Children's Aid Society
Encyclopedia
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The Children’s Aid Society (CAS) is a private charitable organization based in New York City
. It serves 150,000 children per year, providing foster care, medical and mental health services, and a wide range of educational, recreational and advocacy services through dozens of community centers, camps and other locations in the New York area.
in order to "ensure the physical and emotional well being of children and families, and to provide each child with the support and opportunities needed to become a happy, healthy and productive adult." Brace, a minister by training, was appalled by the thousands of abandoned, abused and orphaned children living in the slums and on the streets of New York at that time. The only option available to such street children
at that time was commitment to jail
s, almshouse
s and orphanage
s.
Brace believed that institutional care stunted and destroyed children; in his view, 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 the American West, so he arranged to send the orphaned children to pioneer families who needed them. This became known as "The Orphan Train Movement
."
The children, who were encouraged to break completely with the past, would typically arrive in a town where community leaders had assembled interested townspeople. The townspeople would then inspect the children and choose the ones they wanted.
The program was controversial; some abolitionists viewed it as a form of slavery, while some pro-slavery advocates saw it part of the abolitionist movement, since the labor provided by the children made slaves unnecessary. Some Catholics viewed the program as anti-Catholic, as a significant percentage of poor children in Manhattan were Irish Catholic, and once transported into the interior of the country they would be raised outside their faith. In response, the Archdiocese of New York upgraded their own child-welfare programs, improving the parochial school system, building more Catholic orphanages, and creating a 114-acre (46-hectare) training center on farmland in the Bronx
, which they called the Catholic Protectory.
Between 1854 and 1929, more than 200,000 children rode the "Orphan Train" to new lives. The Orphan Train Heritage Society maintains an archive of riders' stories. The National Orphan Train Museum in Concordia, Kansas
maintains records and also houses a research facility.
In the 1980s CAS created the first family court diversion programs, where social workers meet with out-of-control children and their families in an attempt to find out of court solutions.
In 1992, CAS created the first "community school", a partnership with the New York City Department of Education
where a full array of health, mental and after-school, weekend and summer programs are available to students at school. The Technical 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.
With 45 sites, over 1,200 full-time employees and an annual budget of over $100 million, CAS is one of the oldest and largest child welfare agencies in the United States, claiming that 91 cents of every dollar is spent directly on services for children.
In 2009, the Children's Aid Society's board of trustees appointed Richard Buery, Jr., an attorney, as its tenth CEO. He is the first African-American to lead the society, and the youngest leader since Charles Loring Brace founded Children's Aid.
- See also Children's Aid Society (Canada)Children's Aid Society (Canada)The Children's Aid Societies of Ontario, Canada, are independent organizations empowered by the Ontario government to perform child protection services. The declared goal is to "promote the best interests, protection and well being of children"...
.
The Children’s Aid Society (CAS) is a private charitable organization based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It serves 150,000 children per year, providing foster care, medical and mental health services, and a wide range of educational, recreational and advocacy services through dozens of community centers, camps and other locations in the New York area.
History
The Society was founded in 1853 by philanthropist Charles Loring BraceCharles Loring Brace
Charles Loring Brace was a contributing philanthropist in the field of social reform...
in order to "ensure the physical and emotional well being of children and families, and to provide each child with the support and opportunities needed to become a happy, healthy and productive adult." Brace, a minister by training, was appalled by the thousands of abandoned, abused and orphaned children living in the slums and on the streets of New York at that time. The only option available to such street children
Street children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
at that time was commitment to jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
s, almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s and orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
s.
Brace believed that institutional care stunted and destroyed children; in his view, 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 the American West, so he arranged to send the orphaned children to pioneer families who needed them. This became known as "The Orphan Train Movement
Orphan Train
The Orphan Train was a social experiment that transported children from crowded coastal cities of the United States to the country's Midwest for adoption. The orphan trains ran between 1854 and 1929, relocating an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children...
."
The children, who were encouraged to break completely with the past, would typically arrive in a town where community leaders had assembled interested townspeople. The townspeople would then inspect the children and choose the ones they wanted.
The program was controversial; some abolitionists viewed it as a form of slavery, while some pro-slavery advocates saw it part of the abolitionist movement, since the labor provided by the children made slaves unnecessary. Some Catholics viewed the program as anti-Catholic, as a significant percentage of poor children in Manhattan were Irish Catholic, and once transported into the interior of the country they would be raised outside their faith. In response, the Archdiocese of New York upgraded their own child-welfare programs, improving the parochial school system, building more Catholic orphanages, and creating a 114-acre (46-hectare) training center on farmland in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, which they called the Catholic Protectory.
Between 1854 and 1929, more than 200,000 children rode the "Orphan Train" to new lives. The Orphan Train Heritage Society maintains an archive of riders' stories. The National Orphan Train Museum in Concordia, Kansas
Concordia, Kansas
Concordia is a city in and the county seat of Cloud County, Kansas, United States. Located on the Republican River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains, Concordia was founded in 1871 and is an economic and cultural center in north-central Kansas...
maintains records and also houses a research facility.
Other child welfare initiatives
Since then, CAS has originated a series of child welfare innovations that have since become commonplace, such as:- some of the first industrial schools
- the first parent-teacher associationsParent-Teacher AssociationIn the U.S. a parent-teacher association or Parent-Teacher-Student Association is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a public or private school. Most public and private K-8 schools in the U.S. have a PTA, a...
- the first free school lunch programs
- the first free dental clinics for children
- the first day schools for handicappedHandicappedHandicapped or handicap may refer to:*Handicapping, various methods of leveling a sport or game**Golf handicap, a sport-specific handicapping method**Go handicaps**Handicaps in shogi**Asian handicap, bookmakers technique to level odds...
children - the first kindergartenKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
in the United States - the first foster homes
- the first “fresh air” vacationsFresh Air FundThe Fresh Air Fund is a not-for-profit agency that provides free summer vacations in the country to New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through the Friendly Town...
, in which urban children visit host families in the country for the summer.
In the 1980s CAS created the first family court diversion programs, where social workers meet with out-of-control children and their families in an attempt to find out of court solutions.
In 1992, CAS created the first "community school", a partnership with the New York City Department of Education
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
where a full array of health, mental and after-school, weekend and summer programs are available to students at school. The Technical 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.
With 45 sites, over 1,200 full-time employees and an annual budget of over $100 million, CAS is one of the oldest and largest child welfare agencies in the United States, claiming that 91 cents of every dollar is spent directly on services for children.
In 2009, the Children's Aid Society's board of trustees appointed Richard Buery, Jr., an attorney, as its tenth CEO. He is the first African-American to lead the society, and the youngest leader since Charles Loring Brace founded Children's Aid.
External links
- Official website
- "Children's Aid Society" from the Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930 collection, Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Library Open Collections Program; includes digitized photographs and early manuscript