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The New York Foundling Announces Two Additions to Leadership Team

THE NEW YORK FOUNDLING ANNOUNCES TWO NEW ADDITIONS TO LEADERSHIP TEAM

New York, NY (December 15, 2020) – The New York Foundling is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its leadership team: Dr. Ruth Gerson will be the new Senior Vice President for Mental Health Services and Shannon Ghramm-Smith will serve as Senior Vice President of the Child Welfare and Behavioral Health Division.

Dr. Gerson joined The New York Foundling in February, 2020. As Senior Vice President for Mental Health Services, she will oversee the psychiatric and mental health services for children and teenagers in foster care and for youth and families receiving services in The Foundling’s Home for Integrated Behavioral Health in East Harlem. Dr. Gerson also teaches at the NYU School of Medicine, where she is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is nationally recognized as an expert in child psychiatric emergencies and in trauma-informed crisis services for youth, and is the co-editor of two books, Beyond PTSD: Helping and Healing Teens Exposed to Trauma, and Helping Kids in Crisis: Managing Psychiatric Emergencies in Children and Adolescents.

As Senior Vice President of our Child Welfare and Behavioral Health Division, Shannon will lead five major programmatic areas at The Foundling: Foster Care Services, Family Preventive Programs, Juvenile & Criminal Justice Programs, Education and School Based Programs, and Behavioral Health Programs. Shannon has strong roots in implementation science, evidence-based interventions, and streamlining programs to drive successful collaboration and strong client services. Prior to this role, Shannon served as Vice President of Behavioral Health Programs and Care Management at The Foundling, and lead all behavioral health programming as well as The New York Foundling’s care management program, which serves hundreds of clients across New York City each year.

“We are thrilled to welcome Shannon Ghramm-Smith and Dr. Ruth Gerson to their respective new roles. Shannon has been with The Founding for close to 10 years and will join our leadership team with the insight that comes from being a therapist, supervisor, and having held other important positions across our organization for nearly a decade. Dr. Gerson, who joined our team more recently, will continue to contribute her knowledge and expertise gleaned from over 10 years of clinical experience in pediatric psychiatry. Both of these incredible leaders will continue to be valuable in ensuring The Foundling understands how we can best support our clients and our entire workforce during these challenging times,” said Bill Baccaglini, President and CEO of The New York Foundling.

The New York Foundling is built on a 150-year-old promise to New York’s many communities, that all children, adults, and families can have the opportunity to reach their full potential. The Foundling is proud to continue the critical work of removing obstacles to wellbeing for people across New York through evidence-based approaches to health and mental health.

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 of our 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 about The New York Foundling, please visit www.nyfoundling.org.

December 15, 2020/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

Medpage Today: For Many in Child Welfare, 2020 Is a Lost Year

Medpage Today recently spoke with The Foundling on a report detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic has stifled family visitation in the foster care system, stalling the reunification process.

“Each day that birth parents spend away from their children takes a toll on their well being, said Liyan Bao, vice president of Placement Permanency Support at New York Foundling. We have had some families who have just been completely discouraged by all of this, not being able to have their kids go home to them, and they were on the right track,” Bao told MedPage Today.

Read more at Medpage Today

December 10, 2020/by Elefant Design

Blog, Guest Blogger, Juvenile Justice

Justice Reform Policies Creating Lasting Change in the Lives of Young People

By LaTasha L. Fermin, LMHC, Vice President of Family Justice Programs

The juvenile justice system is a maze for many young people not only in our community but across the country. There are far too many ways in, and too few ways out. Leading them out – or preventing them from entering in the first place – is about giving them a fighting chance to end generational cycles, go to college, have a career, and build a future without a criminal record shadowing them. Advocating for the teenagers and young adults in our community has led to recent changes in New York State law, including bail reform, that bolster the work we’re doing at The New York Foundling: diverting more young people from incarceration into programs like ours that are creating real sustainable change for the rest of their lives.

