A publication of Children’s Aid, helping children in poverty to succeed and thrive.
Children’s Aid
117 W. 124th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10027
The spring season is a time for renewal and rejuvenation. For us, it’s about goal setting for the year ahead. This spring, I’ve reflected on the thousands of extraordinary people on the Children’s Aid team who have come together to serve our city’s young people. With expertise in education, health care, and child welfare, this team is most powerful when their unique skills are harnessed to deliver the very best for the children and families we serve.
This power undergirds our refreshed approach to how we invest in our team’s learning, growth, and leadership. When we share our deep expertise in each of these fields with one another across the agency, we are able to deliver supports and services that are not only high quality, but truly holistic.
We have embarked on a multi-year journey to realize a vision of talent transformation. It’s focused on becoming a true learning organization — one that champions the development of each of our team members; allows us to become a stronger, more resilient organization; and increases the impact of our programs, both for the youth and families we serve and for the field at large.
As we enter these spring months, we are well poised to reimagine how we develop and learn from our team — the heart and soul of Children’s Aid. This evolution will foster deeper connections within the agency, and empower transformational change within the communities we serve. I am excited to share more as our efforts unfold.
All the best,
A report from nonprofit think tank
The Brookings Institution identified highquality workbased learning experiences as a key lever for advancing equity and economic opportunity
for young people in the U.S., particularly for those of color and/or from lowincome backgrounds. Combining hands-on learning with supportive professional relationships, such programs not only help young people acquire the skills required in certain industries but also introduce them to career paths they might not have previously considered.
First Eagle Investments has served as a valuable corporate partner of Children’s Aid to help provide work-based learning opportunities to the youth of New York City. The relationship is rooted in First Eagle’s participation in the Equity Collective — a group of financial companies committed to the education, empowerment, and development of the next generation of diverse leaders.
In 2022, the investment firm orchestrated professional development workshops that gave students a look at the inner workings of their company and the financial industry. They arranged a career panel where students were able to hear from First Eagle employees in their Human Resources, Client Services, Finance, and Sales teams, and hosted a “Shark Tank” event in which students developed an invention and delivered 30-second pitches to a panel of volunteers. Such handson, in-person experience provided participants with exposure to different career possibilities and gave them access to a diverse group of professional role models.
First Eagle also recognizes that the more experiences and options youth have, the better — even if it is not in finance. During one firm-sponsored event, First Eagle asked students what they were interested in and many students expressed interest in art. The firm then leveraged their relationship with the Museum of Modern Art to arrange a private guided tour for students to view its vast collection of modern and contemporary works. With young people, especially those in lower-income areas who lack access to adequate art education, this tour was especially valuable.
“We are so fortunate to collaborate with the Children’s Aid team,” said First Eagle Vice President Christina Gee. “The enthusiasm and engagement from students have been incredible!” Through corporate partners such as First Eagle, Children’s Aid looks forward to continuing to open windows of insight and opportunity to our young people as they plan their futures.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of several new members of Children’s Aid leadership: Board member Jose Tavarez, who is President, Bank of America New York City; Chief of Staff Moria Cappio, who was promoted from VP of Early Childhood Programs; Chief Operating Officer Marty Baicker; and Chief of People and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Sheryl Haughton Taylor.
Children’s Aid’s Youth Division Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships and Programs Courtney Carrera-Ghatan, and her husband, Mount Sinai Health System’s Chair of Neurosurgery Saadi Ghatan, M.D., were honored at Mount Sinai’s 17th Annual Breakfast of Legends for their leadership and impact on the lives of New York City’s young people.
Early Childhood nutritional consultations occurred in 2022, which consisted of meetings, medical records reviews, food assistance, and referrals.
8%
higher score compared to other city agencies for family support program outcomes (goal achievement/ maltreatment reduction).
178 1,000+
children, youth, and family members have access to the following formal athletic programs: 12 types of sports/ fitness activities, two competitive swimming teams, six competitive basketball teams, two adult programs, and a New York Knicks/Madison Square Garden partnership.
Children’s Aid is launching a new marketing campaign with the goal of establishing our very first alumni network. For 170 years, Children’s Aid has been a part of the fabric of New York. Through this campaign, we aim to create a welcoming place for former Children’s Aid youth to share memories and reunite with friends and mentors.
The alumni campaign, which launched in April, includes digital advertisements that will be deployed through search (Google), social (Facebook), and out-of-home (ATM screens, LinkNYC kiosks, and convenience store point-of-sale screens) channels.
The digital campaign will be followed with print advertisements on select subway platforms across the city from mid-April through mid-May.
Using a combination of historical and presentday photos, the campaign creatively taps into nostalgia, while also depicting what time and time again alumni have identified as Children’s Aid’s greatest strength — the people who comprise the Children’s Aid community. Snapshots of program participants spanning several decades, including many veteran staff members, are the centerpiece of the creative which invites the user to “sign the Children’s Aid Yearbook.”
The QR code on each ad directs users to the campaign landing page, where users can share a photo and message about their Children’s Aid experience. All alumni who sign the yearbook will receive a “welcome series” of emails inviting deeper engagement. In future phases of the alumni network, members will receive Children’s Aid news, have access to engagement opportunities and events, and help shape the direction of this program by providing feedback.
In a recent staff survey, 1 in 5 employees either participated in Children’s Aid programming or enrolled their children in one of our programs. Are you a Children’s Aid alum? Do you have friends or family members who attended a Children’s Aid site or enrolled in one of our programs? We encourage you to visit the campaign landing page, www.ChildrensAidAlumni.org, and share your memories with us.
For the first time since the pandemic began, we joined our partners and coalitions at the state Capitol in Albany to advocate for increased funding of the programs that are so crucial for our communities. Getting back to in-person advocacy has been a great opportunity to engage youth, families, and staff, empowering them to be changemakers.
Children’s Aid participated in Advocacy Days for the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies, community schools, after-school, school-based health centers, the Human Services Council, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. There was also an Advocacy Day led by the Fostering Youth Success Alliance (FYSA), which we serve as the backbone organization for, supporting youth who age out of foster care as they establish independence.
FYSA Advocacy Day began with a youth-led rally, where our Student Advocates shared how the Foster Youth College Success Initiative (FYCSI) has impacted their lives. Our advocates were also joined by Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, a long-term FYCSI champion. As the day got underway, she reminded FYSA’s 63 Advocacy Day participants that, “Everything in Albany is about raising awareness,” and pledged her continued support to making sure that “youth with a foster care background have the same advantage as every other young person in New York state.” Following the morning rally, participants and their group leaders dispersed through the halls of the Capitol building to meet with their state legislators, who expressed great interest in the stories of our young people.
For Community Schools Advocacy Day, one of our community schools, Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the South Bronx, brought 12 students, our Community School Director Ivette Medina (pictured front row, second from left), and Principal Jeff Palladino (pictured back row, farthest right) to Albany to advocate alongside our Public Policy team. Two students spoke at the culminating rally to start the day, and the group then met with their state representatives.
On the city side, budget advocacy has also begun. Children’s Aid staff attended rallies, and testified at City Hall for the Education and Youth Services hearings in March, where a parent from P.S. 152 in Washington Heights spoke about what her child’s Children’s Aid after-school program means to her.
As both the city and state budgets go through negotiations, we feel confident that we are collectively making our voices heard! 5
