City of Orange, New Jersey

Held.Since 1969.

A child and family development organization built on a firm belief in the sacredness of human life. For more than fifty years Babyland has helped children grow ready for school, kept families whole, and built a place where every person belongs.

Call (862) 438-8045Our story
Founded 1969A nonprofit familyCity of Orange, NJ
A mother holding her young child close, cheek to cheek, in warm afternoon light
Est. 1969
A family walking together outdoors, parents and their child holding hands
Our Story

Born of 1969.

After the summer of 1967, a coalition of Newark women refused to accept that working parents had nowhere safe to leave their children. Mary Palmer Smith and her sister Martha Palmer Chaneyfield led that effort, a group who called themselves Operation Housewives.

With a one thousand dollar loan, thrift shop sales, volunteers, and one pediatrician, they opened Babyland Nursery in August of 1969. It became the first and largest nonprofit interracial infant childcare program in the state of New Jersey.

More than fifty years later the work has grown into a full family development organization. The belief that started it has never changed. Every life is sacred, and every family deserves to be held.

1969

The first and largest nonprofit interracial infant childcare program in New Jersey.

What We Do

Four ways a family is held.

Parent EducationFamily LiteracyDomestic Violence AdvocacyFoster Care & Permanency
A family reading a picture book together, parents and a child turning the pages

Early Childhood Education

School readiness for young children, with the steady attention that helps a three or four year old grow curious, confident, and ready for the classroom.

Parents smiling with their young child riding on a father's shoulders outdoors

Strengthening Family Life

Parent education, family literacy, and encouragement that helps mothers and fathers raise their children with confidence and joy.

A family reading together under a soft blanket in warm lamplight at home

A Safe, Nurturing Home

Emergency placement and a protected place to land for families in crisis, so no parent and no child ever has to face a hard night alone.

A family sitting together on a couch at home, relaxed and close

Care That Stays

Prenatal and health services, foster care, and permanency for children. The steady support that helps a family stay whole over the long run.

Held Since 1969

The quilt of held lives.

Every child Babyland has ever held is a patch in something larger. More than fifty years of small hands, stitched into one community that still belongs to each other.

Some of the children we held in 1969 bring us their grandchildren now.

A family portrait, parents and their child outdoorsFamily
A mother holding her child close in the sunlightHeld
A toddler studying a small twig with wonderCurious
An infant looking up while crawlingBeginning
A family walking and laughing together across the grassTogether
A young child in a sunhat with a bright, easy smileBelonging
Our Belief

A firm belief in the sacredness of human life.

Babyland is a model child and family development organization. We provide school readiness and permanency for children, strengthen family life, create a safe and nurturing community, and help each person live a full and productive life.

Babyland Family Services · Since 1969

Visit

Come talk with us.

If your family needs a hand, or you want to be part of the work, we would love to hear from you. The simplest way to reach Babyland is a phone call.

Where we areCity of Orange, New Jersey 07050Serving Newark, the Oranges, and surrounding communities since 1969.
Call Babyland