Saint Louis Crisis Nursery
Allison Means Latinette, LCSW, has extensive experience in social work and counseling, currently serving as a Family Empowerment Counselor at Saint Louis Crisis Nursery since August 2015, where crisis intervention and therapeutic support for families with young children are provided. Previously, Allison held the position of Birthparent Counselor at The Cradle, offering case management and advocacy services regarding adoption. Additional roles include Community Support Specialist III at Thresholds and MSW Intern at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, focusing on case management and support for pregnant and parenting adolescents. Earlier experience as a Toddler Teacher at Knowledge Learning Corporation involved curriculum development for toddlers, as well as MSW Internship at Esperanza Community Services, where individual therapy and group facilitation were provided for developmentally disabled youth. Allison holds an MSW with a Child and Family Concentration from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Women's Studies from Loyola University Chicago.
Saint Louis Crisis Nursery
For 37 years, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery has been committed to preventing child abuse and neglect. The Crisis Nursery provides a short-term, safe haven for almost 4,000 children a year, birth through age 12, whose families face an emergency caused by illness, homelessness, domestic violence, or overwhelming parental stress. Providing respite care to stressed parents in crisis can prevent child abuse. Parents bring children to one of five Nursery sites for a short-term stay, free of charge and on a voluntary basis. While there, the children receive a medical exam, nutritious meals, trauma-informed care, and take-home necessities. In addition, parents receive crisis counseling, in-home visits, and parent education groups at one of eleven Family Empowerment Centers. The Crisis Nursery provides care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, serving families throughout the greater St. Louis, St. Charles, Southern Illinois, and surrounding regions. The Crisis Nursery is an independent, not-for-profit agency. Since 1986, we have served over 132,000 children. For more information, go to www.CrisisNurseryKids.org All funds raised make the world a safer place for our little ones.