Resources

Laura Brown: southcentral@mochildhoodcommunityleaders.org

Carrie Camenisch: southcentral@mochildhoodcommunityleaders.org

Jessica Jobe: jjobe@blairoaks.org

Jennifer Millard: jennifermillard@cmca.us

Click here to be added to out newsletter

Henry, St. Clair, Benton, Morgan, Moniteau, Cole, Osage, Miller, Gasconade, Franklin, Crawford, Hickory, Dallas, Camden, Laclede, Maries, Pulaski, Phelps, Dent, Wright, and Texas

WELCOME TO PARENTLINK™, your connection to parenting, family, home, and daily living supports! ParentLink is for all Missouri families, providing free assistance for the entire family from highly qualified professionals.

ParentLink’s mission is to bolster healthy families, thriving children, and responsive developmental environments. We help you connect to the supports and resources you need to succeed and thrive as a family. Click here to see which ParentLink™ service is right for you!

Your ParentLink™ professional will offer expert problem-solving support, helpful evidence-based information, and get you connected to the services or supports that are right for you. We will even follow up to make sure that your needs were met, and continue to work with you until you get what you need.

Looking for Resources? Search the Maternal Child Health TEL-LINK database for a provider near you, or call us at 800-552-8522 from 8 am – 5 pm

Request Materials

This resource guide covers CMCA's 8 county service area: Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau and Osage. It also covers the three additional counties we provide Head Start for: Benton, Hickory, and Morgan. It's a comprehensive guide that includes any and all resources available to help lower income individuals and families in need. The resources and information listed in the guide have been compiled by other groups and agencies in our 8-county service area over the years, and most notably in Boone County by the Voluntary Action Center. We thank them all for their years of service and dedication to the community, and the efforts they put forth in making this online resource available to everyone.

Use the menu option (three lines) on the top left to view different counties. Services may be searched for by type of service, county, or name of organization.

If you see an entry that is incorrect, no longer in business, or if you know of a resource not listed, please send any suggestions or revisions to cmcaonline@cmca.us.

Child Care Subsidy: A Closer Look at Waitlist Operations & Funding

We have received questions regarding why families are not yet moving off the Child Care Subsidy waitlist, even as children naturally leave the program each month. We want to provide transparency on how the waitlist functions and the core metrics guiding our operational decisions.

Why Applications Remain on the Waitlist

When the waitlist was established on March 1, 2026, the program was operating above its long-term budget capacity due to the expiration of temporary federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Moving families off the waitlist is not based on a single metric. Instead, decisions are tied directly to our ability to keep overall program costs safely within our total appropriated budget. To determine when new applications can be processed, we continuously evaluate a combination of critical factors:

• Monthly Expenditures: We track real-time spending trends and cost projections to ensure overall expenditures remain aligned with recurring state and federal funding.
• Active Caseload: We routinely monitor the number of active children, which includes all children listed on approved subsidy applications. While not every active child uses their subsidy benefits every month, they retain the right to do so at any time, representing a potential financial commitment.

Because our current monthly expenditures and active caseload levels remain at full capacity relative to our available funding, we cannot safely invite new families off the waitlist at this time without risking exceeding our fiscal capacity. We will begin processing new applications once overall expenditures and active case numbers drop to a level that allows for sustainable expansion.

Mandatory Exceptions Still Being Processed

The Office of Childhood (OOC) continues to process the following application types without delay:

• Renewals: Annual re-determinations for families currently active in the program.
• Amendments: Updates and change requests for existing, active cases.
• Protective Services (PS): Applications for children receiving protective services. While PS funding has a distinct line item in state budget documentation, these funds draw from the overall federal CCDF block grant framework and must be prioritized according to regulation.

We encourage stakeholders to review our website for updated monthly reports and additional information about the child care subsidy waitlist.

he Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a recall notice for the following items. If you have any of these items, please discontinue use immediately. For more information about product recalls or to view other recent recall notices, please visit the DESE website.

