Happy 38th Birthday to the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery!

This month, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is celebrating 38 years of lifesaving work in our community! To commemorate nearly four decades of child abuse and neglect prevention efforts, we are taking this opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been and to look forward to where we’re going.

Originally opening our doors in 1986, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery was the first Crisis Nursery in the state of Missouri, borne from a collaboration of grassroots partners seeking to address the region's lack of child abuse prevention programming. Based on emerging research of the Crisis Nursery Model, the Coalition of 100 Black Women and the Junior League of St. Louis founded the first Saint Louis Crisis Nursery location at Deaconess Hospital. Beginning with just that one location, we have since grown to become the largest Crisis Nursery in the nation, expanding to include five Crisis Nurseries and 11 community-based Family Empowerment Outreach Centers across the Greater St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson County, Lincoln County, and East St. Louis Region. 

The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery has remained true to its original mission of child abuse and neglect prevention, carried out through the delivery of free, voluntary, and highly accessible services. At the heart of everything that we do,  is a desire to see every child and family grow and live in safety. Our services are available 24/7/365, so that children and families at highest risk for abuse and neglect can reach us at any time of the day or night. In 38 years, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery has remained open and available, each and every day, never once closing our doors.

As we reflect on our 38-year history, we know that our growth and success as an agency would not be possible without our amazing staff, volunteers, donors, supporters, and community partners. Every child kept safe and every family made stronger is owed to the time, talents, and support of the people and organizations who have invested in our mission, as well as the absolutely incredible resilience and determination of the clients we have been so fortunate to serve.

Over 136,000 Greater St. Louis area children have found safe haven at the Crisis Nursery since 1986. Greater than 99% of those children remain with their families without a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect, and 96% of parents meet family safety and stability goals set at intake by discharge.

Looking back over nearly four decades of child abuse and neglect prevention efforts, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is so very thankful for all of the children and families who we have been privileged to know and support. Their enduring love for their children and their hope for a brighter future, despite a myriad of obstacles, inspire us each and every day. To that end, we continue to confidently envision a future where all children thrive in a safe, stable, and nurturing home and we will continue to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to make that a reality.