Missouri Child, Inc.

Welcome to Missouri Child, Inc.

Missouri Child, Inc. is a comprehensive child development program which serve children birth to age 5 years and their families. It is a child-focused program having the overall goal of increasing the social competence of young children from low-income families. By “social competence” is meant the child’s everyday effectiveness in dealing with both his or her present environment and later responsibilities in school and life. Social competence takes into account the interrelatedness of social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.

MCI services are also family-centered, following the tenets that children develop in the context of their family and culture and that parents are respected as the primary educators and nurturers of their children. MCI offers family members opportunities and support for growth and change, believing that people can identify their own strengths, needs, and interests and are capable of finding solutions.

To support the overall goal of improving social competence, MCI embraces a core set of values, including commitments to:

  • Establish a supportive learning environment for children, parents, and staff, in which the processes of enhancing awareness, refining skills, and increasing understanding are valued and promoted;
  • Establish a supportive learning environment for children, parents, and staff, in which the processes of enhancing awareness, refining skills, and increasing understanding are valued and promoted;
  • Recognize that the members of the MCI community — children, families, and staff — have roots in many cultures. MCI families and staff, working together as a team, can effectively promote respectful, sensitive, and proactive approaches to diversity issues;
  • Understand that the empowerment of families occurs when program governance is a responsibility shared by families, governing bodies, and staff, and when the ideas and opinions of families are heard and respected;
  • Respect the importance of fathers in children’s lives and welcome male involvement into our program as a contribution of an irreplaceable aspect in the fullness of children’s lives.
  • Embrace a comprehensive vision of health for children, families, and staff, which assures that basic health needs are met, encourages practices that prevent future illnesses and injuries, and promotes positive, culturally relevant health behaviors that enhance life-long well-being;
  • Respect the importance of all aspects of an individual’s development, including social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth;
  • Build a community in which each child and adult is treated as an individual while, at the same time, a sense of belonging to the group is reinforced;
  • Foster relationships with the larger community, so that families and staff are respected and served by a network of community agencies in partnership with one another and;
  • Develop a continuum of care, education, and services that allow stable, uninterrupted support to families and children during and after their MCI experience.
MCI staff have a long tradition of delivering comprehensive and high quality services designed to foster healthy development in low-income children. MCI provides a range of individualized services in the areas of education and early childhood development, medical, dental, and mental health, nutrition, and parent involvement. In addition, the entire range of MCI services is responsive and appropriate to each child and family’s developmental, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage and experience.

MCI fosters the role of parents as the primary educators and nurturers, of and advocates for, their children. Therefore, MCI works in close partnership with parents to assist them in developing and utilizing individual and family strengths in order to successfully meet personal and family objectives. Parents are encouraged to become involved in all aspects of the program, from participation in children’s activities to direct involvement in policy and program decisions.

MCI is committed to cultivating partnerships within the community. Through the establishment of meaningful links with community organizations and programs focused upon early childhood development, family support, health, and education, MCI ensures that children and families receive an array of individualized services, and that community resources are used in an efficient and effective manner.

MCI strives for excellence in program management that supports the provision of quality services for children and families. Policy groups, representative of MCI parents and the larger community, and strong governing bodies play a critical role in overseeing the implementation of MCI legislation, regulations, and policies. A strong focus on staff training and development helps to ensure that children and families are served by individuals with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to provide high quality, comprehensive services.

The MCI Program Performance Standards are designed to ensure that the MCI goals and objectives are implemented successfully, that the MCI philosophy continues to thrive, and that we maintain the highest possible quality in the provision of MCI services. MCI Policies and Procedures have been developed to ensure the appropriate implementation of MCI Performance Standards.

MCI services for children with disabilities are fully integrated into all areas of program services. We are committed to providing the full range of services to all children in our care.

MCI serves children and families in Laclede, Camden, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski, Gasconade, Crawford and Miller Counties of Missouri. We welcome you to our family and hope that you will become a part of our long tradition.

Sincerely,


Steven O'Brien
Executive Director
Missouri Child, Inc.

Missouri Child, Inc. Policies and Procedures are not currently available to the general public. For access please call (417)425-7517.