Teenagers and young adults involved with the justice system – or those are at risk of becoming involved through negative influences – need evidence-based interventions, including therapy programs that are supported by research, to address underlying issues such as trauma, family conflict, substance abuse, and verbal/physical aggression. They need holistic treatment that addresses challenges and barriers that they face daily in their family dynamics, in their community, and with regard to education, racial inequality, and mental health needs. Incarceration doesn’t resolve these root causes that are getting young people into trouble in the first place, nor does it deter them from getting into trouble again.

The Foundling was the first to provide evidenced-based services to youth and families in the juvenile justice system in New York City beginning in 2007. The services we provide are home-based and treat the whole family, not just the teenagers and young adults involved with the justice system. By coming into the home, Foundling therapists trained in trauma can better identify potential triggers and risk factors. At the same time, we can make sure the entire family’s needs are met—this includes the ability to have stable housing, a stocked fridge, and warm clothes during the cold winter months. If a parent or sibling has a substance abuse issue, we are also trained to treat those family members.

Collecting data from our evidence-based interventions is essential to ensuring our practice replicates the most successful outcomes from research. Our team tracks outcomes and measures success on a weekly basis, informing our future work and promoting continued success. The Foundling’s Kids Experiencing Young Successes (KEYS) program, for example, has a successful case completion rate of 88%; we wouldn’t have such a high rate without proper tracking, which allows us to focus on what works.

One positive change we are looking forward to with KEYS relates to helping more members of our community. Currently, all referrals into our program come from New York City’s Family Assessment Planning office, a program within the Division of Youth and Family Justice at the Administration for Child Services (ACS). Next year, we plan to increase the number of referrals we receive from school guidance counselors by 20%. These professionals are often among the first to identify when a young person needs help and will allow us to begin serving families before their situation is significant enough to be referred to ACS.

Many of the teenagers and young adults we’ve worked with are now on productive paths to stability, strength, and independence. If we’re to see continued increasing success, we need to advocate for and support the policies that are giving teenagers and young adults a fighting chance to get the help they need.

Instead of being labeled as the “problem,” it important to provide these teenagers and young adults with a restorative solution that will allow them to turn their lives around and look ahead to a brighter future.

December 10, 2020/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

The 74: Q&A — 3 Minutes With Charter School Founder Jessica Nauiokas

The 74 Million, in their ongoing series of interviews with education innovators, recently spoke with Jessica Nauiokas of Haven Academy.

“At the core of our success, I truly believe our commitment to creating and maintaining a safe, predictable learning environment that holds kids to high expectations has helped anchor our work. That is coupled with our deep belief that understanding empathy, teaching empathy and showing kids how to practice empathy toward others has helped them not only make sense of their own challenges and struggles, but build relationships with important peers and teachers through the building,” Jessica says.

Read more at The 74 Million.

December 8, 2020/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare, Education

Your Support Keeps Families Strong, Safe, and Supported

Make an impact – donate to families like Jennifer’s this holiday season.

Raising five children on her own, Jennifer was used to juggling responsibilities and being a constant source of stability for her family – but this year’s pandemic turned her life upside down. Jennifer struggled to maintain virtual school schedules and procure enough technology and supplies for her children to stay connected with their teachers. Additionally, she found it difficult to keep her home stocked with groceries, medications, and other essentials.

In this time of stress and uncertainty, The Foundling’s Mott Haven Academy Charter School became her source of stability. Our K-8 charter school, which combines a trauma-informed curriculum with wrap-around social services, is uniquely positioned to support its community in times of crisis. Social workers and teachers stepped in to provide Jennifer everything she needed – ongoing emotional support, childcare coverage, and assistance with supplies and essentials at home.

“The pandemic was rough, but they made it easier – with food, essentials, hand soap, paper towels, coloring books, crayons, everything,” Jennifer shares. “At Haven Academy, the teachers, social workers, and staff are not just there to help students—like my children—they also help parents and families too.”

With the help of The Foundling and our supporters, Jennifer is back to being a beacon of support for her family. “I’m ready to go. I just can’t wait to see what the future looks like,” she says.

Watch Jennifer and her family tell their story!

