CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY, THE, an American char itable organization located in New York city. The first Children's Aid Society in America was founded in 1853 by Charles Loring Brace, "to improve the condition of poor and destitute children in the City of New York and in the State of New York." Follow ing this children's aid societies have sprung up all over the country. As early as 1853, the society organized an industrial school for girls ; free noon lunches for poor school children ; the now famous newsboys' lodging house ; and began placing homeless children in private family homes in the country. Penny savings banks followed in 18S5; free reading rooms for boys in '59; a girls' lodging house, and mothers' meetings in '63 ; social centres in '68 ; the sick children's mission in co-operation with the New York Times in '72; a summer home for poor city children in '73 free kindergartens and circulating school libraries in '76. The first seaside sanitarium for mothers and sick infants was opened at Coney island in '84 ; and a fresh air cottage for crippled children was opened at Bath beach three years later. School gardens came in '94 ; special classes for truant and wayward boys in '97 and a free day school for crippled children in '98. What was probably the first free school dental clinic in America was established in 1906 ; roof playgrounds in 1909; and an open air class for anaemic children in 1911. More recent activities include an exhaustive programme of neighbourhood health development in congested slum sections. In 1923, the society undertook to place in private family homes, children whose own homes are temporarily sus pended because of some family crisis, such as illness, death, divorce and desertion.