Child In Need
Child In Need is dedicated to helping children and young adults, from birth through age 21, whose families face financial challenges that limit their ability to support their child’s educational, physical, or emotional development. We believe every child deserves the chance to thrive, feel included, and have the same opportunities as their peers.
Our mission is to bridge the gap for families by providing support tailored to each child’s unique needs. Child In Need offers a wide range of assistance, including vouchers for vision exams and glasses, clothing, and financial help with college class registration fees, sports participation costs, baby essentials, and more. Each request is carefully considered to ensure it contributes to the overall well-being and growth of the child.
Assistance requests for Child In Need are made through school counselors and social workers, ensuring that children in need are identified and supported. Since its inception in 1991, this unique program has been a vital resource for addressing individual needs that are often overlooked by other assistance programs.
The distinctive design of this program allows Boost KC to quickly respond to the immediate needs of children, ensuring they receive the help they require. This rapid response is what sets Child In Need apart, enabling us to provide timely and effective support.
Child in Need
Individual requests granted during past years include:
- eye exams and glasses
- portable cribs, diapers and baby supplies
- helmets for children with special needs
- Christmas gifts for a family whose gifts were stolen
- birth certificate, clothing and shoes for a homeless boy so he could get a job
- dental procedures
- many requests for clothing for needy children in crisis such as homelessness, domestic violence, or removal from homes
Examples of request received
Child in Need paid the $100 anesthesia invoice.
These children just came into foster care and were the victims of severe medical neglect. One child is having serious dental procedures this week and Medicaid does not cover the cost of his anesthesia for the procedure. There is serious tooth decay and the child had never seen a dentist before coming into care at age 8. The foster family is requesting help to pay for the anesthesia, which will cost $100. The family will have to pay out of pocket to cover this, as it has to be done, but this will put a burden on them financially as the boys just came into care and so the foster family hasn’t received any financial help from the state of MO yet. Thank you for any help!
Child in Need provided a voucher for clothing and a coat.
Amari recently came into our care. Amari is very stubborn and hard-headed but just needs some direction. She is coming from a family that could not wait to sign over their rights and she may feel lost and unwanted. Amari is needing a clothing voucher, especially with winter coming up and we are hoping someone can help us out. Thank you for everything.
Child in Need paid the basketball league fees for the boys.
We are asking for help for two brothers. The family would like help for the boys to be able to play basketball in an organized league this winter. They are first-time foster parents and want to give them this opportunity as they have never been able to do anything like this as they were removed from a situation where the children were confined to a room. They are suffering a lot of trauma and need this so that they can get some of their energy out and not be so aggressive toward each other.
