Maria Javois still remembers the first case she was assigned to as a Children’s Aid social worker. It was her first job out of graduate school, and she was tasked with helping young people in foster care achieve permanency.

She was working with an elementary school student with autism, and he was about to celebrate a big milestone – graduation. But his parents had no plans to attend, so Maria and her coworkers decided to help her “tiny human” celebrate.

“A coworker and I went to Kohl’s and made sure that we purchased him a graduation outfit,” she said. “We got him the whole thing – a bow tie, a shirt, khakis, and boat shoes. We pressed it and made sure it looked nice the day before.”

Maria even drove to his house and escorted him to graduation.

“And even though it was only me, I screamed how a parent would,” she said. “Children like for you to show up, and even though I was not his family, he was happy that I had come.”

That was 10 years ago. Since then, Maria, a senior supervisor at our Staten Island Family Services Center, has helped many of her “tiny humans” achieve milestones like securing their first apartment, graduating from school, reuniting with family, or finalizing an adoption.

Her commitment to children and families comes as no surprise when you learn that many women in her family pursued helping professions. Her aunt is a social worker, while her mother and grandmother are nurses. This career seemed like a natural fit.

Maria ensures her clients are safe and thriving and that often means she shows up for them outside of her 9 to 5 job. Her dedication to her clients is appreciated, and she is often invited to family events. Just recently, she attended the name-day ceremony of her 2-year-old client.

This dedication extends to Maria’s team of three case planners. While she still has cases of her own, she also works to ensure her colleagues have all the support they need to do their work. Maria has stayed at Children’s Aid for a decade not only because she loves working with children and families on Staten Island, but because her staff is just as dedicated as she is.

“I believe that teamwork makes the dream work,” she said. “Every time you turn around, there’s always someone there to assist. Whether it’s, ‘I need a tissue,’ ‘Do you need a shoulder to cry on?’ or ‘Do you need me to go with you to the Bronx?’ Because of that camaraderie and teamwork, that’s kept me here.”

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