Blog Archives - Page 23 of 36 - The New York Foundling

The Bronx Daily: NYC Administration For Children’s Services Celebrates National Kinship Care Month

The Bronx Daily reports on National Kinship Care Month, providing quotes from NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services and kinship care organizations and providers – including The New York Foundling.

“This “National Kinship Month,” The New York Foundling honors and celebrates the countless extended family members who, every day, share and join our mission of providing children with familiar, stable, and caring homes,” said Bill Baccaglini, President and CEO of The New York Foundling. “While all of us strive to keep families together, when temporary removal of a child is required, The Foundling believes that the long-term outcome for a family is much more positive if the care is provided by kin. This work wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous commitment of kin caregivers across New York City, who support their family members and provide children with a safe and nurturing family setting as parents address the stressors that led to separation and disruption of the family unit.”

Read more at The Bronx Daily.

September 2, 2020/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

Fox5NY: New York at Our Best II – Haven Kids Rock

Fox5NY’s New York at our Best II included a clip from Haven Kids Rock, our musical arts program based at Haven Academy.

Watch more at Fox5NY.

August 20, 2020/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

Fast Company: Personalized Learning Hinges on Relationships, Not Just Algorithms

Fast Company profiled The Foundling’s Haven Academy in their article on personalized learning: “With remote learning likely to continue in some form at least through 2021, a greater degree of independence is being forced on students by structural necessity. Perhaps it’s time for schools to look anew at personalized learning, a model that in its best incarnations is not algorithm-led but student-led.

Haven Academy students have been relatively successful at learning during the pandemic—a reminder that any remote-learning strategy, particularly one that is personalized, requires that schools give educators the time and resources to invest in relationships with their students. At the academy, that happens through educator training, close coordination with social work staff, and family support services provided via nonprofit operating partner The New York Foundling.”

Read more at Fast Company

August 12, 2020/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare, Health and Behavioral Health, Our Work Continues

Our Work Continues: Providing Health Services to Children in New York City During the COVID-19 Pandemic

For over 150 years, The New York Foundling has worked in partnership with our neighbors to ensure that everyone can meet their full potential when facing challenging situations. This hasn’t changed, and our staff continue to provide life-changing and meaningful support in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This series shares how The Foundling’s many programs are responding to the needs of their community.

In the final post for our blog series, “Our Work Continues”, we share how The Foundling’s medical clinics adapted their efforts and work to deliver essential health services to youth in foster care over the past five months. With clinics located in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, The Foundling provides free medical services to all young people in Foundling foster care programs, as well as children in other agencies city-wide. Using a personalized, multi-faceted, and wide-reaching support model, The Foundling’s medical staff work as a team to improve the health and wellbeing of children each and every day.

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Across The Foundling’s four medical clinics, 38 medical staff care for nearly 700 children in foster care at any given time and track about 3,000 visits to the clinic each year. “We do the same kind of work a regular pediatrician’s office does,” says Kendra Morgan, a Nurse Practitioner, “but our clinics are designed specifically for helping children in foster care.”

Like pediatrician’s offices across the country, The Foundling’s clinics have remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but with safety measures in place to protect both staff and our patients. “We schedule telehealth appointments when possible, but many still need to be seen in person—particularly infants and children due for vaccinations,” explains Bonni Krauss, a Registered Nurse.

“Many children across the country are falling behind on their vaccinations because of COVID-19,” elaborates Margaret Dewar, Assistant Vice President of Medical Services. “But not our kids. Not if we can help it.”

Every family member coming into the clinic is screened before they come through the door and given a face mask if they aren’t wearing one already. Additionally, staff coordinate transportation if needed, so families can travel to and from their appointments safely.

“Managing fears and educating families about COVID-19 has been a large part of the work we’ve been doing since March,” says Margaret. “We sent letters and made phone calls whenever we received new information about the virus.”

Staff who work across The Foundling’s medical clinics attend weekly webinars and receive updates on New York’s guidelines as they evolve. They also make themselves available to families for consultations on nights and weekends. “We have after hours staff covering the phones 24/7, and we also give families our work cell phone numbers, too. We want our families to know that we are there for them to answer COVID-19-related questions,” Bonni says.

