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The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is an independent, not-for-profit agency that prevents child abuse and neglect by providing short-term, 24/7 emergency shelter for children, birth through age 12, whose families are faced with an emergency or crisis. In addition to caring for the children, the Crisis Nursery provides ongoing support and follow-up to their families, and serves as a child/family advocate within the social services system.

Families voluntarily bring their children to any of the five Crisis Nursery sites in the greater St. Louis region, for a variety of reasons:


 * Overwhelming parental stress
 * Parental or sibling illness or death
 * Lack of utilities, food or shelter
 * Domestic violence
 * Other emergency situations that jeopardize the safety and well-being of the child, and that necessitate temporary parent-child separation.

Saint Louis Crisis Nursery has more than 75 staff at five locations, plus they operate two Community Outreach Centers and a Regional Administration Office. The agency admits more than 7,000 children a year and provide support and counseling to more than 6,500 families. Volunteers work around the clock, giving 28,000 hours of service each year in various roles, from rocking babies to helping with administrative needs. Community support comes from the 35-member Board of Directors, nearly 40 Advisory Board members, more than 100 Best Friends members, and a Young Professionals Board with several dozen members. The Crisis Nursery is funded by generous donations and grants.

Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is proactive in helping families overcome obstacles to maintaining family stability. Ninety-nine percent of children whose families participate in Crisis Nursery services remain in their natural family homes after their visit. Programs developed in response to family needs include the Parent Support Groups, Home Visits, Teen Parenting Groups, Art & Play Therapy Program, Holiday Hearts Campaign, Training Institute, School Supply Drive, Community Outreach, and Family Emergency Fund.

History
Since 1986, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery has been a cornerstone in the fight against child abuse and neglect in the St. Louis region and a model for crisis nurseries around the country. The concept for Saint Louis Crisis Nursery began in 1983 when the Junior League of Saint Louis (JLSL) instituted a research committee on child abuse and focused on three prevalent needs -- networking, education and a crisis nursery. In 1985, the JLSL secured Deaconess Hospital (now Forest Park Hospital) as the site for the first Crisis Nursery. A United Way Research and Development Grant and a JLSL Grant were among the first sources of funds. The Coalition of 100 Black Women joined the collaborative effort in February 1986, providing educational resources to assist in structuring programs for children, training staff, participating on the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery's Board of Directors and developing a referral system.

Saint Louis Crisis Nursery welcomed its first child on July 21, 1986. In 1992, the agency opened Saint Louis Crisis Nursery North at Metropolitan Medical Center North in North St. Louis County (later relocated to Christian Hospital in 1994). Also in 1992, Crisis Nursery Saint Charles opened in a house owned by and adjacent to Saint Joseph Health Center in Saint Charles. A fourth Crisis Nursery in St. Charles opened in 1996 in partnership with the Community & Children's Resource Board of St. Charles County. Also in 2006, Crisis Nursery opened two Outreach Centers - one in St. Charles County and one in St. Louis City. The fifth Crisis Nursery opened in Wentzville, Missouri, in 2008. Built from the ground up and maintained through funding and assistance from the CCRB, TR Hughes and SSM-St. Joseph’s Wentzville, the Wentzville location services children and families from St. Charles and Lincoln Counties.

In 2010, the newest Saint Louis Crisis Center nursery opened in South St. Louis to replace the original location at Forest Park Hospital School of Nursing, which closed its doors. Centene Charitable Foundation provided $500,000 in funding for the new nursery. Emerson also has pledged $200,000 over five years for building renovation and maintenance at the new location. The three-story facility serves 2,500 children a year, 500 more than the previous location, with separate spaces for babies and older children. An entire floor of the building is devoted to programs that address the needs of parents, delivered by Crisis Nursery’s therapeutic team of Family Empowerment professionals. Saint Louis Crisis Nursery also responds to special needs in the community. During the Great Flood of 1993, the Nursery opened a temporary expansion site in Saint Charles to respond to families affected by the flood. This site served families who needed time to evacuate, apply for assistance and deal with the lengthy clean-up process.

Media Coverage
"Workers put furloughs to good use," USA Today, March 1, 2010

"Making the Most of a Furlough," ABC World News with Charles Gibson, March 12, 2009

"New Crisis Nursery Opens," Suburban Journals, June 22, 2010

"Child Abuse: Despite High Profile Cases, The Numbers Aren't Changing Much," KTVI-TV, May 2010

"Corporation gives $500,000 for new Crisis Nursery building," Suburban Journals, April 20, 2010

"Emerson donates $40K for Crisis Nursery facility," St. Louis American, May 12, 2010

"Crisis Nursery offers child safety tips for summer," Suburban Journals, June 8, 2010

"Against the Odds, St. Louis Crisis Nursery Continues to Grow," Child Advocacy 360, March 10, 2010