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70th Anniversary

Astor Commemorates 70 Years of Service

 

The year was 1953. Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, gasoline was 28¢ per gallon, “Money Honey” by The Drifters topped the rock-and-roll charts and The Greatest Show on Earth won an Academy Award for Best Picture.

It was also the year New York State Department for Mental Hygiene looked to create children’s residential treatment programs to address the need to reduce the psychiatric hospitalization of children, which led to the creation of Astor Services in the Dutchess County village of Rhinebeck, NY.

What started out as a residential treatment program 70 years ago, has expanded to provide behavioral health and educational services to children, adults and families with over 70 locations throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley region and the Bronx, serving over 10,000 clients annually.

“I am proud to lead this organization at such a pivotal moment in time, when events like the pandemic and racial injustices have shown a light on mental health and the social determinants of health in our communities. Astor will continue its charge in advocating for the families we serve.” – Yvette Bairan, CEO

Astor has and always will be committed to ensuring top-level services and client satisfaction by staying ahead of the curve and at the forefront of innovation, always thinking about what we can do 

to better serve our clients. 

We know one cannot reach such milestones without the support of individuals, local businesses, corporations, foundations and government.

Together, you help move our mission forward and ensure our high-quality services are available to future clients. We thank you for being an integral part of our journey and we look forward to sharing impact stories with you in the future.

 

1953 – Astor Home Four Daughters of Charity and three NYC boys arrive in Rhinebeck to begin the first Residential Treatment Center, 23 boys were in residential treatment and there was a need to expand the facility.
1961 – Expansion Construction began on the new wing containing living quarters, classrooms, a children’s library, an infirmary and clinical areas, a chapel of St. Vincent de Paul, built in memory of Vincent Astor and a research wing.
1963 Bronx Services – Astor began providing services in the Bronx to assist families of children returning home after successfully completing their treatment in the residential programs in Rhinebeck, NY.
1977 Joint Commission – The Astor Home for Children became one of the first psychiatric facilities for children in the nation to be accredited by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals which it has maintained to the present.
1987 Excellence – The New York State Education Dept. selected The Astor Learning Center as a Model School to receive an Award of Excellence in the State’s first annual recognition of elementary schools.
1991 Hickey Center – The Lawrence F. Hickey Center for Child Development opened with 17 children in four classrooms. Also known as “The Little Red Schoolhouse,” the center is named after Lawrence F. Hickey. Mr. Hickey was a board member and a dedicated supporter of Astor.
1994 Head Start – Astor started the Early Head Start Program servicing low-income families. The program provides a unique set of services for preschoolers, meeting the special needs of infants, toddlers and their parents.
2005 Foundation – Children’s Fund of the Astor Home for Children, Inc. is renamed to The Astor Home for Children Foundation, Inc.
2009 New Agency Name – Astor’s Board of Directors approved changing the name of the agency to Astor Services for Children & Families.
2017 Playground – Thanks to the generosity of KaBOOM!, The Walt Disney Company, and partners like Catholic Charities of NY, the children and families of Astor’s Lawrence F. Hickey Center were given the gift of play with a new therapeutic, age-appropriate playground in October of 2017.
2019 Astor’s New CEO – Yvette Bairan started at Astor in 2008 and served as a corporate compliance analyst before rising up the ranks to become chief compliance officer. In 2019, Yvette was promoted to CEO.
2022 Rebranding – With the help of the brand design agency, Soulsight, Astor underwent a name change and rebranding. A new logo was introduced as well as a new, condensed organizational name, Astor Services.