Blog Archives - Page 34 of 39 - The New York Foundling

Advancing Opportunities for Women in Technology

Pictured above: Four of The Foundling’s first cohort of Women in Technology New York (WiTNY) interns.

Five women with the Women in Technology New York (WiTNY) program recently wrapped up their “Winternships” with The Foundling’s IT Services team. This unique 3-week mini-internship taught them how technology platforms and other tools support the work of child welfare and social services nonprofits.

The project they spearheaded during their time at The Foundling was called, “Augmented Intelligence through Machine Learning for Social Services Outcomes.” Their goal was not only to learn about The Foundling’s work, but to also gather and cleanup data, analyze outcomes, and solve problems using cutting-edge technology.

“I see that technology has great potential in nonprofits. With proper use of data, people’s lives can be improved and even changed,” Xuefei, a 21-year-old student from City College of New York, says of her learning experience.

In recent years, there has been an increased push across the technology sector to see more female representation and diversity in the field, something that programs like WiTNY and its partner organizations like The Foundling are actively supporting by giving young women these critical, foundational experiences to kick-start their careers.

“The Foundling has been helpful in advancing opportunities for women by opening positions for everyone. This of course includes women. The Foundling was constantly being nothing but confident in our abilities,” Sydney, who attends City Tech College in Brooklyn, says of her internship.

Maroosha, 19, who studies at City College of New York, reflected on the feeling of acceptance working side-by-side with men and women alike in The Foundling’s IT Services department. “Most importantly, throughout this experience, I felt believed and trusted in,” she says.

More companies and organizations can play an active role in opening doors and building diverse teams, too. One idea? “Companies and organizations can create programs that educate and train women who want to go into the field of technology,” suggests Jacqueline, an intern from New York City College of Technology.

And for more girls, teens, and young adults aspiring to start careers in the tech world, these trailblazers have some advice: be confident.

“Just go for it. It may seem less welcoming and more intimidating because it is a white, male-dominated field, but we are the ones who are going to change that dynamic,” Maroosha says. “We have to change the course for the future that has been set so firmly since the past. If the tech industry is for you, then don’t be afraid to take that leap. Stand your ground and believe in your capabilities to work in the tech industry as a woman. “

Related posts:

January 24, 2019/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

This Is The Bronx | NY Foundling Success at Educating South Bronx Children

Youth Today provides a detailed chronicle of The New York Foundling organization that focuses on education and its decade of work with the Mott Haven Academy Charter School that ultimately became a successful endeavor. READ MORE

January 18, 2019/by Elefant Design

Blog

ACS, The New York Foundling Remind Parents of Safe Sleep Practices Ahead of Wintery Weekend

Foundling Chief Program Officer Carmen Jirau-Rivera and ACS Commissioner David Hansell hold a wearable blanket that is safe for sleeping babies. These wearable blankets will be available to families for free at various ACS locations throughout the city. (Photo courtesy Administration of Children’s Services.)

Ahead of a bitter cold, snowy weekend, the New York City Administration for Children’s Services teamed up with The New York Foundling to inform parents about safe sleep practices for the city’s youngest residents.

ACS Commissioner David Hansell and Foundling Chief Program Officer Carmen Jirau-Rivera were joined by officials from the state Office of Children and Family Services and NYC Department of Health at The Foundling’s Crisis Nursery on January 18 to provide safe sleep tips and information on resources available around the city. ACS’ Safe Sleep Initiative educates caregivers on the dangers of unsafe sleep environments, responsible for sleep-related injury and deaths.

Every year, about 50 babies in New York City die from a sleep-related injury; almost one baby every week, ACS noted in a press release. To combat these tragic events, ACS is offering free wearable blankets for babies.

“Sleep-related deaths in infants are easily preventable by adhering to the safe sleep methods, as presented today by the NYC Administration for Children’s Services,” said Bill Baccaglini, President and CEO of The New York Foundling, said in a statement. “With a frigid weekend upon us, I urge parents and caregivers to pick up a wearable blanket that allows babies to sleep safely and warmly. And, of course, we welcome families in need of extra and support and services to visit and learn our Crisis Nursery, a 24/7 haven for parents and children.”

