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United Services for Children was founded in 1975 by parents and professionals in St. Charles County, Missouri, who saw that families of young children with developmental delays and disabilities had nowhere to turn for coordinated care. Families were sent from provider to provider, waiting months for evaluations and therapy while the most important years for brain development passed by.
Our early intervention model grew out of that frustration. We believe the first years of life are the best window to change a child’s trajectory, and that children make the most progress when therapists, educators, and families work as one team rather than in separate silos.
The need has only grown. Today most of the young children in our early intervention program are autistic, and more than half of the children we serve are covered by Medicaid. Many families face long waits elsewhere, high out-of-pocket costs, or care that is split across several agencies. We created this model so that every family, regardless of income, can find integrated, high-quality support in one place and leave with the skills and confidence to keep helping their child grow.
Children from birth to age three enter through Missouri’s First Steps early intervention system or a community referral. A USC social worker welcomes each family, learns their priorities, and connects them to services and resources.
Each child then receives an individualized plan with measurable goals. Speech, occupational, physical, and behavioral therapists coordinate their work so that goals reinforce each other across disciplines. For children with the most intensive needs, many of them autistic, our early intervention classrooms provide structured, play-based learning every week alongside therapy.
Families are partners, not spectators. Therapists coach parents during sessions so strategies carry over into daily routines at home. Our social work team supports families in crisis and offers groups including Partnering Through Play, a parent and child class for families not yet ready for full early intervention; Encouraging Early Language; Incredible Years for parents; and Sibshop for brothers and sisters.
Progress is measured at regular intervals and plans are adjusted as children grow. As children approach age three, our team supports the transition to preschool or continued therapy so that gains are not lost. No family is turned away because of inability to pay.
Our model has grown steadily within St. Charles County through close partnerships with Missouri First Steps, the St. Charles County Developmental Disabilities Resource Board, and the Community and Children’s Resource Board, which help fund early intervention, social work, and family support. USC now serves about 400 children each year across its programs.
We are also sharing what we have learned with the wider field. In 2026, our Inclusion 50 Project, which documents the history of disability inclusion in Missouri, received a statewide Cutting Edge Award from the Missouri Association of County Developmental Disabilities Services, and our team presented it at the association’s statewide conference. We are building a partnership with Lindenwood University on research and training, and our leaders present at regional and state conferences on early childhood and disability services.
Our goal is to document our early intervention approach clearly enough that other community providers can adopt it, so more young children and families can benefit from integrated, family-centered care wherever they live.
Our model has evolved with the families we serve. As more of the young children referred to us were autistic, we added behavioral therapy using a naturalistic, play-based approach that avoids drill-style instruction and excessive hours, keeping each child’s overall well-being at the center. We added aquatic therapy so children can build strength and motor skills in warm water.
We also widened the front door. Partnering Through Play gives families who are not yet ready for full early intervention a low-pressure way to start, and our social work team now meets every new family at intake. To remove cost as a barrier, we created a Therapy Financial Assistance Fund for families whose insurance denies or only partly covers care. In our most recent cohort, 95 percent of children it served met or made measurable progress on their goals.
In 2023 we moved into a 41,000-square-foot facility that brings all of these services under one roof. Next, we are building the Inclusion Gallery, a universally designed indoor play space where children with and without disabilities can play and learn side by side.
Start with the family, not the diagnosis. Have one person, ideally a social worker, welcome each family, learn their priorities, and stay their point of contact.
Bring disciplines together. Even without a single building, speech, occupational, physical, and behavioral therapists can share one plan for each child, set goals that reinforce each other, and meet regularly to review progress.
Coach parents in every session. Short, practical strategies that fit daily routines such as meals, bath time, and play extend progress far beyond therapy hours.
Offer an easy first step. A parent and child play group gives hesitant families a way in before formal services begin.
Measure and adjust. Set individualized, measurable goals, check progress at regular intervals, and change the plan when a child is not moving forward.
Make cost a solvable problem. Partner with local funders to create a small assistance fund so families do not stop therapy when insurance falls short.
We are glad to share what we have learned. Contact Julie Turner, Ph.D., President and CEO, at jturner@unitedsrvcs.org or +1 636-926-2700 ext. 509, or visit unitedservicesforchildren.org.
