Where Caring Truly Counts
The caring staff at Missouri Girls Town provides a loving, family atmosphere for all the girls living in our community – something many of our clients never experience before coming to Girls Town. We offer these young ladies the tools to help them grow to adulthood, and teach them life skills that help prepare them to care for themselves and their own families one day.
The rural Missouri schools near our campus also have access to our programming. Currently, Missouri Girls Town licensed clinicians provide in school mental health care to children in Montgomery and North Callaway School Districts. This allows children to stay in school, removes the barrier of transportation keeping one from attending and the fact that a parent or caregiver would have to take off work to attend therapy sessions. All children, regardless of their socio-economic background, are eligible to seek therapy and education from Missouri Girls Town staff.
Operated By
Missouri Girls Town Foundation, Inc. is a private 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1953 by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Missouri, an organization of more than 4,000 women still generously supporting Girls Town. Jenny Preiss assumed the role of Executive Director in 2017. Melissa Blumer, LCSW, MSW, is our director of clinical services. Missouri Girls Town is a member of the Alliance for Children and Families as well as the Missouri Coalition for Children.
Our Clients
From the very beginning, Missouri Girls Town has concentrated on providing care and treatment for abused and neglected girls. By staying focused only on girls, we have been able to build a program to fit their needs and create an environment for them to heal.
When a new client arrives at the Girls Town campus, they have typically been through nine failed placements. These placements may include foster care or other residential centers, hospitalization, relatives, and failed adoptions. These adolescent girls are between the ages of eight and twenty-one and are in need of a therapeutic, structured living environment that addresses emotional and behavioral disorders.
Our clients are referred by the Missouri Department of Social Services – Children’s Division, the Department of Mental Health, or the Division of Youth Services. Every effort is made to place young women at Missouri Girls Town who will have an excellent chance to succeed in our caring, structured environment.