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Youth Today Education Conference

Nine percent of foster youth who are in middle school in New York City are proficient in math compared to approximately 40% citywide. Only 25% of students in foster care graduate from high school on time compared to 45% citywide.

These were just a few of the numbers shared and discussed by education and foster care professionals from around the country at “Safeguarding Their Futures: Supporting the education of child-welfare involved children & youth,” a conference last week. They gathered at the New York Bar Association to share research and data gathering techniques and to brainstorm ways to collaborate across systems and agencies to make sure that youth in foster care get the education they need to succeed.

Watch the video and read more at Youth Today.

The Foundling’s President and CEO, Bill Baccaglini, was named one of New York City’s top nonprofit leaders by City and State.

56. Bill Baccaglini

When Bill Baccaglini took over The New York Foundling in 2003, he was tasked with getting the nonprofit out of a $7.5 million deficit. Not only did he succeed, he has cemented the Foundling’s position as one of the country’s largest child welfare organizations. Baccaglini has made education the focus of the 150-year-old organization’s work, particularly with the launch of Mott Haven Academy Charter School and its recent expansion.

Read more at City and State.

NY1 Noticias - Haven Academy

En la escuela Charter Mott Haven Academy de El Bronx, el 25 por ciento de los estudiantes no tienen un hogar. Es la primera escuela en toda la ciudad que está dedicada a jóvenes sin techo.

“Tenemos un equipo de trabajadores sociales que trabajan desde el principio, cuando los niños comienzan aquí en la escuela, para asegurar que tengan uniformes, que tengan comida, transportación, para que tengan las mismas experiencias que tienen otros niños que no vienen de la misma situación”, explico Sara Touma, directora de grados de 6to a 8vo de la Charter Mott Haven Academy.

Con esto, la escuela trata evitar los efectos negativos que sufren los niños al no tener un lugar donde vivir. Según las cifras más recientes del departamento de educación del Estado, uno de cada 10 estudiantes de la ciudad de Nueva York no tiene un hogar. Tienen que vivir en un albergue o temporalmente con un familiar.

Read more and watch the video at NY1 Noticias.

Male Role Model Day

Mott Haven Academy honored the important men in its students’ lives Thursday. The school kicked off its annual ” Bring Your Male Rode Model To School Day” with a fun photo shoot. At the event, students were seen with dads, grandpas, uncles and community leaders.

Some male teachers from the academy also got involved in the event. The school also hosted a panel discussion for the men. This created an open dialogue about their own role models. They were also able to share advice about everything from parenting to being an involved community member.

The day encouraged the men to build a support group with each other to continue these discussions outside of the school.

Read more and watch the video at News 12 Bronx.

NYU Silver

NEW YORK, NY – October 17, 2019 – The New York Foundling, one of the city’s oldest and largest social services providers, today announced that $60,000 in scholarships will be awarded to a group of five Master of Social Work (MSW) students at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work during the 2019-2020 academic year to encourage talented young people to pursue careers in social work and child welfare. It is the second consecutive year that The Foundling has provided such scholarship support for child welfare-focused NYU Silver MSW students.

The rising costs associated with graduate education can be a deterrent to students pursuing careers in the social services. These scholarships are intended to reduce some of that financial pressure and empower students with the drive and the desire to work in child welfare to pursue their passion.

“Social work is a rewarding, fulfilling career path that allows individuals to make a tremendous difference in the lives of the children and families who most need a helping hand on their journeys to stability, strength, and independence,” said Bill Baccaglini, President and CEO of The New York Foundling. “This scholarship lessens the financial burden associated with higher education and incentivizes motivated, purpose-driven students to be a part of this transformational work and be a positive force in their communities.”

The recipients of the scholarships, who are known as The New York Foundling Fellows, have also been assigned internships at programs run by The Foundling, with one each at The Foundling’s Crisis Nursery, Home of Integrated Health, Mott Haven Academy Charter School, Supportive Housing Program for Youth Aging out of Foster Care, and TFCO Program.

“We are grateful to The Foundling for this critical scholarship funding, which will support five future child welfare practitioners and leaders in pursuit of their career goals.” said NYU Silver Dean and Paulette Goddard Professor of Social Work Neil B. Guterman. NYU Silver is known for its excellence in clinical training and Dr. Guterman is himself among the School’s cadre of faculty experts in the area of child welfare. ”I am confident that The Foundling’s investment  will reap benefits not only for the fellows, but to numerous vulnerable children and families whom they will serve in the decades to come.”

 

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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 a quarter million 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 individuals 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, please visit www.nyfoundling.org.

 

About NYU Silver School of Social Work

NYU Silver School of Social Work provides a robust and engaging environment for the education of professional social workers, offering undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degree programs. The School serves as a major postgraduate training center for practicing social workers and offers master’s students intensive learning opportunities in family and children’s services, mental health, integrated health, substance misuse and co-occurring disorders, palliative and end-of-life care, restorative justice, and other innovative and emerging areas of social work. MSW students also have the opportunity to pursue global learning with NYU Silver programming in New York, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, and other cities around the world. Founded in 1960 and renowned for a strong tradition of excellence in direct social work practice and dedication to social justice, NYU Silver has provided rigorous training to over 18,000 social work practitioners and leaders in every area of the field. The School’s faculty are on the leading edge of scholarly research and address society’s most intractable problems with a focus on proactive approaches and preventive interventions that transform lives. For more information, please visit socialwork.nyu.edu.

Ardsley House

FIOS 1 News reported on the grand opening of The Foundling’s new residence for people with developmental disabilities in Westchester County. The state-of-the-art facility will provide in-home, round-the-clock care, support, and habilitation for up to six adults, empowering residents to age in place with dignity and community.

Watch the video at FIOS 1 News.

Crisis Nursery

Note: As of 2020, The Crisis Nursery is no longer operated by The Foundling.

Affordable childcare is at once one of the most tantalizing promises of contemporary American life, and the most broken. Our modern economy cannot function without a system for the nurturing of our youngest citizens—as of 2017 there were nearly 15 million children under 6 in this country with all available parents in the workforce. But for everyone except the very wealthy, childcare is ruinously expensive.

Read more, including a mention of our Crisis Nursery, at TIME.

Christina Young

Christina Young is one of a fraction of foster youth that make it all the way through to college graduation with a bachelor’s degree. Only 50% of foster youth graduate high school by the time they turn 18. Those that do graduate often do not fare well in college. Only 20% go on to post-secondary education. The numbers vary, but experts say that 1 to 11% finish their degree.

As a foster youth over 21, Young had been part of a pilot program called the Dorm Project. It offered a solution to one of the biggest problems facing foster youth: stable housing. It allowed Young and a few dozen other students to live in their dorm rooms all year. When other students went home for break or holidays, Young could stay in her room without having to navigate the complicated foster care system and worry about finding a new temporary home to live in until the semester went back into session.

Read and watch more at Youth Today.

Bill Baccaglini (President & CEO, New York Foundling), Gregory Braca (President & CEO, TD Bank) and Robert E. King, Jr. (New York Foundling Chairman of the Board) at NYF Gala

On Wednesday, The New York Foundling — one of the city’s oldest and largest social service providers — held its 150th Anniversary Gala, a sold-out affair attended by over 500 guests.

Read more at Medium

Social Impact AI Lab

The Social Impact AI Lab – a partnership between MercyFirst, The New York Foundling, SCO Family of Services, and Augmented Intelligence – created a tool that consolidates information from social work case notes into a clear summary and even graphs risk levels for clients.  The project won first place in a national competition for digital health solutions at the Health 2.0 Conference in Santa Clara, California.

Read more at NYN Media.