The New York State and City Department of Health is actively monitoring nationwide infant formula shortages.

Many formulas are out of stock. In an effort to meet current demand, many stores are limiting the amount of formula customers can purchase at one time. It is important that families don't hoard formula, which will further impact the supply chain and other families in their community.

For families struggling to find the formula they need for their baby, the Department recommends the following:

Do:

• Reach out to your health care provider for guidance.
• Follow the formula manufacturer’s preparation and storage instructions.
• Find a Women, Infants and Children (WIC) store that may have formula in stock.
• Visit smaller stores and drugstores that carry formula. Call first to see if they have formula in stock.

Do not:

• Do not make your own formula at home using recipes from the internet.
• Do not water down formula to make it last longer
• Do not use formula for toddlers if your baby is younger than 1 year old.
• Do not use cow’s milk unless your baby is older than 6 months and uses regular formula.
• Do not buy formula online from people you don't know on social media sites, online auctions, or overseas.

Learn about resources for New York families during nationwide infant formula shortages.

Get contact information for your local WIC office.

To report a business overcharging for infant formula, visit the Overcharge page.

Through the City's Littlest New Yorkers initiative, parents, and those planning to become parents, can be referred to parenting support services.

These services include:

• Nurse Family Partnership
• Newborn Home Visiting Program 
• Early Intervention 
• Parent Support Groups

A parenting resource specialist will help guide parents to resources in the city that include but are not limited to:

• Immigrant Services
• SNAP (Food Stamps)
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program

You can get information about healthy parenting. 

Topics covered include how to:

• Enjoy your child
• Teach your child to listen
• Discipline your child
• Comfort your crying baby
• Get more help

You can get a copy of this Health Bulletin in English, Spanish, or Chinese.

Online

Download the Healthy Parenting bulletin in:

• English
• Spanish
• Chinese

By Mail

If you live in Central Brooklyn, you may qualify for free doula services with Healthy Start Brooklyn's "By My Side Birth Support Program." Doulas are trained childbirth assistants that support women and their partners before, during, and after birth.

Healthy Start Brooklyn provides education and support for:

• Pregnancy
• Childbirth
• Parenting
• Breastfeeding 
• Healthy living 

This special program focuses on central and eastern Brooklyn, specifically, the neighborhoods of: 

• Brownsville
• East New York
• Bedford-Stuyvesant 
• Bushwick

If you live in other areas of Brooklyn or other boroughs, you can contact organizations that provide free doula services through the Healthy Women, Healthy Futures program.

Learn more about free doula services in New York City.

Fathers can get help reconnecting with their children and developing parenting skills. 

Programs sponsored by the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) are for:

• Young fathers, ages 16 to 24
• Older fathers, over the age of 24
• Ex-offenders, fathers who have served time in jail

Services include:

• Individual and family counseling 
• Conflict resolution training 
• Parenting skill classes 
• Assistance with issues of child support and arranging child visitation 
• Peer counseling and father-to-father mentoring 
• GED and English as Second Language classes or referrals 
• Employment counseling and referrals 
• College preparation

Fatherhood services sponsored by DYCD are free.

Learn more about DYCD's fatherhood initiative.

Referrals for Fathers Ages 16 to 24    

Bronx

Visiting Nurse Service of New York
389-391 East 153rd Street (between Courtlandt and Melrose Avenues)
(212) 794-9200
Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 8 PM

Visiting Nurse Service of New York
489-492 East 153rd Street (between 3rd and Bergen Avenues)
(800) 675-0391
Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 8 PM

Brooklyn

Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services
200 Gold Street (between BQE Eastbound Entrance to Sands Street and Concord Street)
(718) 722-6000
Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM

Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services
52 Wilson Avenue (between Melrose and Jefferson Streets)
(718) 628-1905
Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM

Manhattan

Union Settlement Association
1775 3rd Avenue (between East 98th and 99th Streets)
(212) 828-6000
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM

Queens

Forestdale
159-17 Hillside Avenue (between Parsons Boulevard and 160th Street)
Forest Hills
(718) 263-0740
Appointments required

Referrals for Fathers Over Age 24

Bronx

Claremont Neighborhood Centers
489 East 169th Street (between Washington and 3rd Avenues)
(718) 588-1000
Monday to Friday, 11 AM to 7 PM

Friends of Island Academy
2910-2972 Bronx Park East (between Arnow and Adee Avenues)
(718) 653-5301
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 8 PM