Montessori Busy Board Toys Recalled Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Magnet Ingestion; Violate Mandatory Standard for Toys; Sold on Amazon by Small Fish

AMASKY Nursing Pillows Recalled Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Suffocation; Violate Mandatory Standards for Nursing Pillows and Infant Support Cushions; Sold on Amazon by Pretty-Life

Target Recalls Gigglescape™ Under the Sea Popping Toy Due to Choking Hazard

Vevor Recalls Baby Loungers Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Entrapment and Fall Hazards; Violate Mandatory Standard for Infant Sleep Products

Projecting LED Finger Light Toys Recalled Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Battery Ingestion; Violate Mandatory Standard for Toys; Sold on Amazon by POPOOO

Shield Line Recalls MedPride Baby Oil Bottles Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Child Poisoning; Violate Mandatory Standard for Child-Resistant Packaging

Our Mission

To bring hope to Missouri's families with children and youth who have emotional, behavioral, and health needs.

At Missouri Families 4 Families, we:

• Nurture and support family connections to each other and quality services

• Provide family assistance through information, support, training, and technical assistance in local communities, resulting in self-advocacy

• Promote family voice on decision-making committees that develop and monitor policy, planning, and service delivery for children/youth with emotional behavioral needs at all levels of services

• The following national models are accepted for CPR/First Aid:
• American Red Cross
• American Heart Association
• American Trauma Event Management (ATEM)
• Emergency Care and Safety Institute
• National Safety Council
• ProTrainings
• Health and Safety Institute (HSI)
• To receive clock hour credit for CPR and First Aid, the early childhood professional should find a CPR/First Aid trainer within the MOPD System.
• The child care professional must receive official certification from the approved model.
• Online only CPR/First Aid is not allowed.
• CPR/First Aid training must be conducted fully in-person or as a blended training that includes online learning with an in-person skills assessment. For blended training, only the in-person component is eligible for clock hour credit.
• Early childhood professionals should upload their CPR/First Aid card in MOPD on their Education page for it to reflect on staff reports.
• CPR/First Aid trainers must upload their Instructor Certification in the MOPD System to train a course for clock hour credit.
• Clock hour credit will be awarded when the trainer completes the attendance for the training.
• If you cannot find a CPR/First Aid course near you in the MOPD System with the regular event search, you can reach out to a CPR/First Aid trainer in the trainer directory to request they come to your geographic region to teach a course. Full instructions are found in the MOPD Instructions under the topic ‘Search and Register for Training’, step 4.
• See more details on the MOPD system website.

MOPD System Organization Profile Users: Upload

Employee Documents

https://vimeo.com/1187009921/fdf117aced

System Updates | Early Connections

Our Promise To You:

At PRC of Rolla, we treat each person with kindness and compassion, and we provide accurate information about pregnancy, fetal development, lifestyle issues, and related concerns. We operate with absolute integrity and honesty in all our dealings. We serve and value each client regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship status or gender identity.

Angela S. Okuda

Director of Partnerships |Waterford.org

M: 513.378.7509

Learn about our work through this video!

Brain-Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Children

From infancy on, play is an important part of a child’s life. For babies and toddlers, simple, playful interactions with adults help develop sturdy brain architecture, the foundations of lifelong health, and the building blocks of resilience. Through games and playful activities, children can practice and strengthen important executive function skills that will help them throughout their lives, including learning to focus their attention, strengthening their working memory, and developing basic self-control. The following handout series, developed with support from the LEGO Foundation, provides suggestions games and play-based activities based on a child’s age. The activities for younger children are designed for adults to engage in with children. Activities for later ages allow the adults to step back, enabling children’s independence to blossom as they transition to playing more often with peers.

Through the innovations and ideals of the University of Missouri, MU Extension improves lives, businesses and communities by focusing on solving Missouri’s grand challenges around agricultural growth and stewardship, economic opportunity, educational access, and health and well-being.

ZERO TO THREE is committed to giving babies and toddlers the best start.

To support this goal, we offer a comprehensive selection of resources for those who share our vision.

We have been leading advocates for the mental health and well-being of young children for over four decades, and this experience has allowed us to develop an extensive resource base.

We invite families, professionals and advocates to explore our library of early childhood resources so we can continue to learn and grow together.