Both Kendra and Bonni agree that the increased communication between staff and the families has brought them closer together and is resulting in more positive outcomes. One patient, who found out she was pregnant during this challenging time, wasn’t really engaged with her prenatal care at first. “But Bonni was persistent in scheduling all her appointments, coordinating all her rides, and talking her through her fears surrounding being a new mother during COVID-19,” Kendra continues. “In the end, the patient went from not being engaged to being very engaged in her pregnancy, because she had Bonni to plan with and confide in. She knew she wasn’t alone.”

The health services staff has relied heavily on each other over the past five months. “Everyone was willing to help each other out and cover shifts across clinics,” says Margaret. For example, “one of our psychiatrists is also a trained pediatrician. She offered to fill in should the need arise.”

“We had a few patients test positive for COVID-19, but thankfully a lot less than we expected,” Margaret continues. “It was tough. We had to grapple with test shortages, PPE shortages, and adhere to the State’s frequently changing guidelines. The great collaboration we needed to happen in a time of uncertainty did happen. I am very proud of our team.”

July 31, 2020/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

The New York Times: How 2 New York Schools Became Models for Coping in a Pandemic

New York Times reporter Eliza Shapiro profiles how Mott Haven Academy helped their students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Shapiro shares with readers how “Jessica Nauiokas, Mott Haven’s principal, spent the first few weeks of the lockdown figuring out how to get cash and food into the homes of the school’s most vulnerable children, so that they could eventually focus on their studies.” The article includes a quote from a parent who shared, “there were a lot of times I wanted to give up because it was too much for me” and “had it not been for Mott Haven, ‘I probably wouldn’t have home-schooled. I probably would have skipped it.'” READ MORE

July 31, 2020/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare, Our Work Continues

Our Work Continues: Supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing Families with Communication and Advocacy

For over 150 years, The New York Foundling has worked in partnership with our neighbors to ensure that everyone can meet their full potential when facing challenging situations. This hasn’t changed, and our staff continue to provide life-changing and meaningful support in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This series shares how The Foundling’s many programs are responding to the needs of their community.

Since 1982, The Foundling has been the only specialized provider of family support and prevention programs that serves the Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing community in all five boroughs of New York City The Foundling’s Family Services for Deaf Children and Adults helps keep children out of foster care by strengthening the family system and increasing access to available community supports. All of our therapists and interventionists are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), and pre-COVID-19, they met with families in their homes and in their communities.

Since the onset of COVID-19, our team has been helping families overcome the hurdles that followed, ensuring that they stayed on their continued path to family stability.

The Foundling’s Family Services for Deaf Children and Adults is supported by 11 staff members, including therapists, interventionists, supervisors, and an interpreter. Since March, home visits shifted to videoconference – using platforms like videophone devices that simultaneously transmit and receive both audio and video signals over telephone lines, or online solutions like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. These weekly sessions run for 45 minutes or up to an hour and a half, depending on each family’s needs.

“We’re used to meeting in person,” says Diana Abayeva, a program interventionist. “It was a hard transition at first, because some of our families didn’t have smartphones or cellular reception. But thankfully we were able to resolve these technology issues.”

“Our families are managing just like the rest of us,” adds Diana. “Homeschooling their children on top of their parental and work duties or finding childcare when daycare was closed—it’s a challenge. And they want to get this right.”

“Some have reported loneliness and frustration at home, particularly when family members they’re quarantined with don’t know sign language,” therapist Kenya Bryant says.

That’s why program staff are working with the families to improve their communications skills and encouraging family members to learn American Sign Language. “And it’s working,” Kenya continues. “It’s bringing families closer together.”

Families have used this time to pick up new hobbies, and they’re reporting a heightened focus on practicing self-care at home.

And practicing self-care is needed: the virus has posed unique challenges to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community. “One of the downsides to our families’ ability to communicate during the pandemic is that people are wearing masks,” Diana explains. “Many people who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing rely on reading lips, but this is not possible with the speaker is wearing a mask. This hinders their ability to be independent.”

As an alternative, some Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing prefer to communicate in writing using the Notes app on their smartphones.

