THURSDAY 06/04/2026: Kids allege abuse at Missouri treatment center

Fifteen people say they were physically assaulted by staff, and some sexually abused by other residents, at Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks, a youth residential treatment center in Missouri that takes in children from across the country.A residential treatment center in Missouri has said it aims to become to childhood trauma what St. Jude is to childhood cancer. But some former residents say they left the facility more traumatized than when they arrived, and describe a chaotic and sometimes violent environment. The Midwest Newsroom’s Luke Nozicka reports.Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Seth Jahraus and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.