The CTF Safe Sleep Grant Program Evaluation was conducted in collaboration and on behalf of the Missouri Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) by the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare (KUSSW). This document was made possible through the support, collaboration, and hard work of the five regional grantees who designed safe sleep programs for their communities to help educate caregivers, community members and providers and reduce the risk of sleep-related infant injury and deaths. Their participation in data collection, willingness to share insights and program challenges, and ongoing service to families were essential to understanding the impact of this work.
In Missouri, reducing sleep-related infant injuries and deaths remains a key state goal. Under the direction of the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS), Children’s Division (CD) the Missouri Safe Sleep Coalition was formed in late 2016 consisting of several state and private community agencies and health care providers to develop, support and distribute consistent safe-sleep messaging statewide that aligns with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2016 Recommendations for Safe Infant Sleeping Environments.
As a result of this commitment, Children’s Trust Fund (CTF), a member of the Coalition, launched its Safe Sleep Grant Program from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025, which funded five regional state grantees to distribute safe sleep surfaces and provide safe sleep education to Missouri communities. This CTF Safe Sleep Grant Program Evaluation Report will provide a current understanding of the strengths and impacts of the Safe Sleep Grant Program and future opportunities for safe sleep programming in Missouri.
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