Spotlight On

Mission:
The mission of Family and Child Services is to improve individual, family and community life by providing a broad range of professional services in areas such as individual, family and group counseling, child placement, camping and services to older Americans.

Impacting 10,000 Washington, DC area residents a year, Family and Child Services has three distinct objectives:

• to provide a safe haven for children and youth at risk
• to stabilize and preserve families
• to keep the frail elderly active and independent in the community

Background:
Formed in 1882 to address poverty, Family and Child Services is the oldest, nationally accredited, social services organization in the Washington, DC area. Throughout its history Family and Child Services has brought to the area a number of cutting-edge programs, such as the first:

• Boy's Club (1901)
• summer camp for African-American mothers and children (1907)
• daycare program for children of working parents (WWII)
• family counseling services (immediately following WWII)
• foster homes (1963)
• multi-services senior center (1969)
• weekend respite program for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers (1986)

Most recently, its mental health social workers helped the community heal following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and during the sniper terrorist attacks by providing post-traumatic stress debriefing.

Current Programs:
Family and Child Services' broad array of innovative and professional programs and services include:

• a network of in-home daycare providers who offer affordable, high quality and convenient childcare primarily to low-income and TANF families
• therapeutic and traditional foster care offering safe, caring interim environments for children whose families are in crisis
• an adoptions program which focuses on foster children for whom reunification with their birth parents is not an option
• summer and winter camping programs for underprivileged children at Camp Moss Hollow, a 367-acre facility in Markham, Virginia
• mental health and counseling services that include:
  • individual counseling
  • group sessions dealing with such issues as anger management, parenting skills and domestic violence
  • school-based programs that emphasize wellness and structure, discipline and communications between youth and parents
• senior services that offer physical support and counseling, and address issues of isolation and loneliness. These programs include:
  • weekend respite for the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients
  • case management services such as counseling, outreach, heavy housekeeping, transportation and adult abuse prevention
  • socialization, recreation and wellness at two centers-Columbia and Model Cities Wellness
  • senior volunteer and work opportunities

Funding Needs:
Due to cutbacks in government contracts and private donations coupled with increased demand for services, Family and Child Services has critical funding needs in three areas:

• subsidized childcare
• mental health counseling for the poor
• services for seniors

The "Spotlight On" highlights the activities of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the Metropolitan Washington, DC community. The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight On" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector.

If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight," e-mail a description of your organization, following the above format, to dclibrary@foundationcenter.org, with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.