The Crusade for Children: The Children’s Aid Society’s Early Years to Present

By Philip Coltoff

(The Children’s Aid Society, 2008)

For 155 years, the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) has been a remarkable instrument for social change, committed to sustaining family life, enriching the human spirit, influencing social institutions in furthering their understanding of the needs of the poor, and advocating for children’s rights.
    Philip Coltoff, former CEO and executive director of CAS and Aibel Visiting Professor and executive-in-residence at the Silver School of Social Work, has authored this history of CAS from its beginnings in 1853, when the major social issue was the 10,000 or more New York City street kids the press referred to as “street Arabs” or “wayward waifs,” to the present day, when the many issues concerning children include HIV infection, child abuse, young people aging out of foster care, teen pregnancy, and low graduation rates.
    The book surveys CAS during the Great Depression and World War II, and reveals how CAS changed course during the turbulent 1960s, when it became apparent that there was a big disconnect between the staff and facilities it offered and the people it served. The Crusade for Children also discusses how CAS has become an active advocate, leveraging its reputation as a service provider to launch legislative incentives.