Another challenge revolves around doctor’s appointments. One family needed mental health services for their child, but the provider only conducted telehealth sessions through an encrypted videoconference platform. While the child logged into that platform, their mother, who is Deaf, had to join separately via videophone. She had a hard time keeping track of who said what across the different platforms during the appointment. Not being able to know what the doctor said about her child’s health—or what her child was saying about their own health—was incredibly emotional and frustrating. “I talked to the provider and convinced them to switch to Zoom and hire an interpreter to join the sessions to the conversation for the mother,” says Diana. “That worked out so much better.”

Getting credible and reliable news resources can be another challenge. “We have been directing them to vloggers and reporters who use sign language when posting daily news,” Kenya says.

In response to COVID-19, families have received donations such as household items, electronic devices for communication and remote learning, clothing, and money to purchase food. “We are doing everything we can to help get them through a tough time,” says Diana.

To learn more about how The New York Foundling is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, visit our emergency response page. Stay tuned for more stories from the frontlines as we continue to support our neighbors on paths to stability and strength.

Read past posts in the ‘Our Work Continues’ blog series:

July 24, 2020/by Elefant Design

Blog, Education, Our Work Continues

Our Work Continues: Making a Difference in Early Childhood Education

For over 150 years, The New York Foundling has worked in partnership with our neighbors to ensure that everyone can meet their full potential when facing challenging situations. This hasn’t changed, and our staff continue to provide life-changing and meaningful support in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This series shares how The Foundling’s many programs are responding to the needs of their community.

In Puerto Rico, The Foundling serves 1,500 children through Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Our Early Head Start program is home-based and serves expecting mothers, infants, and toddlers. The program promotes strong parent-child relationships and helps provide high-quality early learning experiences. Our Head Start program delivers high-quality early education and child development services to children ages 3-5 in San Juan, Cataño, Vega Alta, Coamo, and Toa Baja.

The families and Foundling staff in Puerto Rico have shown tremendous resilience and perseverance, despite the devastation caused by the 2017 hurricanes, a series of earthquakes at the start of 2020, and now, ongoing hardship as families try and stay safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to devastation caused by hurricanes in 2017 and earthquakes in 2020, The Foundling’s Early Head Start and Head Start programs in Puerto Rico were already accustomed to delivering services in new and creative ways when COVID-19 hit. “How school and teaching is conducted here changed after Hurricane Maria,” says Carmen Villafane, Senior Vice President of the two programs. “We’ve had some practice with online learning and using digital tools.” Throughout the pandemic, our teachers have become more and more creative with their teaching methods. They’re finding new online learning and practice programs for students. They’re posting instructional videos on how to do the day’s activities, and they are recording videos of themselves reading stories and sending them to the families.

Since schools in Puerto Rico have been closed since March due to the pandemic, teachers and staff have also been sending care packages to students and their families with materials including scissors, paper, pencils, markers, glue, crayons, and other craft materials. That way, when teachers assign activities and projects to do, the families are able to complete them. “Without these materials, the children would lose the crucial skills they need to progress to the next step in their education,” Carmen explains. “So, we’re doing everything we can prepare them and ensure that nothing stands in their way of educational success.”

Activities are geared towards promoting children’s cognitive, social, and emotional growth for later success in school. The program delivers developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate learning experiences in language, literacy, mathematics, social and emotional functioning, science, physical skills, and creative arts.

Teachers host a weekly virtual class and support activities throughout the week. In addition to engaging children and parents, other members of the household are welcome to join as well. During this time together, everyone is able to participate in activities such as songs, stories, and crafts, as well as teacher-guided discussions about COVID-19 and general health and safety measures. “Off-screen, the parents have done a wonderful job working with their children on educational activities,” Carmen commented. For example, teachers will recommend an activity for parents to work on with their children at home, such as making homemade Play-Doh or “Plastilina,” and the parents will share their videos of family craft-time with the teachers.

Early Head Start, which provided home-based services to 36 families before COVID-19, is now held online. Vocational home visitors, who work with a child’s family to ensure their home environment supports their well-being and education, are trained to identify family needs in both online and in-person settings. They develop programming, handle assessments, and if a need arises that requires specialized care, they provide referrals to nurses, social workers, mental health professionals, or other community resources.

