Holiday celebration brings hope to Missouri Women’s Prison Nursery Program

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

MISSOURI (KBSI) – Holiday cheer filled the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center as Santa Claus visited the facility’s Prison Nursery Program, celebrating the season with mothers and their babies.

Seated beneath a 12-foot Christmas tree and surrounded by wrapped gifts, Santa — portrayed by Missouri Department of Corrections recruiter and retired captain Glenn Corser — delivered presents and smiles. The visit came amid the sounds of babies crawling, giggling, babbling and sleeping in the festively decorated room.

The nursery program, which opened in February 2025, currently serves nine mothers and 10 babies. For many, the holiday marked their first Christmas together, made possible in part by donated gifts from Central Missouri Community Action.

“I feel so blessed and thankful to be able to be here,” said Cheyenne Taylor, who welcomed her daughter, Haley, earlier this month. Taylor said the opportunity to bond with her baby was especially meaningful after a high-risk delivery that doctors said carried a low chance of survival.

Taylor’s daughter is one of several infants described by staff as “holiday miracles.” Another mother, Cloey Poland, celebrated the birth of her daughter, Miracle, who stopped breathing shortly after birth and was airlifted to Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis. Poland said the program’s supportive environment has been invaluable after experiencing multiple miscarriages.

A third emergency involved a former resident whose infant stopped breathing after choking on formula. The child was saved when a resident caregiver performed the infant Heimlich maneuver.

Program manager Kim Perkins said the women in the nursery program continue to work toward better futures for themselves and their children. “Day after day, I see these women striving to overcome barriers and past trauma to prepare for a better life for their babies,” Perkins said.

Among those preparing to leave the program is Kathy Briggs, mother of twins Lyric and Melody. Briggs said she is grateful to have a transition plan in place and will move to Promises of Hope, a communal home for formerly incarcerated mothers in Elsberry, Missouri.

“I believe we’re being guided toward something better,” Briggs said, adding she hopes to one day return to the program as a mentor.