Forestdale’s family services are part of an evolving tradition of activism and innovation in child welfare. Our roots extend to nineteenth-century Brooklyn, where in 1854, a group of local women founded the Brooklyn Industrial School Association and Home for Destitute Children. The Industrial School aimed to teach poor children basic trade skills. By 1880 the organization ran five separate schools in neighborhoods including Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, and “Jackson’s Hollow,” near today’s Bedford-Stuyvesant.
In the late 19th century, shifting immigration patterns and the emergence of the public school system led to the closing of the Industrial Schools. As a result, the organization changed its name to the Brooklyn Home for Children and focused exclusively on providing residential care for abused and abandoned youth.In 1941 the Brooklyn Home for Children was bequeathed a parcel of land in Forest Hills, Queens, to construct a five-building residential campus. That same year, the agency launched its foster boarding home program. During the second half of the 20th century, more and more orphanages closed as community-based foster homes became the norm. In 1980 the agency retired its residential program to focus on foster care and adoption, and eight years later, it officially changed its name to Forestdale, Inc.
Today Forestdale is the only child welfare agency headquartered in Queens, with a mission to serve as a resource for all families in the borough. In addition to ensuring the well-being of abused and neglected children through foster care and adoption services, we partner with schools, religious organizations, business owners, and community leaders to address the underlying causes of families in crisis. Our three-and-a-half-acre campus includes open fields, a basketball court, and a JetBlue playground where families and children can connect in a fun and peaceful setting. Every program at Forestdale is designed to strengthen families and ultimately reduce the need for foster care.
In 2020, Forestdale was granted a multi-million dollar contract to administer services throughout Brooklyn and set up offices about half a mile from its site of origin in Brooklyn Heights. Forestdale operates out of three offices to better serve the families of Brooklyn and Queens. Despite the challenges of opening new offices during the COVID-19 pandemic, we were honored to meet the challenge and provide our innovative services in new locations. As our history can attest, our mission is to ensure that children and families have all the resources they need to thrive, and we will continue to transform and grow as we need to create a more equitable future for all New Yorkers.
If you are interested in genealogical research, please contact O’Brian Mahon at 718-263-0740 x 766.
