Region 5 is comprised of the east Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis, Warren, and St. Louis City.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, St. Louis
Protecting Children of Prisoners
This training program, based on the parent education/parent training model, focuses on educating caregivers and mentors to keep children safe. The newly developed training manual consists of quarterly training sessions that address the importance of healthy parenting and the protective factors known to reduce child abuse and neglect. Caregivers and parents participating in the Amachi Mentoring Project (which focuses on children who have an incarcerated parent) may also participate in the training. In addition, Big Brothers Big Sisters will continue working with the Missouri Department of Corrections, local schools and other community organizations to identify potential families in need. Currently the service area for this project is St. Louis city and county, Jefferson, St. Charles, Cape Girardeau and Scott counties.
For more information:
Melissa Bode, VP Fund Developement
(314)361-5900
Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, St. Louis
CTF License Plate Marketing Partner
Funds from the CTF prevent child abuse license plate are used to provide prevention education materials to the general public and professional medical staff, training for professional staff, and to purchase infant car safety seats for families in need.
For more information:
Kathy Kuhlenbeck, Area Director
(314)577-5384
Child Care Aware of Missouri, St. Louis
Strengthening Families Statewide Initiative
Child Care Aware® of Missouri is expanding their integration of the Strengthening Families Framework (SFF) into more child care, early education and academic settings. Through an information campaign, Zero to Three Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention trainings, and early childhood academic curriculum development (in partnership with community colleges), Child Care Aware® of Missouri communicates ongoing information about the Strengthening Families Protective Factors statewide. The SFF was selected because of its priority to reach families before they reach high risk status for abuse and neglect. Research shows that when families possess the five protective factors that are the foundation of the Strengthening Families approach, the likelihood of abuse and neglect diminish. Child care facilities are an ideal channel to reach early childhood and after-school programs as they are more readily able to foster these protective factors in the families of the children in their care.
For more information:
Beth Ann Lang
800.200-9017 x604 or 314.535-1458
Children’s Home Society of Missouri, St. Louis
Nurturing Parents Community-Based Model
The evidence-based parenting training and support program is provided to parents who have adopted or are fostering children. The Nurturing Program for Parents has been designed to offer support to families with special needs children. The five constructs of the program include appropriate expectations of children, parental empathy, non-violent discipline, appropriate family roles, and a child’s need to develop independence and self-control. The overarching goal is to help parents improve their ability to nurture in each of the five constructs. Ten parent education sessions are offered addressing child development, appropriate discipline and parenting a child with special needs.
For more information:
Karen E. Nolte, Executive Director
(314)968-2350
Community and Children’s Resource Board (The), St. Charles
CTF License Plate Partner
Utilizes funding from the Children’s Trust Fund prevent child abuse license plate to award grants on an annual basis that support child serving organizations, their prevention efforts and awareness in St. Charles County. Funding supports respite care/crisis nursery services, home visits with Headstart families, infant car safety seats, services to teen mothers, and the annual county-wide baby shower – “Shower of Love” which provides essentials to expectant moms in need.
For more information:
Bruce Sowatsky
(636)939-6200
Family Support Network, St. Louis/Epworth Children & Family Services
CTF License Plate Marketing Partner
Utilizes funding from the Children’s Trust Fund prevent child abuse license plate to support the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School Links program. School Links is a voluntary family support program that addresses mental health, emotional, behavioral and educational needs of children and their parents up to age 17. A Master’s level licensed family therapist (LPC) works closely with each family and the school district with the goal of helping at-risk students and their families lead more stable lives by equipping them with parenting knowledge, community reesources, behavior management techniques and relationship building skills.
For more information:
Julie Reed, Chief Development Officer
314.918-3396
Family Support Network, St. Louis/Epworth Children & Family Services
Project First Step
Project First Step provides weekly home-based family support and mental health services to families that have multiple risk factors resulting in an unstable home. The program serves a large number of families where one or more members have a developmental disability. A licensed clinical social worker or professional counselor visits the family’s home for one hour each week with an average length of service of six to eight months. Some families with greater need will stay in the program for up to one year. Services include therapy, parenting education, community referrals and follow-up. Outcomes for families include a reduction in substantiated hotline reports, decrease in high risk factors and parental stress.
