Advocates for Children of New York works on behalf of children who are at greatest risk for school-based discrimination and/or academic failure due to poverty, disability, race, ethnicity, immigrant or English Language Learner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, homelessness, or involvement in the foster care or juvenile justice systems.
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Spotlight
AFC Submits Testimony on Early Intervention
02.14.2019 | AFC submitted testimony for the New York State Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2019-2020 Health Budget proposal, urging legislators to increase the reimbursement rate for Early Intervention providers to help ensure children can get their services in a timely manner. Read testimony [PDF] Read more
AFC’s Fiscal Year 2020 City Budget Priorities
02.11.2019 | Click on the links below to learn more about each of AFC's advocacy priorities for the FY 2020 City budget. Support for students who are homeless [PDF] In 2017-18, a record 114,659 New York City students were identified as homeless—a 66 percent increase since the 2010-11 school year. The final FY 19 budget included $13.... Read more
Preliminary Budget Would Cut Key Supports for Students who are Homeless
02.07.2019 | Today, Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) issued the following statement in response to the release of the City’s Fiscal Year 2020 Preliminary Budget:The Preliminary Budget released today by Mayor Bill de Blasio would eliminate funding for the Department of Education’s Bridging the Gap social workers for students living in... Read more
AFC Testifies on the 2019-2020 State Budget Proposal
02.06.2019 | AFC is testifying at the New York State Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2019-2020 Elementary and Secondary Education Budget proposal, urging legislators to increase investments in education initiatives such as positive approaches to discipline, preschool special education programs, prekindergarten, and support for Multilingual... Read more
AFC in the News
De Blasio unveils preliminary budget calling for cuts, few new initiatives
02.07.2019 | Chalkbeat New York | Once again, De Blasio’s preliminary budget doesn’t renew funding for 69 social workers who provide support services to homeless students living in shelters under the Bridging the Gap program. The funds for this program will expire by the end of this school year. In the past, de Blasio has excluded this pool of... Read more
NYC Payments to Special Education Providers Are Delayed Again
01.23.2019 | NY1 | The Department of Education acknowledges that there is, once again, a backlog of overdue payments for special education providers. In October, NY1 exposed how the office responsible for paying special education providers had amassed a staggering stockpile of unpaid invoices, many going back five, six, seven months. Therapists... Read more
A ‘gut punch’: Parents decry New York’s plan to upend special ed help centers and reduce staff
01.11.2019 | Chalkbeat New York | But with reduced staff and a revised mission, special education advocates are skeptical. They worry changes will actually make it harder for families to find quality advice, potentially leading to gaps in needed therapies or students’ education during crucial developmental years. “More young children are being... Read more
New York DREAM Act poised to pass before end of January
01.10.2019 | Chalkbeat New York | Immigration advocates, who have pushed for New York to pass such a law for years, welcome the bill. “Our students from immigrant families are facing fear and uncertainty in many aspects of their lives,” said Rita Rodriguez-Engberg, director of the Immigrant Students’ Rights Project for Advocates for Children of... Read more