Children's Aid Society of Pennsylvania Celebrates 125 Years of Service

Come April 2007, CAS of PA will mark 125 years of serving at risk children and families.

Post Civil War Philadelphia, a crucible of the Industrial Revolution, was a magnet for immigrants and rural workers looking for employment.  Displaced families often broke apart.  Growing concern about the children of these families resulted in the formation of Children's Aid Society of Pennsylvania in 1882. It was the first agency of its kind in Pennsylvania and one of the first in the United States.

Early achievements of CAS of PA include advocating for the first juvenile court in Pennsylvania and providing foster services for refugee children during World Wars I and II.  Later, CAS of PA created pioneering programs for African-American children needing adoption and foster care and emotionally disturbed children needing residential care. Today, CAS of PA seeks to keep families together by helping parents build strong homes around their children through services like Time Out for Teens and Tots™, The Family Project, SCOH (Services to Children in Their Own Homes) and the outreach services of the Madeira Family Center on North Philadelphia.