Forestdale's Early Childhood Program Receives Prestigious $1 Million Grant from Robin Hood.
New York—Forestdale Inc. is delighted to announce that Robin Hood's FUEL for 50 initiative awarded Forestdale $1 million to expand its Cradle-to-Launch early childhood mental health program. Families in distress, often with a history of intergenerational trauma and marginalization, have come to Forestdale to gain access to an optimal array of supports for healthy early childhood development, with an emphasis on mental health. Early childhood is the most critical time in a child's health, cognitive, language, and social-emotional development. This exciting grant from Robin Hood will allow hundreds of additional NYC families to obtain these services every year.
Forestdale adopted evidence-informed interventions to respond to the most commonly requested family needs. Attachment Bio-behavioral Catchup increases secure attachment for small children, leading to greater success in school, relationships, and careers. Circle of Security elevates parenting skills. A Window to Healing disrupts intergenerational cycles of family violence. Child-Parent Psychotherapy is a longer-term psychodynamic therapy to address deep-seated trauma. The community of mothers and families in the program also works to support each other from crisis to stability to growth.
"If there was a fairly simple way to set children up for healthier, more stable, and happier lives - wouldn't we want to pursue it?" asked William Weisberg, Executive Director. "With the help of Robin Hood, that is exactly what we are working toward at Forestdale. Robin Hood's FUEL for 50 initiative helped Forestdale and the communities we serve dream bigger – thinking not just about a specific service for a specific family but what families having a child should be offered in New York City to ensure the child gets what they need to thrive."
“Congratulations to the winners of FUEL for 50. Our winners have spent the past three years developing innovative, evidence-based programs that will uplift New York City families for years to come. At Robin Hood, we recognize that the most impactful poverty-fighting investments we can make take place during children’s first years of life. By supporting our youngest New Yorkers and their parents and caregivers, we help make New York City the best place in the world to grow up and expand opportunities for the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Richard R. Buery, Jr., CEO of Robin Hood.
The Fuel for 50 funding from Robin Hood will expand the scope of Forestdale Cradle-to-Launch services, allow for more collaboration with partner agencies, and allow hundreds more families and children to benefit each year.
About Forestdale Inc:
Established in 1854, Forestdale delivers innovative, high-impact services that promote healing, resilience, and opportunity for children and families. Forestdale, headquartered in Queens, focuses on low-income and immigrant clients who are seeking stability and growth following crises in both Queens and Brooklyn. Our mission is to ensure that children and families have the fundamental assets to thrive and live independently. Our goal is to end the intergenerational transmission of poverty and trauma. Additional information and descriptions of our programs can be found at forestdaleinc.org.
About Robin Hood:
Robin Hood is New York’s largest local poverty-fighting philanthropy. Last year, Robin Hood celebrated its 35th year of funding, supporting, and connecting New York’s most impactful community organizations at the forefront in the battle against poverty. We are NYC’s largest local poverty-fighting philanthropy, and since 1988, we have invested nearly $3 billion to elevate and fuel the permanent escape of New Yorkers from poverty. In 2023, through grantmaking with nearly 300 community partners, we created pathways to opportunities out of poverty through our strategic partnerships on childcare, child poverty, jobs, and living wages. We are scaling impact at a population level for the 2 million New Yorkers living in poverty. At Robin Hood, we believe your starting point in life should not define where you end up. To learn more about our work and impact, follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @RobinHoodNYC or go to robinhood.org.