The rule of thumb for safe sleeping? Remember “ABC.” Infants should sleep Alone, on their Backs, in a safety-approved Crib. For more information on infant safe sleep best practices or resources in the community, visit: www.nyc.gov/safesleep or call 311 and ask for Safe Sleep.

If you are in need of a free wearable blanket for your baby, visit one of the following ACS locations:

Manhattan

492 1^st Avenue (this location is open after 4pm on weeknights and all day/night on weekends)

150 William Street, 4th Fl.
55 W. 125th Street, 12th Fl.

Bronx

2501 Grand Concourse, 4th Fl.
1200 Waters Place
974 Morris Park Avenue

Brooklyn

1274 Bedford Ave, 1st Fl.
185 Marcy Avenue, 2nd Fl.
404 Pine Street, 4th Fl.
2554 Linden Boulevard, 1st Fl.
345 Adams Street, 9th Fl.
19 Grant Square

Queens

165-15 Archer Avenue, 1st Fl.
90-25 161st Street, 3rd Fl.
92-31 Union Hall Street, 3rd Fl.

Staten Island

350 Saint Marks Place, 5th Fl.

January 18, 2019/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

Youth Today | We Can Close Poor Students’ Gap With Better Trauma-informed Education

Jessica Nauiokas, Principal of The Foundling’s Mott Haven Academy, writes about the effectiveness of a trauma-informed approach to educating children in the child welfare system and in low income communities. This opinion piece is part of a yearlong series examining higher education for youth in foster care, made possible in part by The New York Foundling. READ MORE

January 17, 2019/by Elefant Design

Health and Behavioral Health, Media Coverage

NYN Media | The New York Foundling Opens a New Mental Health Clinic in East Harlem

The Home of Integrated Behavioral Health will serve 200 families with children between the ages of five and 18 years old, according to a Jan. 14 press release. READ MORE

January 15, 2019/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

Primera Hora | Inauguran Nuevo Head Start en Vega Alta en Colaboración con New York Foundling

Con una inversión que supera los $200,000, el alcalde de Vega Alta, Oscar ‘Can’ Santiago Martínez inauguró recientemente un nuevo Head Start en el Barrio Sabana Hoyos, en conjunto con la institución educativa sin fines de lucro New York Foundling (NYF), que administrará el mismo. READ MORE

January 14, 2019/by Elefant Design

Blog, Health and Behavioral Health

The New York Foundling’s Home of Integrated Behavioral Health Opens Its Doors in East Harlem

The New York Foundling welcomed staff and community stakeholders to the opening of its new state-of-the-art mental health clinic in East Harlem, officially called the Home of Integrated Behavioral Health, on January 14, 2019.

“Our clinic ushers in a new way to approach behavioral and mental health,” said Bill Baccaglini, CEO and President of The New York Foundling. “At The Foundling, we consider family and community context in our approach to care. Our approach also takes a different view than others. We believe treatment should be brief, intense, and should equip all members of the family with the skills and confidence they need to confront what challenges lie ahead.”

The clinic, previously located in Harlem on the west side, will serve as a hub for families in the surrounding community, as well as across New York City, to access high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional mental health support and treatment. Like all New York Foundling programs and services, the mental health clinic aims to give families research-backed tools that set them up for healthy independence and successful futures.

“We know firsthand that the research-backed treatment models we will be using at the Home of Integrated Behavioral Health give entire families the tools they need to work through their challenges and be healthy in the long-term,” said Dr. Sylvia Rowlands, Senior Vice President of Evidence-Based Programs, in a statement.

The clinic staff will be using several evidence-based models, including Brief Strategic Family Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, while also launching the Communities that Care model.

The Foundling’s East Harlem location will also mean greater access for families in the community. Lack of accessibility can often be a barrier for low-income families to receiving effective mental health services.

“We at The Foundling are extremely privileged to be a part of the neighborhood filled with a strong sense of community ties and involvement,” Fanny Tristan, director of the clinic, explains. “Together, we can all use our voices to advocate for the needs everyone. A community that has created more community gardens than I can count on one hand. We are so excited to be here and look forward to providing great community mental health services.”

