Wiltwyck School for Boys.

The Wiltwyck School for Boys began as a project of the Episcopal City Mission Society in 1936, and was located in Esopus, New York. Initially, it was designed as an experimental summer camp for Protestant African-American juvenile delinquents and potential juvenile delinquents. The Children's Court required an institution that would accept these children, since state agencies and other private juvenile institutions did not address the needs of this population. After that initial summer, the institution decided to remain open year-round. Under the leadership of the Right Reverend William T. Manning, the first president of Wiltwyck, a gymnasium and a remodeled school building, which included room for professional and clerical staff, were built.

From the beginning, Wiltwyck emphasized the need for holistic treatment that included not only the boys, but also their families. In 1939, Esther Hilton, the director of a training unit for the New York School of Social Work, joined the staff, inaugurating Wiltwyck's extensive use of social workers and social work students in counseling the boys and their families.

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