A teen stops yelling at her mother. Another learns to manage her emotions at school. A parent discovers she is not alone in her overwhelm. These small shifts are the kinds of everyday changes that now ripple out from Patty Cakes Family Center in Raytown, Missouri, a place created for families who often feel unprepared when a child enters their care. That need became unmistakable to Patricia “Patti” Nimmo in the early 2000s when children were arriving in her home with little notice, and she was met with childcare centers that had weeks-long waitlists and foster parent training that touched only lightly on real trauma. The support families needed felt out of reach at the moments they needed it most.

“I was calling countless childcare centers and could not get in,” Nimmo said. “I was on wait lists for two or three months. It affected my ability to take children into care because I had to put my whole work life on hold.”

Her frustration became direction, first leading her to open an education center in 2001 and then, in 2002, to launch Patty Cakes Family Center as a direct response to the gaps she was seeing in foster care support. Those gaps continue today. Missouri’s foster care system faces persistent challenges that shape the experiences of children and the families who care for them. Caseworkers often carry heavy caseloads, placement options can be limited for children with complex needs, and caregivers frequently wait for mental health and behavioral services that are essential to stability. These pressures leave many families navigating difficult situations with too little guidance and too few supports.

In 2025, the Missouri Department of Social Services reported 11,755 children in foster care statewide, a number that reflects the scale of need across the state. That need is especially pronounced in Jackson County, which includes Raytown and much of the Kansas City metro. According to Fostering Court Improvement, Jackson County reports more children in foster care than any other county in Missouri, making the challenges Nimmo once faced as a foster parent even more concentrated in the community she serves.

In those early years, Trinicka ‘Nikki’ Harden was a student studying child development. She came to work at Patty Cakes daycare center out of high school and met Nimmo there, and something clicked immediately. Both moved with purpose. Both carried the same fire to help. Their friendship quickly became deeper than an employer-employee dynamic.

“Our similarities, our vibe—we just get each other,” Nimmo said. “It’s a very rare and unique relationship.”

Today, more than two decades later, Nimmo and Harden run a center that has become a quiet cornerstone in Raytown and the surrounding Kansas City metro area. But their work remains straightforward and grounded. They show up as neighbors, not saviors.

Meeting People Where They Are

At Patty Cakes, there’s no clinical language or institutional coldness. Instead, you’ll encounter two women in jeans and genuine smiles, talking with parents about why saying “no” matters, helping teens process emotions, and teaching CPR with the same care they’d bring to a friend. Harden emphasizes their philosophy: “We have to remember to meet people where they are and work beside them, not for them.”

The Center’s three core offerings are mental health awareness, CPR and first aid training, and suicide prevention education. These aren’t random. They emerged from years of listening to families describe what they actually needed.

Mental health education tops the list. Nimmo and Harden noticed that training for foster parents, while well-intentioned, rarely went deep enough. A parent might learn that children experience trauma, but not how to recognize suicidal ideation in a teen. Not how to talk about mental illness without shame. Not how to build resilience when everything feels broken.

“The training I received was all superficial,” Nimmo said. “When I say superficial, I mean we were just on the top layer. It did not give me what I really needed.”

So Patty Cakes built workshops that do. Mental health staff offer one-on-one coaching and group sessions focused on recognizing symptoms, finding local resources, and practicing self-care. For teens, consistent participation in mental health check-ins has sparked visible changes: better emotion regulation, improved school behavior and reduced conflict at home.

CPR and first aid training follow the same approach. They are designed to make sure a caregiver leaves class feeling confident and prepared to save a life. 

Suicide prevention is their newest program, and it reflects the urgency both women feel about the crisis they’re witnessing in their community. Nimmo explains their approach is about education and awareness before a crisis strikes. “We’re still new to the suicide prevention and education and awareness piece, but we feel it’s going to blow the roof off because it’s a real area that we’re going through right now,” she said.

Their suicide prevention and first aid class helps people understand how to spot early signs of a crisis, ask difficult questions, and take steps that can keep someone safe until professional help is available. Participants receive a two-year CPR and first aid certification. It’s part of their broader safety mission: making sure communities are ready to act.