DID YOU KNOW: This year’s CARES Act makes a new charitable deduction available to taxpayers that do not itemize their deductions. Taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions may be able to deduct up to $300 for cash contributions.*

*Please consult your accountant or financial advisor to learn more about the CARES Act and your eligibility.

Your support can help mothers like Jennifer become heroes for their children. Join us in transforming the lives of our neighbors this holiday season.

December 8, 2020/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

Bronx Times: Bronx Charter Schools Launch ‘Thank a Teacher’ Campaign amid 2020 Education Challenges

This holiday season, Bronx public charter schools have launched a holiday campaign to thank teachers for their dedication during this challenging school year.

Jessica Nauiokas, Founder and Head of School at Haven Academy, participated in the campaign, saying “regardless of the situation, they have made it clear that they are committed to students’ excellence and education. They’ve proven that their impact on students’ lives goes beyond the traditional classroom. They are our children’s cheerleaders, role models and support systems. We’re so proud of all that they’ve done during such a difficult time.”

Read more at Bronx Times

December 3, 2020/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

News 12: Parenting 411 – Mother Expands Family Through Adoption

Closing out National Adoption Month, News 12 in The Bronx recently featured Janina MacLean and her story of becoming a foster mother – and later adopting – two siblings with The Foundling.

Watch the video at News 12.

December 1, 2020/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

AM New York: Bronx Educators offer Advice on Improving Remote Learning

Jessica Nauiokas, Head of School at Haven Academy, shares her insight and expertise on educating young people during the pandemic in this op-ed. “As the pandemic has shown, schools are truly the anchors of the neighborhoods we serve,” she writes. “We have used this moment to reimagine our relationship with our parents. We’ve taken the time to gain an even deeper understanding of their individual situations. Did they lose a loved one? Are families facing tenuous financial circumstances? Did they have the social support they needed—food, housing, and more—in this time of urgent need? We’ve found that success at remote learning and supporting each child necessitates actively understanding those answers.”

Read more at AM New York

December 1, 2020/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

BronxNet: Mott Haven Academy Charter School Provides Thanksgiving Food for Students

BronxNet reports on our efforts to spread Thanksgiving cheer to the students and families at Haven Academy – while the school cannot celebrate together this year, the school provided turkeys, vegetables, and other food for families to cook at home.

“Unfortunately, we are not allowed to sit together as one. But we are still one in our hearts,” said one Haven parent.

Watch BronxNet’s report below:

December 1, 2020/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare

Be a Hero this Giving Tuesday

Every year, The Foundling partners with 30,000 children, adults, and families as they strive to create transformational change in their own lives –this year, our neighbors need your help more than ever. Our New York and Puerto Rico communities were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. But through hardships and uncertainty, The Foundling has represented a source of strength and hope.

With help from our generous supporters we responded directly to new community needs, allowing those we serve to persevere and stand tall. But our work is not over. As new COVID-19 cases continue to rise in our community, we have a long road ahead. This Giving Tuesday, you can be a hero for our neighbors, and help them continue to move forward and work to keep themselves and their families safe. The time to act is now.

Rodney, a participant in Camp Felix and our Developmental Disabilities Community Habilitation program.

Make a donation today. Your gift will bring immediate support to people like Rodney, who has blossomed thanks to the partnership of his Community Habilitation therapist and his Camp Felix counselors, despite the immense challenges faced by children with developmental disabilities during the pandemic.

Your gift of:

$25 provides PPE for five children, adults, and families in our programs
$100 provides a full day of Camp Felix fun for a young person
$500 provides one month of weekly skills training and therapy for a person with a developmental disability

DID YOU KNOW: This year’s CARES Act makes a new charitable deduction available to taxpayers that do not itemize their deductions. Taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions may be able to deduct up to $300 for cash contributions.*

*Please consult your accountant or financial advisor to learn more about the CARES Act and your eligibility.

P.S. Interested in other ways to support The Foundling? Visit AmazonSmile and choose The New York Foundling as your AmazonSmile charity. The Foundling will receive a portion of every dollar you spend – a simple way to give back as you shop online, at no cost to you!

November 30, 2020/by Elefant Design