Marillac's roots date back to 1897 when the Daughters of Charity accepted ten-year-old Johnny Ryan as the first child to live at the Kansas City Orphan Boys' Home (shown at right). Over the years, social and cultural changes reduced the need for orphanages in the community. A new challenge of providing for the special educational needs of boys and girls with learning disabilities became the home's primary mission.

By 1962, the program moved into larger facilities at 310 West 106th Street in South Kansas City with classroom space for 120 students and a residential program for twenty-four children. At that time the name was changed to Marillac Home and School.

In 1978, the Catholic Diocese relinquished control of the program and Marillac Center for Children was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization under the laws of the State of Missouri. A newly established Board of Directors assumed responsibility for the governance of the organization.

In 1988, Marillac became accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, indicating that Marillac's services met the most stringent standards for the treatment of emotionally and behaviorally troubled children. And, in response to community need, Marillac Center expanded its continuum of care to include both a partial hospital program and outpatient services.

More significant changes occurred in 1992 with Marillac's renovation of and relocation to the former St. Mary's Hospital at 2826 Main Street on the Trinity Lutheran Hospital campus. At this time, the capacity of the residential treatment program was expanded from thirty-eight to sixty-four beds and the client population was expanded from pre-adolescents to include adolescents in need of psychiatric care and treatment. While at this location, Marillac expanded its therapeutic day school, partial hospital and outpatient programs, added an outpatient substance abuse program, developed an inpatient sexual abuse program, and expanded yet again to eighty-seven beds.

In 1998, Marillac joined with four other organizations to form Cornerstones of Care, an innovative organization capable of providing a full continuum of behavioral health services. The other members of this organization are Gillis, Ozanam, Spofford, and Healthy Families Counseling and Support. Together, these agencies can provide efficient and effective care to children and families of all ages and problems. Each organization maintains its own Board of Directors, and maintains its own licenses, certifications and accreditations. Collectively, these agencies provide quality care to over 500 children and families each year.

In 2003, the Trinity Lutheran Hospital campus was sold and Marillac purchased and renovated a former eighty-four-bed psychiatric hospital on seventeen acres in Overland Park, Kansas. This location provided an exciting opportunity for Marillac to continue its services in a new facility with ample space for recreational programming.

In 2006, Marillac responded to the needs of the community by closing thirty-two residential beds and opening an acute psychiatric hospital program. The Children's Psychiatric Hospital of Marillac is the only children's psychiatric hospital in Johnson County.

From its origins as an orphan boys' home, to its evolution as a school for children with learning disabilities, today Marillac Center is a cutting-edge children's psychiatric treatment center that provides safe, secure treatment and education to the hundreds of children who call it home each year. Marillac continues its proud tradition of meeting the community's needs through helping its children and families. To take a tour of Marillac, and learn more about our history, contact our Communications and Public Relations Manager Jimmy Courtice at jimmy.courtice@marillac.org or 913-951-4309.