Missouri’s foster care system shows why this work matters. A review by Missouri Independent, drawing on data from the department, found that children in Missouri foster care experience an average of 6.23 placement moves per 1,000 days, compared with the national average of 4.48. Frequent moves disrupt routines, counseling, and school stability, increasing the emotional strain families carry. Patty Cakes provides one of the rare consistent supports that families and youth can rely on during those transitions.

That instability is compounded by long waits for permanency. The department reports that 1,671 children in the state are awaiting adoption, underscoring how many young people lack the long-term stability they need. For families navigating these realities, having a steady, trusted resource like Patty Cakes becomes even more essential.

The Trust They’ve Built

None of this works without trust. And trust doesn’t come from credentials alone—it comes from genuineness.

Nimmo is a mother of 11. She speaks openly about the challenges of raising children, relationships that didn’t survive, and struggles that are still unfolding. When she sits with a parent, she doesn’t pretend to have all the answers or to have figured everything out.

I don’t judge people by their circumstances,” Nimmo said. “I’m creating a non-judgment zone. When they come in, I’m quick to say: This is a judgment-free space. Whatever you may be thinking, just know I am not the one about to judge you.

Harden brings a different but complementary presence. “I’m not perfect, and I have no plans to be perfect,” she said. “Our approach is just to be real. I’m firm but fair because I’ll work with you, but you have to be accountable for your own success.”

Parents and teens respond to this authenticity. One teen told Nimmo she’d stopped yelling at her mother, sharing updates on her self-care journey because she felt progress was real. Another parent reported behavioral improvements at school. These aren’t dramatic transformations. They’re the quiet wins that matter most in real lives.

Bridging the Gaps

Yet for all they’ve accomplished, Nimmo and Harden see persistent barriers keeping families from the help they need. Stigma remains powerful. Accessibility is limited. Cost can be prohibitive. But the biggest gap, they say, is awareness.

“You gotta know the Salvation Army is out there before you know you can even get there,” Nimmo said. “It’s amazing to me sometimes when I’m sitting among people and I’m like, oh my god, is that a thing? Is that real?”

Harden agreed. “Stigma and accessibility are huge barriers,” she said. “But the biggest is just knowing these services exist. People don’t know where to turn.”

The solution, in their view, isn’t just better programs—it’s better communication. More partnerships. A community where organizations know each other and actively connect families to resources.

Patty Cakes approaches partnerships with flexibility. Their mission doesn’t have to be identical to a potential partner’s, but it should be aligned. They’ve networked with WIC agencies, local childcare centers, and community groups, always asking one question: Are you authentic and committed to individuals and families?

When describing how they structure these partnerships, Nimmo said: “We can’t really put it in a box. We are open to networking and seeing who we can click with.”

What’s Next

Looking ahead, Nimmo and Harden hope Patty Cakes becomes the first resource families think about when they need support. Not a one-stop shop—they’re realistic about what one organization can do—but a trusted name that signals safety and genuine care.

They’re seeking college interns studying social work to mentor them in exploring the field while helping expand their reach, volunteers to strengthen programs, and community partners to deepen their impact. They’re growing their intern program by inviting students early in their social work education to navigate the breadth of the field alongside mentors who understand the work.

But their deepest hope is simpler: that when families see the purple hands logo of Patty Cakes, they know they’re not just a number. They’re seen. They’re supported. They can access the education and tools they need to stay safe and move forward.

“We want to be a resource that families think about first,” Nimmo said. “And when you see the purple hands, you know that we’re doing positive things and we’re wanting to help people.”

For more than 20 years, that’s exactly what Nimmo and Harden have been doing—one family, one teen, one genuine connection at a time.

Their work is a reminder that real change doesn’t require grand gestures. It requires showing up, being genuine, and refusing to accept the gaps in the systems meant to protect our most vulnerable. In a community facing persistent foster care challenges, Patty Cakes has become proof that when someone decides to act on what they see missing, others will follow. That transformation starts with a single person, a single family, and the willingness to build something better.

To learn more about Patty Cakes Family Center and how you can get involved, visit pattysfamilycenter.com