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| Formation | 1853; 172 years ago (1853) New York, New York, U.S. |
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| Founder | Charles Loring Brace (Yale College, 1846)[1][2] |
| Type | Private, 501(c)(3) |
Region served | New York City |
President | Phoebe C. Boyer[3] |
| Revenue |  $140.2 million (2014)[4]$137.3 million (2013) |
| Expenses | $124 million (2014)[4] $121.7 million (2013) |
| Staff | 1,200+ full-time |
| Website | childrensaidnyc.org |
| Remarks | Firsts:[5]
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Children's Aid, formerly theChildren's Aid Society,[6] is a private child welfarenonprofit inNew York City founded in 1853 byCharles Loring Brace. With an annual budget of over $100 million, 45 citywide sites, and over 1,200 full-time employees, Children's Aid is one of America's oldest and largest children's nonprofits.
Children's Aid helps tens of thousands ofdisadvantagedNew York City children succeed annually, by providing comprehensive services ofadoption andfoster care,after-school and weekend programs,arts, camps,early childhood education, events,family support,medical,mental health, and dental,juvenile justice,legal advocacy, special initiatives, sports and recreation, andyouth development programs.[7][8]
In 1853, Children's Aid was founded byYale College graduate[1][2] and philanthropist,Charles Loring Brace, with financial support from New York businessmen and philanthropists,[1] to ensure the physical and emotional well-being of children, and provide them with the support needed to become successful adults. Brace was appalled by the thousands of abandoned, abused, and orphaned children living in the slums and on the streets of New York at the time. The only options available to such children at the time were begging, prostitution,[9] petty thievery, and gang membership,[1] or commitment tojails,almshouses, andorphanages.[10]
Brace believed that institutional care stunted and destroyed children. His view was only work, education, and a strong family life could help them develop into self-reliant citizens. Brace knew that American pioneers could use help settling theAmerican West, and arranged to send the orphaned children to them. This became known as theOrphan Train Movement. The children were encouraged to break completely with the past and would arrive in a town where community leaders assembled interested townspeople for inspection and selection.
The program was controversial, as someabolitionists viewed it as a form of slavery, whilepro-slavery advocates saw it part of the abolitionist movement, since the labor provided by the children made slaves unnecessary. SomeCatholics deemed the program to beanti-Catholic, since a significant percentage of poor children inManhattan wereIrish Catholic, and would be raised outside of their faith once transported into the interior of the country. In response, theArchdiocese of New York upgraded their own child-welfare programs, improving theparochial school system, building more Catholic orphanages, and creating a 114-acre (46-hectare) training center onfarmland inthe Bronx, which they called theCatholic Protectory.[11]
From 1854 to the last train in 1929,[1] more than 200,000 children rode the "Orphan Train" to new lives. The Orphan Train Heritage Society maintains an archive of riders' stories.[12] The National Orphan Train Museum inConcordia, Kansas maintains records and also houses a research facility.[12]
Since originating the Orphan Train in 1853, Children's Aid has founded a series of child welfare innovations that have since become commonplace, such as:[5]
In the 1980s Children's Aid created the first family court diversion programs, wheresocial workers meet with out-of-control children and their families in an attempt to find out of court solutions.
In 1992, Children's Aid created the first "community school", a partnership with theNew York City Department of Education where a full array of health, mental andafter-school, weekend and summer programs are available to students at school. TheTechnical Assistance Center has helped visitors from all over the United States and more than 40 foreign countries learn how to apply "community school" concepts in their schools.
In 2009, it was honored with a Village Award[14] from theGreenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation for its Philip Coltoff Center in Greenwich Village (since razed for new residential development). In 2012, Children's Aid was rated 4/4 stars[15] by charities rating organizationCharity Navigator for a record-breaking 12th consecutive year.[16]
In 1912, Charles Loring Brace Jr. was re-elected board secretary of the society founded by his father.[2] Board Chair Emeriti include[17]Edward Lamont Sr.[18] and Edgar Koerner,[19] with over thirty notable board members.[17]
In 2014, the Children's Aid board of trustees appointed Phoebe C. Boyer[3] as its eleventh President and CEO and first female leader.[20]
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