HISTORY

Responding to the need of homes for orphans in the Lead Belt of Missouri, Presbyterian pastors banded together to create Elmwood Presbyterian Orphanage in 1914. The first children came to the orphanage in May of 1915. It was a financial struggle to keep the orphanage solvent until Potosi Presbytery and the Synod of Mid-America joined in sponsoring the orphanage in 1917. It was renamed Presbyterian Orphanage of Missouri.

1919 saw the orphanage begin to serve children who were not necessarily orphans, but who could not be properly cared for in their own homes. 115 children lived at the home then. 

By 1939, enough funds had been received to begin construction of the administration building. For many years, that building along with several cottages comprised what was known as the “Town Campus” in Farmington, Missouri.  By 1942, the home purchased an 85 acre farm to raise food for the children. This would become known as the Farm Campus. With the assistance of Farm Manager, Lewis Asher, the children grew a garden, had a poultry operation of 20,000 chickens, and cattle.

In 1952, responding to changes in society, Presbyterian Orphanage of Missouri became Presbyterian Home for Children. They would accept any child without an adequate home. 

1957 saw the construction of Camp Jennings as a country retreat for the children. Also in the 1950’s new cottages to house children were built on the farm campus.

By the mid 1960’s, the emotional and mental health needs of the children began to be addressed. Broken homes and changing cultural patterns created deeper disturbances in children than had been present in previous times. Until the mid-1970s the agency provided only residential care services at Farmington Children’s Home.  Services there were primarily custodial until a casework program was added in 1965. Then in 1977 a casework office in the metropolitan St. Louis area was opened to more easily involve parents of children in treatment at Farmington Children’s Home.

Responding to a community need in Springfield, Missouri, Regional Girls’ Shelter was founded by a group of volunteers to serve troubled teenaged girls within a twenty-six county area in southwest Missouri, and merged with Presbyterian Children’s Services in 1979.   

Further program expansion includes:  

• The opening of Stubbins Memorial Regional Family and Youth Center, in 1981, to offer a co-ed group home for troubled children in central and northeastern Missouri.  

• In 1986, Presbyterian Family Support Services* was formed in Wichita, Kansas through a major funding effort of local churches.  There, its Mother-to-Mother program provided a team effort to help women with limited resources and the responsibility of a family focus on family strengths.

• Nineteen eighty-seven brought the opening of Camp Jennings*, a short-term, stress-challenge, residential treatment program; as well as a Transition to Independent Living program at Farmington, Missouri to help maturing young adults cross the bridge from dependence to independence.

• Midwest Learning Center opened in 1996 to provide a diagnostic and intensive psychiatric treatment center for children with severe needs for treatment and safety.  This center also contains classrooms for children from the campus.

• Since 2005, Foster Care Case Management Services have been provided for clients of Missouri Alliance for Children and Families, L.L.P.  In addition, home-based and school-based services like therapeutic mentoring, parent support, parent aid, and transportation to help families attain their highest levels of care giving.

• Individualized Alternative Program houses have been opened throughout the agency for children that require intensive, individualized treatment. The agency utilizing this program on existing campus's as well.

• 2009 saw Presbyterian Children’s Services become Children’s Foundation of Mid-America in order to strengthen fund-raising and simplify program operation.

• And, in 2010, Family Solutions for Kids, a collaborative effort with Every Child’s Hope, funded by St. Louis County Children's Services Fund provides families the intensive in-home therapy and support they need to grow strong families – available in St. Louis County.

• A new corporate home was acquired in late 2010. Here our corporate offices, plus St. Louis Mentoring, Foster Care Case Management and Family Solutions for Kids reside.
  
                                                                                              * program has been closed.