News And Events

My son’s problems started in high school. My son had always done well at small schools but he wound up in a school with more than 3,000kids. There were too many kids getting into trouble and the school did too much policing. I knew from the beginning there was too much for my son to explore. I met with the principal, the parent coordinator, and the guidance counselor. They all assured me that … Read More

New York City teens convicted of crimes have usually been sent to facilities upstate, far from their families. Now an initiative called Closeto Home will change that—these teens will receive services at home or go to city residences where they can stay more connected to their families and communities. Reverend Emma Jordan-Simpson, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund of New York and chair of the Office of Children and Families Brooklyn for … Read More

My story begins with my marriage, when I was 19. He was 36 andseemed older and wiser. My father was abusive, my mother had died, and I felt lost. But this man abused me. When he wasn’t calling me names, he was out in the streets getting drunk and having affairs. When my son and my daughter were still small, I had had enough. I let go of my anchor and sent … Read More

This spring, New York City’s Children’s Services (ACS) announced a new initiative to keep teens safe at home and out of foster care. The“Teen Preventive Initiative” will expand access to two intensive, short-term supports—Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) and Family Functional Therapy (FFT). Both focus on supporting the whole family and have been proven to help families of teens during a crisis.

Here, Sara Hemmeter, NYC Children’s Services Associate Commissioner of Family and … Read More

When my youngest son, Charlie, was in nursery school, his teacher suggested that I put him in a gifted and talented school forkindergarten. She told me that the school I was going to enroll him in wasn’t challenging, warning me, “When he reaches the 3rd or 4th grade, he’s going to get in trouble. The work is going to be too easy.”

But at that time I was a caretaker for children … Read More