The Families First Program provides home-based early intervention services throughout Missouri at no cost to families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing from birth through age 8. Eligibility for the Families First Program is based on a current Deaf or Hard of Hearing diagnosis by a licensed audiologist, which includes an audiogram and evaluation report current within a year. Each family is paired with a SKI-HI certified Parent Advisor who typically will meet with them in person in their home or other natural environment or virtually for one hour per week (Up to two hours for special circumstances). Visits are family-oriented and individualized, with the focus on the family and their child learning new skills through natural environments and routines. Please email or call the Resource Center at 573-592-2543 for further information.

Our Mission: To prevent accidents and injuries to children in and around the home.

Unintentional injuries remain a crucial public health concern as they persist as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. More than 9.2 million children are treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries. Sadly, accidents and injuries claim the lives of 12,000 children and adolescents yearly. Unfortunately, it can happen to anyone, anywhere, and in a matter of seconds.
There is a solution.

Charlie’s House is proud to introduce the Virtual Safety Experience app—a child safety education tool designed to give parents and caregivers the safety information they need to prevent in-home accidents and injuries. The Virtual Safety Experience allows users to explore different areas around the home, interacting and learning from experts about common child safety concerns and how to mitigate them. From childproofing best practices to fire safety tips, seasonal hazards, and more, the app will help you build a safer environment for your family from the comfort of your own home.

Baby Talk: Resources to Support the People Who Work with Infants and Toddlers

Issue No. 173 October 2025

Helping Toddlers Expand Their Language Skills

Crying, pointing, smiling, and looking are all ways in which young children connect with others. It’s important to pick up on these kinds of communication and to use them in interactions with young children. This article highlights ways in which to recognize and advance communication opportunities. https://childmind.org/article/helping-toddlers-expand-their-language-skills/

What Does Inclusion Look Like?

I have had this beautiful picture in the queue for BabyTalk for over a year, waiting to find the right time and the right way to share it. I enjoy sharing resources through this listserv that promote opportunities to support the full potential of each and every child and family. I decided that it was time to offer an image that takes a very different approach to the concept of inclusion. I share this with you, with attribution to the photographer, and offer this challenge: how might you use this image to promote opportunities to support each and every child and family? I would be incredibly grateful if you would share how you use it, and with what result. My email is camille. catlett@unc.edu

19 Co-Regulation Tips for Infants and Toddlers

When the needs of infants and toddlers are met, positive behavior can follow. Help young children feel cared for and understood with these tips. 19 Co-Regulation Tips for Addressing Young Children’s Behavior - Brookes Blog

How Respiratory Illnesses Impact Children

The September edition of Health Trends in ECE examines how these respiratory illnesses impact children and provides guidance on the steps families and caregivers can take to reduce risks and promote healthier outcomes. This issue is designed to support early childhood professionals in sharing accurate, timely information with families and reinforcing everyday practices that help protect children’s health. https://www.pakeys.org/sep25-respiratoryillnesses/

What’s the Connection Between Early Childhood/Early Intervention and Artificial Intelligence?

The human brain is primed for social interaction. In the first few years of life, thousands of daily interactions shape lifelong social and cognitive systems that prepare us to live and work with other humans, and to engage in symbolic thinking through systems like numeracy and language. This thoughtful commentary invites your consideration of the capabilities that do and do not hinge on human interaction. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/policy-guardrails-needed-as-babies-around-the-world-begin-to-interact-with-ai/

New NIH Baby Toolbox Offers Breakthrough in Early Childhood Development Screening

Developmental scientists and medical social science experts at Northwestern University have spearheaded the creation of the most recent NIH Toolbox, providing the newest nationally standardized assessment of cognitive, language, motor and social-emotional skill development in infants aged 16 days to 42 months.

Learn more at https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250826/New-NIH-Baby-Toolbox-offers-breakthrough-in-early-childhood-development-screening.aspx

Baby Talk is a free listserv that is distributed monthly. Past issues (2021-2024) are available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bzKeW05D_ENLn7FGFsMM-6INt4XDHars Baby Talk may be shared or copied. Email a request to Camille Catlett to subscribe or unsubscribe.

Growing with MO (GWM) Harvest of the Season is a Missouri Farm to ECE program offering resources and training for all types of education settings. The goal is to educate children and the adults in their lives about local foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Highlighting the seasonal availability of Missouri fruits and vegetables.

Click here to learn more.

CMCA’s history is one filled with change, growth, and helping people achieve self-reliance.

