What We Are Doing For The Community Helping Children at Risk Magnificat Center's primary service area lies in zip code 63118 of the city of St. Louis. This zip code has the second highest population in the city and the highest rate of child abuse in the state. This area is home to more registered sex offenders than any other St. Louis zip code and has one of the highest rates of homicide and non-motor vehicle accidental death. When Magnificat Center became active in the community in late 1999, administrators at elementary schools such as Froebel in Gravois Park were reporting incidences of small children crying on the school doorstep as darkness fell because their parents failed to pick them up. Chronic neglect of children was observed by neighborhood residents and school staff as children were sent to school dirty and hungry in soiled clothing, often too tired to keep from falling asleep in class. Caring for Homeless Children On any given day in the City of St. Louis, 3,200 people are homeless. 1,460 of them are children under age 17. Each year over 4,000 children in the City of St. Louis are homeless for some period of time. 90% of the homeless population has experienced domestic violence, which includes child abuse. Families staying in a homeless shelter are usually required to leave the shelter after breakfast and cannot return until after 5:00 p.m. While older children can spend the day in school, homeless mothers are forced to carry their babies and preschoolers with them as they travel from place to place seeking employment and permanent housing. The period between birth and three years of age is a critical time of development and growth. Infants are defining personality, future learning ability, and emotional attachments during this critical time. Children living in chaos and transition during these formative months often experience developmental delays that can take years to overcome. Helping Children Read Most of the children we serve attend Meramec and Froebel Elementary Schools. Both schools are well maintained and have fine teachers and administrators who are working hard to provide the best education possible for their students. By state standards, both schools are making "Adequate Yearly Progress" in Math, but their scores are very low in communication arts. Only 5% of the students are considered proficient in communication (reading) skills, 50% are at level one and progressing. But 45% of the children in these schools are not making progress by state standards and the children are receiving little help at home.