State & National Resources
Resources are available to help you and your family get the support you need. Look for state and national resources as well as county specific supports in the areas you need it most.
Health, Nutrition, and WellnessMilitary Family OptionsChild Care and Early learning NeedsFamily Fun and Education OpportunitiesGeneral Family SupportsEmergency SituationsLocal Resources
Health, Nutrition, and Wellness
Find the programs and resources in place for families who need assistance with access to nutritious foods and healthcare.
- Missouri Food Pantries – locate a food pantry near you
- Missouri Food Banks – search for a food bank near you
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – offers food and nutritional support to women and children
- Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps) – helps low-income families and individuals buy food
- Double Up Food Bucks – doubles the value of SNAP money when you are purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables
- MO HealthNet – healthcare coverage for low-income families and individuals
- Child and Adult Care Food Program – offers nutritious foods to care programs (child and adult)
Military Family Options
There are programs that focus on providing support to active military and veterans’ families.
Military Family Options
Missouri Veterans – provides information and resources for veterans, family members of a veteran, or survivor of a veteran.
Child Care Aware® of America – provides information, resources and supports for military families and their children. More than 10,000 military children are served each year.
My Next Move – provides career assistance for veterans.
Child Care and Early Learning Needs
- Missouri Child Care Subsidy Program – provides financial assistance for qualifying families. See if you qualify, complete an application or check on the status of an application through this website.
- Early Head Start (EHS) – provides an early, continuous, intensive and comprehensive child development program to children under 3 and whose family’s are at or below the federal poverty line.
- Missouri Head Start (HS) – continues the work of EHS but with older children. Resources are for both EHS and HS.
- United 4 Children – provides support and resources for both the family with a child who has special needs and the child care program caring for the child.
- Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education – provides resources and information for assistance with ages birth to 21. First Steps is a program for ages Birth to 3.
Family Fun and Education Opportunities
- Parents As Teachers – helps build strong communities, thriving families and children that are healthy, safe and ready to learn. It is a home visiting model serving almost 200,000 families worldwide. Resources and tools are available to promote parent education and early learning.
- Parent Link – provides parenting information and support to Missouri families by linking parents and professionals.
- Child Care Aware® of Missouri Action Center – subscribe today to become a child care advocate. Receive information to provide a voice when child care issues are in the state or federal house/senate.
General Family Supports
Resources and
assistance programs for housing, utilities, employment, and
more are listed below. Can’t find the resource you need?
Contact us to help you connect with the support your family
needs.
(Housing, Transportation, Clothing, Employment)
- Missouri Homeless Shelter Directory – complete list of Missouri Shelters. This resource includes emergency shelters, general homeless shelters and some transitional housing opportunities. Resources are listed by city. This site also contains links to food banks, pantries and soup kitchens.
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) – can help with one-time payment for heating bills from November through March each year. The Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) helps pay your bill when your energy is shut off or threatened to be shut off. ECIP is available November through May and June through September.
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TA) – can provide cash benefits to low-income families for children such as clothing, utilities and other services. Missouri Work Assistance program helps TA recipients transition from TA to a job by setting goals and getting skills needed to find a job and support their family.
- Housing Assistance – public housing assistance can provide housing choice vouchers or other assistance in locating housing.
- MoJobs – connects job seekers, employers and the community. Job seekers can find job skills workshops, training and education options and assistance and locate a Missouri Job Center.
- My Next Move – provides career assistance for veterans.
Emergency Situations
- Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline 1-800-392-3738 – if you suspect child abuse, neglect or exploitation you may report it to DSS. Anonymous reports are accepted from individuals not mandated by occupation to report but please consider identifying yourself so that Children’s Division staff may contact you during or after the investigation.
When making a report, have the following information available:
| · Name of child | · Name of parent(s) |
| · Name of the alleged abuser | · Where the child can be located |
Signs of Safety questions are used to screen calls.
You will also be asked:
- What are the worrying behaviors you are calling about today?
- What happened to the child/children as a result of the worrying behaviors?
- What are you most worried will happen to the child/children if nothing in the family changes?
- What actions have been taken other than making this call?
- Is there anything going on in or around that family that would make this situation more difficult to handle?
- What are the best aspects of the adult’s care for the child/children?
- What needs to happen differently for you to be confident the children are safe enough?
- On a scale of 0-10 where 10 means the child is completely safe right now and 0 means that if no action is taken, the child could be seriously hurt or injured in the next 24 hours, where would you rate this family?
You can call the local Children’s Divison office to discuss your concern. They can advise you whether or not to call the hotline. They can also give you advice that might help you help the family in crisis.
Err on the side of over-reporting. If you have the thought, “Maybe I should call…..” – DO!
- Domestic Violence Shelters and Services– provides resources and assistance for domestic and sexual violence.
- Domestic Shelters– provides a list of domestic shelters near you along with providing resources and assistance.
Community Resources
Resources are available to help you and your family get the support you need. Look for local, county specific supports as well as state and national opportunities.
Contact Info
Child Care Aware® of Missouri
955 Executive Parkway Drive, Suite 106
St. Louis, MO 63141
Phone: 800-200-9017
Fax: 314-754-0330
TTY: Dial 711 or 800-735-2966 if you are deaf or hearing impaired for MO Relay TTY Services
A member of
