Foster Care

Providing care for children separated from their parents has been at the core of The Foundling’s mission since our launch in 1869.

Today, The Foundling is one of New York City’s largest providers of foster care services. We utilize evidence-based interventions in our foster care programs that are proven to support happy, healthy, and functioning families. Children may enter foster care for a variety of reasons, including abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Children are referred by the New York City Administration for Children’s Services to organizations—such as The New York Foundling—that place each child with a relative or foster family during this time. The Foundling, and similarly-missioned organizations, provide services that are geared toward keeping children safe and helping them return to their biological parents, remain with their extended family, or find a permanent home. In addition to placing children and youth in homes with caring and supportive foster parents, The Foundling also provides an array of other services that support the needs of children in foster care, including medical and mental health services, employment supports, and educational services.