Navy Yard Boys Club (New York, N.Y.).

The age of social reform and an immigration boom in the mid 19th century brought the plight of ill, impoverished, and disadvantaged citizens to the forefront of concerns in urban cities. New York City was a national leader in addressing the needs of neglected, orphaned, and deliquent children. The earliest charity organizations for children were established during this period; in Brooklyn, they were the Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn, founded in 1833, and the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum Society of Brooklyn, founded in 1834.

Many orphaned or destitute children were also institutionalized in almshouses and asylums. As sentiments evolved about the institutionalization of children, the Children's Law of 1875, passed by the New York State Legislature, mandated that children aged three to sixteen be removed from poorhouses. The law led to an increase in the number of child welfare societies, already relatively high in New York City, promoting foster care, adoptions, and group homes. These independent organizations were contracted by the cities of Brooklyn and New York to provide child care services--a trend that continued after the consolidation of New York City and into the 20th century.