For more information:
Julie Reed, Chief Development Officer
314.918-3396
Good Shepherd Children and Family Services, St. Louis
Expectant Parent Program
Offers home visits to young pregnant women in crisis. Visits are provided by licensed clinical social workers who work with mothers pre, peri, and post natal up to one year following birth through counseling, parenting education, and case management services. Mothers are supported throughout pregnancy to work toward the child being born into a safe, nurturing home environment to a parent who is prepared and knowledgeable of the child’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs. The project goal is to reduce the threat of abuse and neglect, infant mortality, and incidence of low birth weight delivery.
For more information:
Theresa Hayner
(314)792-7446
Good Shepherd Children and Family Services, St. Louis
CTF License Plate Marketing Partner
Utilizes funding from the Children’s Trust Fund prevent child abuse license plate to assist the Expectant Parent Support Program (described above). With information provided, parents become knowledgeable and are prepared for the child’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs which reduce the risk of abuse or neglect, infant mortality and the incidence of low birthweight babies.
For more information:
Rene DeFlore, Development Director
(314)854-5705
Jefferson County Community Partnership, Barnhart
CTF License Plate Marketing Partner
Utilizes funding from the Children’s Trust Fund prevent child abuse license plate to support the Safe Babies Program for Jefferson County families. The Safe Babies Program provides parent education classes and facilitates home visitation services through Nurses For Newborns Foundation to provide cribs, monitors, and other essential baby supplies to families in need.
For more information:
Tracy Smith, Executive Director
(636)464-5144
Kingdom House, St. Louis
CTF License Plate Marketing Partner
Utilizes funds from sale of the Children’s Trust Fund prevent child abuse license plate in St. Louis City and County to support the Kingdom House Family Center which provides respite care to children and their caregivers. Respite services are provided for up to 10 children each day providing care for children in a safe environment and stress relief for parents. Parents are also taught positive ways to manage their stress and anger.
For more information:
Christine Cannon, Associate Executive Director
(314)421-0400
Lemay Child & Family Center, St. Louis
Family Support Initiatives
Using the Strengthening Families framework, this project enhances strategies to facilitate friendships and support systems among families; strengthens parenting; responds to family crises; links families to services and opportunities; facilitates children’s social and emotional development; increases awareness and how to respond to early warning signs of abuse and neglect; and supports parents. The Positive Parenting curriculum and the Parents as Teachers Born to Learn curriculum are used in conjunction with other program components.
For more information:
Laura DeWoskin, Curriculum Coordinator
(314)544-3351
CTF License Plate Marketing Partner
Funds from the Children’s Trust Fund prevent child abuse license plate supports parent education within the public schools and WIC participants. The program incorporates the use of Reality Babies for WIC classes and high school students enrolled in Family and Consumer Science courses to teach about Shaken Baby Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Drug Induced Syndrome. Real Care Babies provide expectant and new parents the opportunity to learn how to properly care for their infant as well as acquire coping skills when the baby is fussy and/or cries excessively. Reality Babies are available for loan to each of the four local school districts within Lincoln County to incorporate into their respective curriculums.
For more information:
Kristin Gentry
(636)528-8521
Women in Need Growing Stronger (WINGS)
Provides parent education and support services to pregnant and newly parenting women and their children who may be at-risk for child abuse and neglect. Risk factors for the target population include poverty; single parenthood without family or community child care support; lack of housing; lack of prenatal care; and lack of effective, safe parenting strategies. Through case management, counseling, parent education, and resource assistance, case managers assist clients in developing plans to reduce the risk factors for child abuse and neglect.
For more information:
Janice Scheurer
(314)787-5100
Nurses for Newborns, St. Louis
Bright Futures
Links highly skilled Registered Nurses with high-risk, low-income families experiencing a pregnancy or recent birth. The nurse visits families in their homes providing medical assessment, teaching, parent coaching, case management and advocacy.
For more information:
Melinda Ohlemiller, Executive Director
314-544-3433
Nurses For Newborns, St. Louis
CTF License Plate Marketing Partner
Utilizes funding from the Children’s Trust Fund prevent child abuse license plate to provide nurse home visitation services for medically fragile and other at risk children and families within Nurses For Newborns service area.
