Most people are aware of the 24/7 hotline phone services available to anyone needing help in an emergency. For example, numbers such as 911 and 988 (Suicide prevention lifeline) are open at all times for people who need them. However, what many people are unaware of is that there are around-the clock in-person care facilities available as well. The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is one such organization. The nursery acts as a haven for children and families in need by providing resources such as food, shelter and emotional support to families facing poverty, domestic violence and other challenges. The Nursery takes care of children whose ages range from birth to 12 years old, and whose guardians are confronted with crisis situations.
Jane Beckman, Senior Communications Director at the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery, discussed the organization’s mission, which is that “every child deserves to be safe and happy.” She said child abuse often happens when parents are at the end of their rope, and emphasized the importance of jumping in to support families before that neglect occurs.
“For 38 years, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery has been preventing child abuse and neglect, and that prevention part is key,” Beckman said. “There are a lot of great agencies that will help after something terrible has happened, but, we can prevent child abuse from happening. We do that with a 24-hour helpline, which has been answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for 38 years. We know that child abuse and neglect can happen when parents are feeling over-stressed.”
Beckman said there are five Saint Louis Crisis Nursery locations across the city and surrounding counties. Between the five Nurseries, they can keep a total of 46 children safe. Additionally, each location is staffed with social workers and counselors trained in trauma care.
“This is not just a daycare,” Beckman said. “[Our staff is] working with kids who have seen some bad things and lived through some bad things.”
The children at the Nursery also get three meals and three snacks a day, a doctor’s visit, a developmental assessment and different types of therapies. While the main focus of the organization is to provide a safe haven for the children, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery also strives to assist the parents or guardians of the children at the Nursery.
“If it’s a crisis to you, it’s a crisis,” Beckman said. “Our top crises include homelessness, domestic violence, mental or physical health care, or sickness. A lot of times, however, it’s just overwhelming parental stress. When parents come into the nursery, we give them three goals to achieve while their kids are here. [These include] finding stable housing, finding a better job, getting away from a domestic violence situation or getting mental health care. You cannot be an effective parent when you’re exhausted and feeling stressed.”
Maria Mulcahy, volunteer manager at the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery, said the Nursery is extremely multifaceted. She said that home visits, education courses and budget courses are included in the organization along with the Nursery’s primary resources.
“All of our services that we provide are free and voluntary. In addition to our emergency respite services, we also have a Family Empowerment Program, staffed with social workers and counselors,” Mulcahy said. “They hold special events in high-risk communities, outreach and canvassing, and most importantly, they [help our families with] their long-term goals.”
Merlin Bell, a Saint Louis Crisis Nursery alum, said the Nursery is extremely important in our community. Bell discussed the Nursery’s role in providing resources to families facing poverty, domestic violence and other challenges. He emphasized the Nursery’s resolute impact, helping to stabilize families. He also reflects on how much of a positive impact the Nursery had on his life.
“I remember the warm baths, I remember three meals a day,” Bell said. “I remember seeing the endless amounts of movies and toys that we were able to play with… and we were just allowed to be kids. There were no strings attached, you know? It was just, you’re a kid. And that’s all we want from you, and we’ll love you the way you are. And for that to have happened, [it] kind of gave me an expectation as I got older about how love is supposed to be… it gave me a sense of direction about how I’m supposed to expect people to treat me.”
Bell also touched on the importance of the Nurseries actions in the St. Louis area, and how the regionally high levels of poverty affect the need for organizations like the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery. He mentioned that services provided by the Nursery are especially important in areas like St. Louis.
“The poverty rate is pretty high [in Saint Louis], which goes along with a lot of other issues in impoverished neighborhoods,” Bell said. “ The importance of the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is to be able to have a resource within those communities, those high poverty-stricken or those high domestic violence households, [and] to give a safe haven to mothers as well as children, so they can have that resource.”
Author’s Note: If you want to learn more about this organization or want to volunteer, feel free to visit their website (https://www.crisisnurserykids.org/) to get more information.
