Founded by Anne Harriman Vanderbilt, Irene Langhorne Gibson, Louisine Havemeyer, Lillie Skiddy Parker and Blanche Ittleson, Big Sisters, Inc. aimed to improve the lives of ‘wayward’ girls who brought in front of the Children’s Court in Manhattan.   By serving as a ‘big sister’ to girls who had run away from home, were begging in the streets, or otherwise had found themselves in trouble, the founders and other volunteers visited homes, bought food and clothing and took girls on outings throughout the city.  Most importantly, they provided a guiding hand and reassuring voice to underprivileged girls who had few other positive role models in their lives.

Throughout the years, Big Sisters, Inc. responded to the changing needs of at-risk children and youth in New York City.  Milestones include:

1916    The agency opened a Big Sisters home in the Bronx in order to give girls an escape from New York City’s streets.

1917    Services are expanded to include the distribution of holiday clothing, gifts and food, and a summer camp program.

1920s   Big Sisters adapts the old adage ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ as its motto and expands its reach into the Bronx.

1951    Big Sisters transitions from a volunteer mentoring organization to a professional social service agency, hiring trained social workers to provide counseling, casework and psychiatric and psychological assistance to children and their families.

1960s   Marital and family counseling are added to the services provided by Big Sisters.  The organization also begins working services in the Manhattan and Brooklyn Family Courts.

1975    99% of children served by Big Sisters are minorities.  Outreach to New York City’s schools begins.

1985    LIFE STEPS, Partnership with Children’s community-based program that provides counseling and psychological and psychiatric evaluations under the Persons in Need of Services (PINS) legislation, is established in Brooklyn.

1993    OPEN HEART - OPEN MIND, Partnership with Children’s school-based program, is launched in order to improve social, emotional and cognitive development of at-risk New York City students.

1996    The agency’s name is changed to Partnership with Children.

2001    In response to the September 11th tragedy, the Open Heart-Open Mind crisis response and trauma support program is developed to help at-risk children, families and school communities cope in a healthy manner.

2004    The first replication of the Open Heart-Open Mind program takes place in Bridgeport, CT.

2005    The CENTER FOR CAPACITY BUILDING is established in order to provide professional development and training in Open Heart-Open Mind best practices to serve schools who want to implement the program.

Today, Partnership with Children serves over 8,000 elementary, middle and high school students in all five boroughs of New York City through its OPEN HEART - OPEN MIND and LIFE STEPS programs and the CENTER FOR CAPACITY BUILDING. As we celebrate our 100th year anniversary, we look forward to helping even more at-risk children.