Passaic County CASA, Inc.

What Passaic County CASA, Inc. does

Passaic County CASA, Inc., legally registered as Child Focus, Inc. (EIN 20-8456398), is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 and headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, with a satellite office in Elizabeth. The organization recruits, trains, and supervises community volunteers who are sworn in by family court judges to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for abused and neglected children in foster care. In April 2024, the organization rebranded from CASA of Passaic and Union Counties to Child Focus, repositioning itself as an umbrella entity for three programs: CASA of Passaic and Union Counties (volunteer advocacy), NJ Safe Babies Court Team (infant-toddler mental health and child welfare navigation), and the Open Door Store (free clothing and essentials distribution for youth in foster care). The CASA program serves children in Passaic and Union counties; the Safe Babies program extends to Passaic, Hudson, and Essex counties.

The organization's service delivery is people- and process-driven rather than technology-driven. CASA volunteers complete 30 hours of pre-service training and are matched one-on-one with a child or sibling group, providing case monitoring, court reports, and educational advocacy that caseworkers managing 20+ cases cannot replicate. Case management runs on the Optima system; there is no proprietary technology platform, no AI tooling, and no mobile application. In FY2025, the organization served 414 children with 51 newly trained advocates, distributed more than 5,000 items through the Open Door Store, and logged over 2,000 volunteer hours supporting store operations.

The funding model is a diversified nonprofit mix: individual donations, corporate sponsorships (AAA, ADP, BAE Systems, Brookfield, Columbia Bank Foundation), event proceeds (Voices for Children Gala, Back-To-School Catalog, Stories in Color), and government grants including VOCA, OJJDP federal CASA funding, and HRSA Safe Babies funding. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees (Board President Aileen Martinez Carper, Vice President Nancy Barbary) and led by Executive Director Erica Fischer-Kaslander, who has 17 years of tenure. Geographic and programmatic expansion has been the dominant strategic theme since 2023, including the absorption of the former CASA of Union County and the creation of the Child Focus umbrella brand.

Name

Passaic County CASA, Inc.

Legal name

Child Focus, Inc.

Website

https://passaiccountycasa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Passaic County CASA, Inc., operating as Child Focus, is a New Jersey 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recruits and trains volunteer advocates to represent the best interests of children in foster care across Passaic, Union, Hudson, and Essex counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Advocacy Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Court appointed special advocacy
• Child welfare advocacy
• Foster care volunteer programs
• Nonprofit child services
• Volunteer advocate training

Headquarters

HQ city

Wayne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals supporting child welfare advocacy.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorships from corporations such as Sun Business Valuations, The Pamela and Craig Goldman Charitable Foundation, Corradino and Partners, LLC, and various supporter companies (ADP, BAE Systems, Brookfield, etc.) for events and general operations.
3. Grant Funding: Government and nonprofit grants including VOCA funding, federal CASA program funding through Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and HRSA funding for Safe Babies Court Team programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Recruits, screens, trains, and supervises community volunteers (Court Appointed Special Advocates) appointed by family court judges to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in foster care. Operates as an umbrella organization connecting three programs: CASA advocacy (Passaic and Union counties), the NJ Safe Babies Court Team (Passaic, Hudson, Essex counties), and the Open Door Store (free clothing/essentials for youth in foster care).

Product overview

Child Focus (formerly CASA of Passaic and Union Counties) operates as an umbrella organization with three distinct but complementary programs: CASA of Passaic and Union Counties provides trained volunteer advocates appointed by family court judges to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children; the NJ Safe Babies Court Team supports infants and toddlers in foster care across three counties with cross-trained teams prioritizing early childhood development; and the Open Door Store provides free clothing and essentials to youth in foster care at two locations. The organization serves children in Passaic and Union counties through its advocacy programs and extends support to Hudson and Essex counties through its Safe Babies program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CASA of Passaic and Union Counties

Quantifiable outcome

• Children with CASA volunteers experience significantly higher academic success, positive social relationships, and overall well-being
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National CASA/GAL AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational CASA/GAL Association is the national organization that provides standards, training frameworks, and support for local CASA programs. The expansion to Union County was done in collaboration with National CASA, CASA of NJ, and the NJ Administrative Office of the Courts. The local program operates under national CASA standards and guidelines.
• CASA of New JerseycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level CASA organization that collaborated on the expansion of Passaic County CASA into Union County following the dissolution of the former CASA of Union County. Provides training resources including CASA College virtual training classes.
• NJ Administrative Office of the CourtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with National CASA and CASA of NJ in determining the expansion structure for Union County. Family court judges administer the oath to new CASA volunteers at swearing-in ceremonies and rely on CASA reports for case decisions.
• Union County Bar AssociationminorOthersContributed donations for family fun-themed gift baskets presented to families finalizing adoptions at Union County Adoption Day.
• David Brearley Bears That Care ProgramminorOthersStudent organization that donated items for gift baskets given to families at Union County Adoption Day.
• Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy A Cappella ChoirminorOthers30 high school students from Elizabeth performed at Union County Adoption Day festivities.
• Sun Business ValuationsminorOthersHERO SPONSOR for Voices for Children Gala 2026. Major corporate sponsor of the annual fundraising event.
• Corradino and Partners, LLCminorOthersENTERTAINMENT SPONSOR for Voices for Children Gala 2026.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Childhelp: National nonprofit focused on child abuse prevention, treatment, and advocacy. Adjacent in mission around foster/abused children but operates broader programs (hotline, residential treatment) rather than CASA-style volunteer advocacy.
• CASA of Los Angeles: One of the largest CASA programs in the country serving LA County. Comparable in mission and structure but operates at significantly greater scale, with a more developed fundraising apparatus and broader program portfolio.
• National CASA/GAL Association: National umbrella organization for state and local CASA programs, setting training standards and supporting affiliates like Passaic County CASA. Directly comparable as the parent/coordination body for Court Appointed Special Advocate programs nationwide.

Direct peers

• CASA of Travis County: Texas-based CASA affiliate providing court-appointed volunteer advocates for foster children in Travis County. Direct peer with similar county-level operational scope and volunteer-led advocacy model.
• CASA of New Jersey: State-level CASA coordination organization that collaborated on Passaic County CASA's expansion into Union County and provides training resources (CASA College). Operates as a direct peer at the state-level coordination tier.
• Voices for Children (San Diego CASA): Large, established CASA program serving San Diego County foster children with trained volunteer advocates. Directly comparable in mission, volunteer-driven advocacy model, and court-appointed advocacy structure.
• CASA of Morris and Sussex Counties: Neighboring New Jersey CASA affiliate (one of the Training Coordinator's prior affiliations). Operates with same state standards, training frameworks, and volunteer court-appointment model in adjacent NJ counties.
• CASA of Philadelphia: Philadelphia-area CASA program providing court-appointed volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children. Direct peer with similar urban/county service footprint and volunteer recruitment model.

Regional players

• Children & Families First (Delaware): Regional child welfare nonprofit providing advocacy, foster care support, and family services in Delaware. Comparable as a regional child welfare nonprofit with similar mission focus on vulnerable children and foster care, though not specifically CASA-program based.
• Court Appointed Special Advocates of the Heartland: Mid-size CASA affiliate serving Kansas/Missouri region with comparable volunteer court-appointment model. Comparable in mid-sized affiliate scale and operational structure, though geographically distinct.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/casapassaicunion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Passaic County CASA, Inc.