Brooklyn

Coalition for Hispanic Family Services
315 Wyckoff Avenue, 4th Floor (between Linden Street and Gates Avenue)
(718) 497-6090
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 8 PM

Manhattan

East Harlem Employment Services
240 East 123rd Street, 3rd Floor (between 3rd and 2nd Avenues)
(212) 360-1100
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 8 PM

Fund for the City of New York / Center for Court Innovation
314 West 54th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
(646) 264-1344
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 8:15 PM

Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT)
350 Broadway, Suite 400 (between Leonard and Franklin Streets)
(646) 613-9633
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 7 PM

New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
161 William Street, 9th Floor (between Ann and Beekman Streets)
(212) 233-5500
7 days a week, 9 AM to 8 PM

Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership
127 West 127th, #2C (between Lenox and 7th Avenues)
(212) 665-2600
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM

Queens

Forestdale
67-35 112 Street (between 67th Road and 67th Drive)
Forest Hills
(718) 263-0740
Appointments required

Forestdale
114-02 Guy Brewer Boulevard (between Linden Boulevard and 115th Avenue)
Jamaica
(718) 263-0740
Appointments required

Referrals for Ex-Offenders

Manhattan

Friends of Island Academy
330 West 38th Street, 3rd Floor (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
(212) 760-0755
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM

Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem
317 Lenox Avenue, 10th Floor (between West 125th and 126th Streets)
(212) 876-5500
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM

Queens

The Fortune Society
29-76 Northern Boulevard (between 41st Avenue and 40th Road)
Long Island City
(212) 691-7554
Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM

NYC DADS helps you meet the financial and emotional responsibilities of fatherhood in positive and meaningful ways.

NYC DADS hosts free events throughout the five boroughs to help dads with limited financial resources spend quality time with their children.

Online

Learn more about NYC DADS and agencies that serve fathers and families.

By Phone

The CUNY Fatherhood Academy is a free program designed to promote responsible parenting and foster economic stability for unemployed and underemployed young fathers ages 18 to 25. The program focuses on education, employment and personal development. 

Participants take part in:

• Parenting workshops
• GED high school equivalency test preparation courses
• College exploration and enrollment support services
• Job readiness services

The program is available at 3 CUNY community college campuses:

• Hostos Community College (Bronx) 
• Kingsborough Community College (Brooklyn) 
• LaGuardia Community College (Queens) 

The program offers two separate tracks occurring at two different times. You can contact the school for additional information.

Eligibility Requirements and Contact Information

All applicants must be:

• Residents of NYC
• 18 to 25 years old
• A father or expectant father

To qualify for GED preparation, applicants should not already have a High School Equivalency or General Education Diploma. To qualify for the college preparation program, applicants cannot currently be enrolled in college. Applicants who already have up to 12 college credits may qualify.  

Contact the school for additional information:

• Hostos Community College:  (718) 319-7931
• Kingsborough Community College:  (718) 368-6523
• LaGuardia Community College:  (718) 730-7337

The Early Childhood Mental Health Network provides mental health support for young children and their families, helping to address challenges early. Mental health professionals consult with early childhood programs partnered with the Department of Education (DOE) to address program, classroom, and child-level challenges in order to strengthen the capacity of teachers and caregivers to support children.

Seven early childhood therapeutic centers, open to all New York residents, located throughout the City offer specialized mental health treatment for children from birth to age five and their families, as well as access to family peer advocates and connection to ongoing support.

Additionally, mental health professionals are able to receive specialized training in evidence-based practices and early childhood development through the Early Childhood Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance Center in order to increase the capacity and competencies of professionals working to identify and address the mental health needs of young children.

Services Provided

Individual and family counseling that utilizes evidence-based approaches for clients with trauma, including:

• Play therapy and Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)
• Parent groups
• Assessments and screenings
• Staff and teacher training 

You can contact a clinic in your borough:

Bronx North

The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services 
(844) 663-2255

Bronx South

Association to Benefit Children
(929) 288-4320

Manhattan

Northside Center for Child Development
(212) 426-3400

Queens

The Child Center of New York
(718) 530-6892

Brooklyn Central and South

OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services
(800) 603-6435

Brooklyn North and East

The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services 
(844) 663-2255

Staten Island

Staten Island Mental Health Society
(718) 448-9775 ext. 551