Our Impact

The Crisis Nursery is the premier child abuse prevention charity in the St. Louis region. Our exceptional outcomes, including a track record that 99% of children in our program remain free from abuse and neglect, have set national and even international standards for child abuse prevention in other communities throughout the world.

This year, nearly 5,000 will call the Nursery "home" while their families weather the storms of life.

Last year, SLCN provided 221,000 hours of nurturing, trauma-informed care for children whose families were in crisis.

Of those children and their families:

95% live in households below the poverty level
75% are ages 6 & under
One in five live with a parent experiencing significant
mental illness
89% are from single, female-headed households
37% have experienced homelessness in the last year

Prevention Works!

The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery prevents child abuse and neglect and strengthens families through immediate crisis intervention and follow-up support, empowering high-risk families with the support necessary to be happy, healthy, and safe. Annually, more than 99% of children involved with the Crisis Nursery remain free from abuse and neglect, while 95% of parents experience reduced stress levels at their child’s discharge from our care.

Our Core Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs:

We meet children and families where they are…

Giving them the tools, resources, and support they need to thrive!

Ariel’s four-week-old son would not stop crying, and her two toddlers were growing restless. As a single mother with no support system nearby and barely any sleep, Ariel was feeling helpless and alone. She had experienced postpartum depression in the past and was unsettled by the thoughts of self-harm that had occurred to her over the past few days. Ariel knew she needed to reach out for help.

She called the Crisis Nursery’s 24-hour Helpline and cried with relief when Crisis Nursery staff answered the call. When Ariel explained her situation, she wept with guilt at not being able to handle everything on her own. Staff listened compassionately and planned for Ariel and her children to receive the care and support they needed.

While Ariel’s three children stayed at the Crisis Nursery, Ariel went to the hospital to seek mental health care and began receiving ongoing support through the Nursery’s Family Empowerment Program. Ariel said she knew she no longer had to handle everything on her own – she had the support of the Crisis Nursery.