The concept for Saint Louis Crisis Nursery began in 1983 when the Junior League of Saint Louis (JLSL) instituted a research committee on child abuse and focused on three prevalent needs—networking, education, and crisis intervention services.
The Coalition of 100 Black Women joined the collaborative effort in February 1986, providing educational resources to assist in structuring programs for children, training staff, participating on the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery's Board of Directors, and developing a referral system.
Using a $500,000 donation from the Centene Charitable Foundation, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery Centene Center opened in South St. Louis City, replacing the organization's original location at Forest Park Hospital School of Nursing, which was about to close.
This site served families who needed time to evacuate, applied for assistance, and dealt with the clean-up process.
In April 2011, nursery staff helped families impacted by the Good Friday storms that struck most of St. Louis.