About Us
Founded in 1953 as a children’s counseling center in Queens, The Child Center of NY has become a powerful community presence throughout the city. With more than 60 locations and 100 programs in NYC’s most under-served communities, our 1,000+ results-oriented professionals make a difference for more than 55,000 New Yorkers of all ages and their families each year.
We know that with the right skills, education, and emotional support — tools that we provide — children and adults of any background can build a happy, healthy, and fulfilling future.
Our Mission
The Child Center of NY strengthens children and families with skills, opportunities, and emotional support to build healthy, successful lives.
Our Approach
The Child Center takes a holistic approach, supporting each client’s cognitive, social-emotional, and physical well-being. If a child is failing in school, we do more than provide tutoring—we get to know the child’s family, school environment, and place in the community. We support the entire family and community, providing services for parents and other caregivers, and offering our programs right in the communities where they are needed most. We also serve adults without children in many of our programs. Our staff collectively speak nearly two dozen languages and understand the challenges our clients face.
We take a collaborative approach. By working with other organizations and leaders, we extend our reach exponentially and ensure each client gets the right support.
Our approach is data-driven. We rigorously measure and track our progress, using methods proven to make a difference. We then leverage this data to create replicable models for success. This is a key reason why we frequently are called upon to advise on utilizing metrics to improve outcomes.
At The Child Center, we understand that many people face challenges like trauma, extreme poverty, and difficulties related to immigration that can seem overwhelming. With our comprehensive approach, we help with each piece of the puzzle. We all benefit when even one person gets the support they need to reach their full potential. The Child Center of NY helps 58,000 people reach their potential each year. We hope you will be one of them!
In addition to providing direct services, we are a catalyst for change. As we evolve to meet the emergent challenges of our time, we are working to change how social services are thought of and delivered. This work has led us to focus our programs on four initiatives to disrupt the trajectory of generational poverty.