during a mother’s incarceration and help families get back on their feet upon release. We do this by providing housing, childcare, job training, and mental health services.
Women who receive support from Hour Children’s programs are 5 times less likely to return to prison.
We support women through:
Prison-Based Family Services
- infant nursery
- transportation and visiting programs
- parenting education and advocacy
- see all prison-based programming
Community Programming
Hour Thrift Shops
Providing a valuable resource for the community, these busy shops provide employment and training for Hour Children program participants and revenue to support our programs.
Join Hour Host Family Program
The Host Family Program guarantees children are cared for in a safe, loving home when their primary caregiver is in prison. Instead of going into foster care, children are welcomed by carefully screened host families who provide stability, routine, and emotional support during a difficult time. By working closely with parents, host families, and case managers, the program helps children stay connected to their families while maintaining a sense of normalcy, comfort, and belonging.
Hour Children is hiring! Check out our opportunities here.
98
% of the women in our programs who have kept their freedom
100
% of the children in our programs who finished the school year and advanced to the next grade
90
% of the women in our progams who successfully reintegrated with their families
There are more than 4,000 women incarcerated in New York State prisons and local jails.
The vast majority will come home.
Every year, more than 1,000 women return to New York City after incarceration, seeking support with housing, employment, and access to education.
With most reentry programs focused on men, Hour Children steps in to fill the gap—providing vital, gender-responsive wraparound services that support women and their children as they reunite, rebuild, and create a stable, hope-filled future.
View Impact
Hour Children’s Impact in 2022
Your Partnership with Us Makes a Difference
Intro: Hour Children Is Home
Programs Begin in the Prisons
A Place to Call Home
Hour Childcare Programs
Latest News from Hour Children
Hour Children welcomes the support of individual or group volunteers across all areas of the organization. Join us today!
Connect With Us
Make a difference with every dollar you give
$25 provides a visitor to Hour Children with food for 7 meals
$50 provides money for children’s lunches on visiting trips
$100 helps pay for hotel expenses when families bring children from afar to visit their incarcerated mothers
$250 helps buy supplies for our child care programs
$500 helps fund the transportation program for children visiting their incarcerated mothers
$1000 provides a woman from Hour Working Women and a child in School Fun with a laptop