Earlier on Examiner.com, we looked briefly at how the local non-profit Forestdale, Inc. was providing free training for foster care to interested parents. Now we will provide an in-depth look into this agency and its functions. Forestdale, Inc. is the only child welfare agency located in the borough of Queens. It serves over 1,000 individuals including children, teens, parents and other family members every year.
This organization has been providing valuable services to inner-city families for more than 150 years. Forestdale, Inc., founded in 1854, was originally known as the Brooklyn Home For Children and worked to provide residential care for abused and/or abandoned youth. In 1941 the organization moved its headquarters to Forest Hills, Queens and established its foster care program. In 1980 the agency's residential care unit was closed down; its name was changed to Forestdale, Inc in 1988.
Forestdale's mission is to provide children with the following important benefits- a safe and secure home life, a wide variety of educational opportunities, and proper health and reproductive care. The agency goes about accomplishing its mission through the following programs:
- Foster Care: Forestdale is responsible for the health and well-being of approximately 600 children annually, including 180 teens and young adults aged 14-21.
- Family Crisis Intervention: Forestdale helps approximately 80 families receive counseling, education, and housing advocacy so that they don't lose their children to foster care; majority of the families receiving aid are recent immigrants.
- Pregnant and Parenting Teens: Forestdale also helps approximately 200 teen mothers annually to receive quality health care, an education, and ample job opportunities.
- Fathering Initiative: In addition to helping young mothers, Forestdale also works to provide approximately 200 fathers with receiving parenting classes, an education, job opportunities, and counseling; about 50 fathers are under the age of 24.
Besides these important programs above, Forestdale also helps individuals under its care with additional support below:
- Workforce Development and Educational Excellence Initiative: The organization New Yorkers for Children had provided a $100,000 grant to Forestdale towards helping middle school students get admitted into renowned public or private high schools. Besides providing access to excellent charter and private schools, Forestdale also helps the youth under its care receive information about boarding schools and access to college scholarships. The agency has partnered with JetBlue Airways to give its youth annual tours of several out-of-state college campuses. Finally, Forestdale works hard to provide extra support and care to those students most at risk of dropping out.
- Health Literacy: The agency, along with the NYU College of Nursing mobile health van, runs a Teen Health Clinic to ensure adolescents receive quality health and reproductive care. Forestdale is also working to offer nutrition and cooking classes through its energy-efficient Green Kitchen, so as to combat the obesity epidemic.
In addition to ensuring the health and well-being of abused and neglected children, Forestdale also allies itself with schools, religious organizations, business owners, and local community leaders to address the causes behind families undergoing crisis.
If you or someone you know would like to volunteer, donate, and/or become a foster parent, please visit the Forestdale, Inc. website to receive further information.
Forestdale, Inc. is located at:
67-35 112th Street Forest Hills, NY 11375
Telephone: 718-263-0740
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