NYC Children Is Hiring Special Officers and Youth Development Specialists: Info Sessions Oct. 26, Nov. 4 and Nov. 9

Editor's note (October 25, 2026): Updated with three new session dates, October 26, November 4 and November 9. The October 5 and 19 sessions have passed.

NEW YORK, NY — The city agency that runs New York's juvenile detention centers is recruiting in person this fall. NYC Children, the agency long known as the Administration for Children's Services, held hiring information sessions on October 5, 19 and 26 and November 4, and has two more scheduled: Monday, November 9, and Tuesday, November 17. Each covers two jobs: Special Officer and Youth Development Specialist. Bring the right paperwork and you leave prescreened.

Two more dates, two city jobs, one Lower Manhattan address. The October 5, 19 and 26 and November 4 sessions have passed; November 9 and November 17 are still ahead. Pick the half that matches the job, bring your diploma and transcripts, and arrive at check-in.

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📍 At a Glance

Event	Jobs NYC & NYC Children Hiring Information Sessions
Dates	Monday, November 9, and Tuesday, November 17, 2026 (October 5, 19 and 26 and November 4 have passed)
Time	9:30 AM – 3:30 PM, doors close at 2:30 PM
Location	2 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10007
Format	In person, two 90-minute sessions per day
Registration	Through the city's Eventbrite page, linked from each official listing
Roles	Special Officer (morning) and Youth Development Specialist (afternoon)

💼 The Jobs, and Which Session Is Yours

Each date is split in two, and you attend only one half. Check-in for the Special Officer session runs 9:30 to 10:00 AM. Special Officers handle security across the agency's offices and juvenile justice facilities: controlling access, screening visitors and responding to incidents.

Check-in for the Youth Development Specialist session runs 12:30 to 1:00 PM. This is the front-line job inside secure juvenile detention. Per the agency's recruiting page, YDS staff supervise young people in detention, cover classrooms, lead activities, escort youth through the day and serve as mentors. The two detention centers are Crossroads in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and Horizon in Mott Haven in the Bronx.

YDS is shift work, with day, evening and overnight tours, and most staff work weekends and holidays.

✅ What You Need to Walk In With

Prescreening depends on documents. Bring:

A valid photo ID
Two copies of an updated resume
Proof of education: your diploma or degree, plus an unofficial transcript
Transcripts from every school you attended, undergraduate and graduate
A foreign education evaluation, if your credentials come from outside the U.S.

Youth Development Specialist applicants get one extra instruction: your resume should state the age range of the young people you worked with directly in each job. Minimum qualifications start with a high school diploma plus experience working directly with youth or young adults roughly 10 to 24, in settings like detention, schools, counseling, mentoring or coaching. A college degree in a related field can substitute for some of that experience. Professional or business attire is recommended for both sessions.

Register through the city's official listing for November 9, which also links the November 17 session under its list of more Jobs NYC events. The November 4 session and the October 5, 19 and 26 sessions have passed. The agency's Youth Development Specialist page covers the role in more detail.

💵 What It Pays

Neither session listing publishes a salary. The figures we found for Youth Development Specialist come from different years and do not match, so we are not printing either one. Ask at check-in, and confirm the current range on the live city posting.

📢 Also at 2 Lafayette: Climate and Manufacturing, October 15

Different event, different day, different jobs. On Thursday, October 15, Jobs NYC ran a Climate and Manufacturing panel and hiring event in the same building, covering clean energy, advanced manufacturing and green construction. That event has passed.

🔎 Start Searching Before You Go

Youth work, security and public service jobs post across all five boroughs every week, and a backup application costs nothing.

Start here:

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where are the NYC Children hiring sessions?

The sessions still ahead are Monday, November 9, and Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 2 Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan; the October 5, 19 and 26 and November 4 sessions have passed. Special Officer check-in is 9:30 to 10:00 AM; Youth Development Specialist check-in is 12:30 to 1:00 PM. Doors close at 2:30 PM.

Do I have to register?

Yes. Register through the city's Eventbrite page for the date you want, linked from each official event listing.

What happens at the session?

A 90-minute information session with prescreening and qualification forms.

Where would I work as a Youth Development Specialist?

At one of the city's two secure juvenile detention centers: Crossroads in Brownsville, Brooklyn, or Horizon in Mott Haven, the Bronx.

Get Your Paperwork Together Now

November 9 is the next session, with November 17 after it. Use the time to gather every transcript. Meanwhile, create your free LocalJobPage profile to get New York alerts, and browse the Career Center for more paths into steady work.

Employers: hiring youth workers, security staff or case managers in the five boroughs? Post your openings on LocalJobPage New York.