The 5,689-square-foot space, located at 109 E. 115th Street, aims to serve more than 200 families each year. Families with children up to 18 years old and their parents are welcome, and the clinic will accept referrals from school counselors, court services, foster care providers, community agencies, as well as walk-ins.

To learn more, visit www.nyfoundling.org or call 917-485-7280.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK FOUNDLING

At The New York Foundling, we believe that all people, no matter their circumstance or zip code, have the right to reach their full potential. But for all of us, discovering what we are capable of and reaching our full potential requires support along the way. The New York Foundling is built on that 150 year-old promise to our neighbors, in which infants and children, teens and college students, people with differing abilities and families can access the trusted support they need to thrive, independent of us.

From the bold beginnings of the Sisters of Charity in 1869, The New York Foundling has grown into a results-driven and research-backed organization, whose community support services have empowered hundreds of thousands of people to move beyond their most challenging times, and to achieve their goals. Our five core program areas touch on the key building blocks of a strong and healthy life: education, wellbeing, family, community, opportunity. Together, our interconnected programs provide a whole person, whole family and whole community approach that unlocks solutions for a lifetime.

January 14, 2019/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

Youth Today | California Foster Students Get Patchwork of College Support

This article is part of a yearlong series examining higher education for youth in foster care, made possible in part by The New York Foundling. READ MORE

January 14, 2019/by Elefant Design

Blog

Foundling Foster Parents Receive Year’s Supply of Heating Oil Thanks to Petro

Amada, one of the lucky recipients, with Foundling board member Anthony Gallo, who works for Petro Home Services. Petro’s team delivered heating oil to the foster parent’s Yonkers home on Thursday, January 10.

Thanks to the generosity of Petro Home Services, two New York Foundling foster parents received a year’s worth of heating oil to get their families through this winter and into next. The donation of 500 gallons of heating oil comes at the perfect time, as temperatures continue to drop across the region.

Amada, a Yonkers resident, was one of the lucky recipients. She has been fostering children with The Foundling since 2006, taking in more than 20 children over the years and adopting one. She is currently fostering three teenagers.

Kimberly, an active and loving foster parent to twins in Brooklyn, received her special delivery on a chilly 30-degree day.

The Petro donation was the idea of Anthony Gallo, Foundling board member and Petro employee, who is devoted to giving back to Foundling foster parents who give so much of themselves to provide caring, supportive homes for youth in need.

January 11, 2019/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare

The New York Foundling Scales Back Child Abuse Prevention Program Due to Lack of Funding

NBC New York’s Melissa Russo reports on The Foundling’s Child Abuse Prevention Program and its funding troubles.

The New York Foundling’s one-of-a-kind Child Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP) has been forced to scale back the number of in-school Child Safety Workshops for the remainder of the school year due to a lack of funding — a move the organization regretfully informed principals of on January 9.

“As a private, nonprofit agency, The Foundling can simply no longer sustain covering the $530,000 annual cost of the program without support from the Department of Education. As a result, we must significantly reduce the number of workshops scheduled for this semester,” the letter from Foundling leadership to elementary school principals explained.

The Foundling turned to the NYC Department of Education asking for much-needed help funding this highly impactful, life-saving program, but has yet to know whether they’ll back the program that ensures thousands of children’s safety.

NBC New York’s Melissa Russo has been following the story, and spoke with Bill Baccaglini, CEO and President of The Foundling, about the cuts — and the potential consequences. Due to the cancellations, he told Russo, more than 4,000 children across New York City schools will be missing out on age-appropriate education that would enable them to put an end to physical and sexual abuse.

That translates to roughly 60 children who could continue to be abused due to lack of education, Baccaglini and program director Marion White estimate in their letter to schools.

The program, which uses life-sized puppets in its workshops, has been at the forefront of child abuse prevention education since it began in 1986. Its Child Safety Workshops educate approximately 20,000 3^rd and 4^th grade students per year on inappropriate touch and how to speak with adults about suspected abuse. Last year alone, these in-school presentations resulted in 165 calls to New York State’s child abuse hotline.

While the future of CAPP is still uncertain, The Foundling is hopeful that negotiations with the city’s Department of Education will result in support for this unique program that protects children and puts their safety first.

Learn more below:

January 10, 2019/by Elefant Design