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a cce s s H ea l t h N ews . n e t J a n u a ry 2 0 2 6 Volume 11 | Issue No. 103 14 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 Pa y 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 Pa y 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" ma ers, helping teens process emotions, and teaching CPR with the same care they'd bring to a friend. 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 Pa y 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 "Pa i" Nimmo in the early 2000s when children were arriving in her home with li le 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 Pa y 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 li le guidance and too few supports. aH From Waitlists to Real Support: How Patty Cakes Transformed Foster Care In Kansas City By Chrissey Breault, Staff Writer