For more information:
Rich Hennicke, Grants Manager
314-544-3433
Saint Louis Crisis Nursery, St. Louis
CAP in the Community
Through community-based awareness and interventions that mitigate factors that lead to child abuse, CAP Outreach projects provide Crisis Nursery Keeping Kids Safe presentations to community-based groups/organizations; conduct Canvassing Days to reach isolated, underserved neighborhoods; host Community Outreach Days that provide critically needed supplies, parent education, developmental assessments for children and connections to other resources; and conduct home-based interventions with high-risk families. Area of service includes Lincoln, St. Charles and Warren counties.
For more information:
Rachel Crowe, Family Empowerment Director
(314)292-5770
St. Louis ARC, St. Louis
Capable Kids and Families
The Capable Kids and Families program model is designed to be effective at reducing abuse and neglect by decreasing risk factors and increasing associated protective factors in families who have a child(ren) with a developmental delay or disability. Families are provided specific services that reduce parental stress and isolation as well as improve a child’s development, help parents build competence and help to create supportive social networks. Services provided include home visits, parenting education and training, and mutual/social supports.
For more information:
John Taylor, Vice-President of Advancement
(314)569-2211
St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, St. Louis
CTF License Plate Marketing Partner
Funds from the Children’s Trust Fund prevent child abuse license plate support the Family Resource Center located within Children’s Hospital and, in particular, the Resource Librarian who assists parents/caregivers in understanding their child’s diagnosis in order to provide proper care. Studies indicate that informed parents who know what to expect in their child’s development are better prepared to handle associated stress and less likely to become frustrated, thereby reducing the risk of abuse and neglect.
For more information:
Jeanne Gibbons, Officer, Corporate and Foundation Relations
(314)286-0924
St. Louis City Family Court – Juvenile Division, St. Louis
Crisis Stabilization and Interventions (CSI)
This is a secondary prevention project for in-home crisis stabilization services to the students and families of Fanning Middle School. The project uses the Homebuilders model. In addition to reducing the risk of abuse and neglect, goals include helping families deal with family conflict, child behavior issues and to teach families the skills they need to prevent out-of-home placements in foster care, psychiatric hospitalizations or the juvenile justice system.
For more information:
Joli Baker
(314)552-2547
SIDS Resources, Inc., St. Louis
CTF License Plate Marketing Partner
Utilizes funds from the Children’s Trust Fund prevent child abuse license plate to provide safe cribs and crib sheets benefiting low income or at-risk families with infants in the greater St. Louis (Missouri) metro area including Franklin and St. Charles County. The program identifies eligible families through referrals from partnering agencies including Catholic Charities, St. Louis County Health Department, Family Care Health Centers, Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Center, etc. A partnership has also been forged with Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center for assistance. Those families approved for a crib receive a follow-up home visit from a health professional who assembles the crib and educates the family on its use, safe sleep practices and other techniques to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
For more information:
Lori Behrens, Executive Director
(314)822-2323
Vision for Children at Risk , St. Louis
The St. Louis Community and Family Partnership
Sustains and expands evidenced-based strategies in the City of St. Louis that reduce child abuse by strengthening families and communities. The strategies will enhance the ability of project partners to work together to prevent child abuse through coordinated public awareness efforts and joint collaborative planning. Priorities of the project include: (1) the introduction of the nationally recognized Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education Initiative to the early care network; and (2) working with the St. Louis Public Schools to pilot the use of family support teams to link at-risk families with needed community supports and services.
For more information:
Richard Patton, Executive Director
(314)534-6015
Women in Charge, St. Louis
Building Stability for Teen Moms
At Women in Charge, teen moms become part of a warm and supportive community of peers, caring professional staff and volunteers. In addition to literacy and GED classes, coping strategies, and life skills (nutrition, speech/communications, financial literacy), this project uses the Parents As Teachers model and the Teaching Parents of Young Children curriculum to provide parenting education around appropriate developmental expectations and other parenting skills training.
For more information:
Lynn Chapman-Wolf, Director of Clinical Services and Development
(314)432-7302
Youth In Need, St. Charles
Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Training for Head Start Home Visitors
This project trains Head Start and Early Head Start home visitors in the research-based Conscious Discipline curriculum with families at risk for child abuse and/or neglect. Based on the promising child abuse prevention models of home-based services,home visitation, parent education and early childhood programming, this project is intended to be a secondary prevention project due to the high incidence of risk factors among families enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the counties of St. Charles, Lincoln, Warren and Montgomery. Specific risk factors include poverty, childhood disability, young maternal age and family stress.
For more information:
James Braun, President & CEO
(636)946-5600