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History of FSW
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Family Services of Westchester opened its doors on November 11, 1954, with one social worker; within a year the agency was juggling 40 cases a month. Over the next five decades FSW would expand its services and its programs in a variety of ways, but always in response to specific needs in the community. Today Family Services of Westchester has eight family centers located around Westchester County and with a staff of 450 professionals who help 24,000 people a year lead more fulfilling lives. Our work spans the entire Westchester region, with more than 50 different programs that respond to diverse cultural, economic and emotional needs of families throughout Westchester.
When FSW opened its doors in 1954, America was a different place. Eisenhower was in the White House, the year’s most popular movie was White Christmas, Elvis Presley was just coming on the scene, and TV families were uniformly white, middle class and intact. But beneath the glossy surface were plenty of problems: “World War II had just ended, and there were a lot of families in crises,” recalls founding Executive Director Irwin Stein. Families that had endured wartime separations and dislocations were facing new problems, from child abuse to alcoholism and mental health issues.
As we begin the 21st century, FSW is continuing to change with the times, developing new initiatives in response to new needs. For example, more than a third of Westchester’s senior population lives in poverty; FSW’s Sunshine Fund and SenioRx Solutions are recent program additions designed to assist low-income seniors.
The agency has also adapted to new methods and ideas. When new research underscored the importance of early intervention for children with developmental problems, FSW brought Prime Time and Head Start under the agency’s umbrella. Today fifty infants, toddlers and preschoolers enjoy learning in Prime Time’s nurturing classroom environment, and more than 234 plus pre-schoolers, infants, toddlers and their families receive care and education at five Early Head Start/Head Start sites in White Plains.
FSW already has its eye on the next 50 years. According to Census 2000, Westchester’s Hispanic population grew 67% in the last ten years, a trend that is expected to continue. One of the agency’s newest programs, the Jerome Family Technology Learning Center at FSW’s Port Chester office, provides access to computers and skills training for those on the wrong side of the “digital divide”.
But families remain FSW’s priority, and the agency continues to strengthen its core programs – adoption, foster care, family mental health.
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