Throughout the year, and especially in times of crisis — be it a hurricane, an earthquake, or a global pandemic — the families served by our Head Start programs often struggle to have their basic needs met. “Food is too often in short supply,” Carmen notes, “It’s a common challenge our families face. But with the help of local charities and generous donations, we have been able to buy and supply grocery bags full of food to the families we serve.”

“I am so proud of my employees,” Carmen adds, “They have all gone the extra mile, which is what we need in this moment, and what we’ve needed in every moment since Hurricane Maria. Earthquakes still affect south Puerto Rico every day, and there’s no end in sight. And yet, despite the uncertainty, our staff wakes up every morning prepared and ready to serve. I couldn’t be more proud of them for their hard work and continued commitment. The Foundling’s presence here in Puerto Rico really makes all the difference.”

To learn more about how The New York Foundling is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, visit our emergency response page. Stay tuned for more stories from the frontlines as we continue to support our neighbors on paths to stability and strength.

Read past posts in the ‘Our Work Continues’ blog series:

July 17, 2020/by Elefant Design

Blog, Press Release

The New York Foundling Announces Two New Additions to Board of Trustees

New York, NY (July 16, 2020) – The New York Foundling announces the appointment of two new members to their Board of Trustees. Joining the board are Angelique Sina (Friends of Puerto Rico and Sinabel Group) and Paul Neale (DOAR, Inc).

“We are thrilled to welcome Angelique and Paul to The New York Foundling’s Board of Trustees. Both bring a unique perspective and expertise to our work, and, will continue to help us to grow as an organization. We are looking forward to working alongside them, and to furthering our mission to serve our community,” said Bill Baccaglini, President and CEO of The New York Foundling.

Angelique Sina is a social entrepreneur and President of Friends of Puerto Rico and Sinabel Group. After her career at the World Bank, she launched a multi-million-dollar philanthropic fund to support youth in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. As part of her efforts, she launched Café Ama, a social impact coffee company that creates a pathway out of poverty for youth in Puerto Rico by teaching them entrepreneurship and farming skills. She is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford University Business School. “The Foundling is an important bridge for youth and families reaching from New York to Puerto Rico,” said Sina. “I feel fortunate to play a small role in their important mission.”

Paul Neale is the Chairman, CEO and majority shareholder of DOAR, Inc., the leading global consulting firm advising lawyers at top tier law firms and major corporations involved in high-stakes, complex legal disputes. He has over 30 years of experience in litigation consulting and holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Temple University.

“The New York Foundling serves the communities and individuals who most deserve and need the amazing support that the organization provides,” said Paul Neale. “The Foundling’s mission and the passion and commitment with which it carries it out are truly inspiring. I’m proud to be a part of such an impactful organization.” Neale also previously served on the board and remains a strong supporter of Hands In 4 Youth (www.hi4y.org), an organization that provides social and educational programs for low-income youth.

About The New York Foundling

At The New York Foundling, we trust in the potential of people, and we deliberately invest in proven practices. From bold beginnings in 1869, our New York based nonprofit has supported hundreds of thousands of our neighbors on their own paths to stability, strength, and independence. The New York Foundling’s internationally recognized set of social services are both proven and practical. We help children and families navigate through and beyond foster care. We help families struggling with conflict and poverty to grow stronger. We help people with developmental disabilities live their best lives. And we help children and families access quality health and mental health services core to building lifelong resilience and wellbeing. For more information about The New York Foundling, please visit www.nyfoundling.org.

July 16, 2020/by Elefant Design

Blog, Press Release

Our 2019 Impact Report

2019 was an impressive year for The Foundling – we celebrated our milestone 150^th anniversary, expanded many of our core program areas, and witnessed countless moments of achievement among the children, adults, and families we serve.

We are proud to announce Growing Together, our 2019 Impact Report, which illustrates our growth throughout the year – from program expansions to individual successes for thousands of people throughout New York and Puerto Rico.

