Building Opportunity Through

Research

Training

Collaboration

Innovation

Leadership

Inclusion

Research Training Collaboration Innovation Leadership Inclusion

Our Story

YRI is a responsive research, program, and policy organization that supports the New York Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and its state and local partners. YRI’s work enhances OCFS’s program and service provision. At the same time, YRI’s work helps OCFS serve as a national leader in innovation, collaboration, research, and excellence in building understanding of the intricacies and complexities of working with children, families, and adults.

YRI provides training and learning opportunities in the areas of child welfare, juvenile justice, childcare, adoption and foster care, youth development, child and adult protective services, and services for the blind; supports OCFS and its partners by providing rapid response to new and emerging human services priorities in New York State by promoting new and more effective methods for service delivery and access; and seeks and administers public and private funds and partnerships to support emerging human services priorities.

At the core of all our work is a focus on improving equity and access to services that promote stability and wellbeing for children and families.

Our initiatives help break cycles of poverty and help connect families to services that increase their access to high quality care and education opportunities from birth to higher education, keeping children safely in their homes, and connecting youth with jobs with life-sustaining wages.

YRI is committed to examining its practices to ensure that they support a culture that values Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and promote respect, value, and dignity for all through intentional and strategic implementation. We celebrate the diverse cultures and identities of our staff, partners, and those we serve.

RESEARCH
YRI is building opportunity for youth and
families through evidence-based, solutions-focused research


A child writes at a desk in a classroom.

TRAINING
YRI provides research-aligned training for individuals who work in youth and family services in New York State


Two children work together to study a text.

COLLABORATION
YRI leverages the strength of its partners at the intersection of research and practice to make data-informed recommendations for systemic change


A child plays with a skill toy.

INNOVATION
YRI embraces a growth mindset that allows for failing forward to discover groundbreaking strategies for a changing landscape


A child reaches out a hand to lead the viewer.

LEADERSHIP
YRI is leading youth and family services innovation through research and collaboration


Children interact together in a classroom.

INCLUSION
YRI centers Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in its work and celebrates the values, beliefs, and identities of our staff, partners, and those we serve