The Children's Aid Society

Philip Coltoff, Special Advisor and former CEO

A leader and innovator in the field of social work and social services, Philip Coltoff is Special Advisor and former CEO and Executive Director of The Children's Aid Society. He joined the agency in 1966 and in 1981, was appointed Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. In 2002 his title became Chief Executive Officer, and effective October 2005, he became Special Advisor and former CEO and Executive Director.

Under Coltoff’s direction, The Children’s Aid Society, one of the largest and oldest voluntary, non-sectarian children’s services agencies in the nation, became an agent of positive change in communities across New York City and the U.S. His emphasis on both comprehensive social services and education produced a full-service model of public community schools in New York that has been adapted in over 100 communities in the U.S. and in nations including Cuba, France, the Netherlands (70 schools), the United Kingdom (15 schools) and Vietnam. In Chicago alone, 100 public schools are being converted to the Children's Aid model. Coltoff personally negotiated many of the technical assistance agreements that led to these national and international adaptations.

This model, which is a partnership between the New York City Department of Education and Children’s Aid, wraps comprehensive health, dental, mental health, social and support services around the academic core of a school. The Children's Aid model has earned a great deal of respect among professionals, policy-makers and parents alike. At the beginning of the 2004-05 school year, Children's Aid partnered in 13 multi-service, year-round community public schools in Washington Heights, East Harlem and the Bronx. Public schools across the U.S. are converting to the Children's Aid model with Coltoff’s involvement.

Children’s Aid also broke new ground in health services for children during his tenure, opening a number of new school-based and community-based health centers, and entering into new partnerships that ensure top quality professional health care in its facilities. In addition, the adolescent pregnancy prevention model created during Coltoff’s tenure has been proven effective by an independent, scientific evaluation and is replicated in a number of states.

The agency’s list of firsts under Coltoff’s leadership is long. Children's Aid opened the first Head Start class in New York City, initiated drug prevention programs, its acclaimed adolescent pregnancy prevention program, mental health services for children, mediation services for troubled youth, services to homeless children in welfare hotels, mobile medical and dental services, therapeutic and medical foster care programs, transitional housing for homeless families, full service public community schools, comprehensive health care for children in school settings, and programs for vulnerable youth who need special support following 9/11. Plus, Coltoff broke new ground internationally. With his leadership, Children’s Aid has recently contracted with Russia and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide Children’s Aid’s expertise in foster care and adoption to Russia to help with development of effective children’s services as they work with orphaned and abandoned children.

Coltoff is recognized for his advocacy on behalf of the city’s less advantaged children and families. He has offered testimony at government hearings as an expert in child welfare, and speaks often at key policy conferences.

Coltoff is also known for his written contributions to children welfare literature. He has written numerous articles in the field of social work, including a benchmark study on child abuse that was published in three languages and resulted in meetings and presentations throughout the U.S. and in six additional countries. His identification of the connection of child abuse to family violence and alcoholism has resulted in the training of frontline workers that better equipped them to deal with problems and develop treatment strategies.