July 15, 2020/by Elefant Design

Blog, Education

Our Work Continues: Camp Felix at Home Keeps Camp Magic Alive this Summer for Foundling Kids

For over 150 years, The New York Foundling has worked in partnership with our neighbors to ensure that everyone can meet their full potential when facing challenging situations. This hasn’t changed, and our staff continue to provide life-changing and meaningful support in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This series shares how The Foundling’s many programs are responding to the needs of their community.

The New York Foundling launched Camp Felix in 2008 to provide children in foster care with the magical gift of attending an overnight summer camp filled with sports, games, swimming, making friends, and connecting with others who have experienced trauma and hardship, and know what it is like to be involved in the child welfare system. Campers stay active, nurture their creativity, and connect with nature.

Located an hour north of New York City, Camp Felix has come a long way since its first summer and is now open to children in all of The Foundling’s child welfare programs. Typically, children attend our overnight summer camp for 1 or 2 weeks and immerse themselves in activities that instill feelings of self-confidence, resilience, self-respect, and a strong sense of community. Our campers return home filled with confidence, newfound strength, and the belief that they can “achieve anything.”

COVID-19 has changed what Camp Felix will look like this summer. The group activities and communal settings that define the overnight camp experience would be difficult to adapt to current safety guidelines, and so The Foundling made the decision to cancel 2020’s traditional camp season. The health, wellbeing, and safety of our campers, their families, and Camp Felix staff is too important to risk. However, thanks to The Foundling’s dedicated and creative team, this summer, children and teenagers will experience the magic of Camp Felix at home!

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Foundling had hopes that in-person operation of Camp Felix in August would still be possible – but as things progressed and the world changed, team knew they had to begin planning a virtual program instead. “The kids need this camp,” says Jane Feyder-Siegel, the camp’s Program Director. “It was always our back-up plan to run it online if we couldn’t do it in-person.”

With the support of our partner The Felix Organization and generous funders, Camp Felix At Home will deliver high-quality, interactive camp-themed programming supervised by veteran Camp Felix staff members throughout the month of August. The virtual camp experience will feature 2-3 hours of daily activities, including fitness, yoga, arts and crafts, theatre and dance, STEM workshops, musical performances, and more. Virtual campers can participate in the entire program start to finish, or they can choose select weeks, days, or activities based on their interests.

“When we told kids and caretakers that we were still going to run Camp Felix, it was a great relief to them,” Jane continues “Children and families look forward to camp all year long. It’s a real get-away for them and an opportunity for them to be carefree kids.”

At first, planning a virtual camp was daunting. “But we put our heads together, got creative, and we’re really excited about what we’ve come up with.”

While some activities like swimming, rock climbing, and basketball can’t be adapted to an online platform, many other camp favorites will return. Each day will still start with the Morning Circle where campers and staff sing songs and talk about daily and weekly goals and challenges. “We can’t give out a Cleanest Cabin Award this year, so instead campers will be competing within their own homes to see who can complete the most household chores—things like dusting, vacuuming, doing the dishes, or helping their parent/guardian with dinner.”

A week before Camp Felix At Home begins, campers will receive a care package, including a t-shirt, journal, set of headphones, snacks, coloring and activity books and supplies, arts and crafts supplies, and a frisbee.

The camp’s programming will allow campers to pursue a variety of interests. STEM workshops provided by Engineering for Kids will enable campers to explore cyber robotics, parachutes, and candy catapults. Musical theater workshops, led by Broadway Bound Kids and based around routines from Hamilton and The Lion King, will teach campers to project their voices and develop their stage presence. Acting workshops from Boston Casting will offer improv and stand-up comedy instruction.

“There will be a lot of trial and error with Camp Felix At Home, but the kids are excited and open-minded; and families love that we are still finding a way to come together and do something special,” Jane says. “Parents and foster parents want their kids to spend the summer doing fun, productive activities, and exploring new passions and hobbies, albeit remotely.”

To learn more about how The New York Foundling is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, visit our emergency response page. Stay tuned for more stories from the frontlines as we continue to support our neighbors on paths to stability and strength.

Read past posts in the ‘Our Work Continues’ blog series:

July 10, 2020/by Elefant Design