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In New York and Puerto Rico, we’re committed to helping new parents and their young children thrive.

The Foundling draws on decades of expertise to provide research-informed care that not only assists children in reaching developmental milestones but also provides parenting resources to help create family stability.   New construction projects over the last year have greatly increased our capacity to serve families in two of our vital programs – our Mother and Child program in the Bronx and our Head Start program in Puerto Rico:

Our Mother and Child program houses adolescent mothers in foster care and their infants, and employs round-the-clock staff to provide childcare, parenting education, and holistic supports.  Children receive high-quality care while mothers finish their education, pursue career goals, learn parenting and life skills, and ultimately independently support their families.

“I’m comfortable that my baby can grow up and as she grows, she’s in a safe, clean place,” says Safia, a parent in the program.

Our Head Start and Early Head Start programs work hand-in-hand with families to support parents and children during the critical early years of life. Operating in five municipalities in Puerto Rico, our centers support parents and children from pregnancy through pre-K. The Foundling’s highly trained staff, quality curriculum, and holistic approach provides early education and parent support that equips the entire family for success.

“It’s positive all the time; we are always moving forward. He’s not behind, and he hasn’t gotten stuck. I’ve seen a lot of change,” says Ileana, a parent in the program.

The Foundling is dedicated to investing in families and supporting our youngest neighbors as they grow and thrive. Your gift can help more parents like Safia and Ileana give their children a bright future. With your help, we can ensure that the next generation receives the tools to succeed.

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With the help of The Foundling, Venessa completed college, moved into a beautiful home, and has begun her transition into adulthood.

Venessa Venessa joined our Fostering College Success Initiative program, which provides academic, emotional, vocational, and financial support for young people in foster care. With the support of Foundling tutors, counselors, and coaches, she successfully earned her BA degree in Psychology, with the goal of giving back by working in the social work field.

“The program allowed me to be in school without worrying about where money was going to come from. I had a tutor, and I had a coach, someone who was there when I called to help me deal with life’s challenges,” Venessa says.

After completing her degree, Venessa was unsure how she could find or afford a place to live as she prepared for her future. Through our Supportive Housing program, which recently opened new units in Harlem, she now has a safe, comfortable, and secure home, along with wrap-around supports that have given her the stability to pursue her future.

“As a youth in foster care, you never know where you’ll end up or how you’ll end up. But now, with [The Foundling’s] support, I have a safe space to lay my head,” she shares.

Supporting young people on their own paths to independence has been at the core of The Foundling’s mission since 1869. Your gift can make a big difference to our community and to young adults like Venessa. This year, your support can create life-changing opportunities for the young people in our shared community.

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Delila

In a news report in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, NY1 Noticias interviews Delila Nadal, director of our Staten Island Community Partnership, and reports on the program’s weekly Free Market, which provides food and household goods for over 80 families on Staten Island’s North Shore each week.

“When I was a child, my family and I used to use food pantries and it was a horrible thing because they would throw you a box, a bag and that was it. But in this food pantry it is a little different because it is a personalized attention that each person receives,” she explains.

Watch on NY1 Noticias

 

The Reckoning

The Imprint reports on “The Reckoning: Transforming Systems to Achieve Family Justice and Integrity,” an initiative headed by The New York Foundling and other partner organizations, which has held gatherings over the past year dedicated to discussing how child welfare organizations can reduce the harm and trauma that the foster care system has caused for families, particularly those in Black and Brown communities.

“Reflecting a significant shift in the social services field, the discussions have focused less on how to remove kids quickly from homes where parents are accused of abuse and neglect, and more on how to “narrow the front door” to foster care.  More than 600 social workers, nonprofit executives and staff, legal experts and advocates for parents’ rights have joined the hours-long convenings that began in March,” writes The Imprint.

“We haven’t always gotten it right,” Melanie Hartzog, CEO of The New York Foundling said on stage at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. “But now there’s an opportunity for us to build on that urgency, to really think about a different way of looking at what we call foster care.”

Read more at The Imprint

SICP NY1

“Delila Nadal says she never stops working – from picking up phone calls to unloading food from trucks and unboxing it – because she says her work is imperative to a hungry community. Nadal is the director of the Staten Island Community Partnership, a program under The New York Foundling that provides social services to anyone struggling,” shares NY1.

In a news report in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, NY1 interviews Delila and reports on our Staten Island Community Partnership’s weekly Free Market, which provides food and household goods for over 80 families on Staten Island’s North Shore each week.

Watch on NY1

 

The independent, non-profit publication The Imprint featured The New York Foundling’s dedication to supportive housing, including youth transitioning out of the foster care system and into transitional housing or independent living. 

They note our programs as, “[…] a stand-out, gleaming alternative for youth aging out of foster care — providing not only otherwise unaffordable amenities, but a place to call home, alongside on-site social services.”

Our CEO & President Melanie Hartzog, two of our participants, and Bonnie Langer who oversees education and housing services at The Foundling spoke with the reporter.  They shared their experiences with the individualized and supportive programs and services developed at The Foundling. 

“We’re able to provide the type of support that young people need and deserve,”  Melanie Hartzog, The New York Foundling CEO & President.

Bonnie Langer focused on the importance of retention and on-site case managers, “By expanding those opportunities, we’ve really been able to give youth a larger voice in making those decisions.”

Read more at The Imprint

Pix 11 ACS Post Secondary Event

Monica Morales of Pix 11 reported on a special celebration honoring high school graduates in foster care who are heading on to college, vocational training, and other new ventures!  Hosted at Pier 57 as a collaboration between Fair Futures, ACS, NYC Department of Education, and The Foundling, this inspirational afternoon celebrated these young people, their past successes, and their post-secondary futures. 

Watch the video below:

BronxNet OPEN

On the Tuesday, June 25 episode of BronxNet Community Television‘s OPEN, our President & CEO Melanie Hartzog sat down with host Kibin Alleyne to chat about The Foundling’s transformative programs, the future of supportive housing, and on what nonprofit organizations can do to meet the needs of their community.

Watch the full video below, or read more on BronxNet

El Diario Harlem Supportive Housing

El Diario reports on our newly constructed supportive housing complex in Harlem. Our Supportive Housing program serves young adults with a history of foster care and/or homelessness, providing them with affordable housing and an array of holistic services.

Read more on El Diario

 

Safia

Karen Yi of WNYC reports on our Mother and Child program, which recently moved into a dedicated building in The Bronx’s Castle Hill neighborhood.

“A New York City foster care provider is trying a novel approach to help the young moms in its care: housing them under one roof in apartments equipped with washer-dryer machines and where they can access support staff 24 hours a day…The organization said its ultimate goal is to help young moms learn to live on their own when they age out of foster care. The new side-by-side buildings will allow the Foundling to expand its mother and child program that works with young moms. Organizers hope their new approach can be a model for others.”

Listen on WNYC

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