CMCA supports low-income individuals and families. When a family comes to us with a specific need, we use a whole family approach and work with these families to provide support for any additional needs by referring them to other programs offered.

First Steps is Missouri's Early Intervention system that provides services to families with children, birth to three years of age, with disabilities or developmental delays. The program is designed to meet the needs of families related to enhancing their child's development, learning, and participation in family and community life.

For additional information about First Steps, please call toll-free at 1-866-583-2392 Ext. 3 or click here to visit the Missouri First Steps website.

The Pediatric Place has speech opens in both location, Clinton and Knob Knobster birth-18 years old.

To learn more about how we can work together more closely. Please email brittany@thepediatricplacellc.com to schedule a time that works best for you. There is no doctor referral required to start the process.

To learn more, click here.

Referral form for PT, OT, ST, MH, MNT, or ABA services.

Comprehensive and integrated services for learning differences and mental health

Supporting children, teens, young adults and families

Unlock Game-Changing Resources with a Show Me Child Care Resources Membership.

Are you a child care owner, director looking to elevate your program?

Are you an educator looking for resources for your classroom?

Get instant access to a powerful library of 2,000+ fully vetted, high-quality resources, all designed help you grow, lead and thrive.

• Family engagement tools and resources

• Classroom ready-to-use materials and curricula

• Program savings tools including a personal savings coordinator

• Teacher discount card for classroom and personal items

• Navigate national, state, and local resources with ease

• Tools to start or manage your child care program more efficiently

Everything you need is just a click away. Start your membership today.

The Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC) Program is a collaborative program between DESE's Office of Childhood and Local Public Health Agencies (LPHAs) throughout Missouri. The purpose of the program is to enhance child care health, mental health, safety, and wellness practices for child care providers, children age newborn to kindergarten entry enrolled in child care, and their families, through the implementation of CCHC Program services.

To find out more about Easterseals Midwest Parents as Teachers, click here.

To send referrals to Easterseals Midwest Parents as Teachers or any Home Visiting program in the state who is a referral partner, click here.

At United Way, we envision a community where all individuals and families have an opportunity to succeed and thrive. To make this vision a reality, United Way of Central Missouri partners with 26 non-profit health and human service agencies that help the hungry, the homeless, the powerless...seniors, babies, children and adults with disabilities...families torn apart by drug addiction, struggling to put food on the table, or recovering and rebuilding their lives after the devastation from a tornado, flooding or pandemic. We are United in our vision that together we should fight for a better future for all.

Thanks to our agency partners, we are making sure that youth have a mentor to help them reach their full potential, and low-income families have affordable day care so they can go to work or school and leave their children in a safe place where they will become kindergarten ready. Middle schoolers are receiving extra reading help so they don't fall behind, foster children are finding their forever homes, and seniors are able to stay independent in their homes because meals are delivered to their doorstep. Children have a safe place to go after school, and abused and neglected children have an advocate and voice in the courtroom. Children with special needs are receiving intensive physical therapy, and those struggling with mental health have access to quality counseling.

We are more than the fundraisers. We are the handraisers. We raise our hands not only to lead the fight, but to reach out to people who need our help...and hope. United we face food insecurity. United we battle for those struggling with addictions and mental health challenges. United we confront illiteracy and provide mentorship programs. No matter the obstacles. No matter the odds. We surround our community's most critical problems. And we fight. We fight for our neighbors, our co-workers, our families and our friends. We fight for those who need a voice and those whose names we do not know. Because it takes all of us working together.

We unite the community. We mobilize resources. We create change.

The Mid-Missouri Chapter of the Missouri Association for the Education of Young Children (MOAEYC), Nichols Career Center’s Early Childhood Professions Class, and United Way of Central Missouri are once again sponsoring an Early Childhood Education Trunk or Treat!

The event will take place on October 25th from 1:00–3:00 p.m. in the Adkins Stadium parking lot.

This fun, welcoming event is designed for children from Pre-K through kindergarten. Young learners can enjoy games, activities, and yummy treats!

Would you like to host a decorated trunk? Please let me know! United Way will provide candy and treats for area centers that would like to participate.

Kurt Hafley - Early childhood Program Director

573-636-4100

kurt.hafley@unitedwaycemo.org

To be added to their newsletter, please email Kurt