Guiding Approaches
Trauma-Informed Care
The Crisis Nursery recognizes the significant impact traumatic experiences and chronic stress can have on young children. The key concepts of trauma informed care are infused into each aspect of our programming, ensuring families and children receive individualized services that lessen the impact of past trauma and increase resiliency.
Strengths Based Approach
We believe in the inherent strengths and potential of each child and parent we serve. Through partnering with families to identify and build upon existing strengths, we can most effectively support families to address their presenting crisis and lay critical foundation for future success.
Culturally Responsive Care
The Crisis Nursery takes a multifaceted approach to recognizing, embracing, and empowering the diverse perspectives and experiences of the families we partner with. We employ a number of continuous quality improvement strategies to ensure our program is accessible and responsive to the specific needs of the families we serve, emphasizing key concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Nurtured Heart Approach
We use the Nurtured Heart Approach® as a comprehensive behavior management strategy designed to set children up for success in the Nursery environment. A proactive approach, this set of methodologies focuses on using small successes to build connection and relationship, while simultaneously setting clear and appropriate limits.
Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework
Our services are structured around use of the Strengthening Families Approach and Protective Factors Framework to identify and build upon existing family protective factors to effectively strengthen the family unit and reduce family risk factors.
Nurturing Parenting Program
We are honored to partner with parents as they navigate the ups and downs of parenting. The evidence-based Nurturing Parenting Program curriculum offers a variety of information on parenting strategies for all stages of development that we use to inform our individual and group based parenting support interventions.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery (SLCN) is committed to promoting diverse, inclusive, and equitable beliefs that recognize and support the full humanity of each child, family, staff, student and volunteer. We are an organization shaped by our differences and driven by the multitude of stories, abilities, experiences, and intelligences that unite us in serving the common mission of keeping children safe.
Our approach to advancing diversity and inclusion is manifold, and includes: -engaging diverse communities by identifying and closing gaps in services -following a strengths-based approach with children, parents, staff, student and volunteer -empowering our children and families, assuring their voices are core to our services. -providing a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful environment
As an agency, SLCN supports equitable practices that address deeply rooted social disparities. Our efforts have resulted in the establishment of multiple outreach centers throughout the area in providing a stable source of support in and for the region’s most vulnerable and historically marginalized communities; the creation of a Latinx Outreach Program that works to dismantle barriers for Spanish-speaking families; and, the formation of the Parent Advisory Board, which consists of former clients who provide guidance and oversight over our services and delivery models.