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
New Report Shows Urgent Need to Provide Preschoolers with Disabilities with Mandated Services
01.20.2022 | Today, Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) released a new report, Not Yet for All: How the Next Administration Can Make Preschool Truly Universal, showing that preschool students with disabilities are being underserved by 3-K and Pre-K for All and are being denied access to special education programs and services to which they... Continue reading
Advocates for Children of New York, Legal Aid Commend the NYC Department of Education for Announcing New Team to Serve Children
12.20.2021 | Advocates for Children of New York and The Legal Aid Society commend the recent announcement that the New York City Department of Education (DOE) is creating a team dedicated to serving the unique needs of students in foster care. This announcement comes after Advocates for Children and Legal Aid released a report this year... Continue reading
AFC Statement on Announcement of David Banks as Next Schools Chancellor
12.08.2021 | Today, Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the announcement of David Banks as the next schools Chancellor: We congratulate longtime school leader David Banks on being named the next Chancellor of the New York City public schools. He will take the... Continue reading
Reaching Every Reader: NYC Literacy Summit
December 2021 | On December 9th, as City leaders prepare for the transition to a new administration, Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), the NYC Department of Education, and the ARISE Coalition are jointly hosting a Literacy Summit to build a shared vision for universal literacy. Improving the quality of literacy instruction is a matter... Continue reading
AFC in the News
NYC nonprofit makes sure at-risk kids don’t fall through the cracks
01.17.2022 | PIX 11 | Advocates for Children of New York has spent five decades helping at-risk students in New York City get the education they deserve. The nonprofit has built a legacy of fighting for kids and families who otherwise might fall through the cracks. Watch video Continue reading
Gov. Hochul’s Calls to Fully Fund New York Schools, Pump Up Teacher Pipeline Praised — But More Details Wanted
01.14.2022 | The 74 | Randi Levine, policy director for Advocates for Children of New York, which works to improve education for low-income students, said Hochul’s priorities are in line with her own, especially as it relates to added funding. But she’d like to know more. “As is the case with a lot of these proposals, we are eager to see the... Continue reading
What Teachers Can Do to Help Struggling Readers Who Feel Ashamed
01.04.2022 | Education Week | Often, children who can’t reliably decode words continue to advance through school at a substandard level without receiving any evidence-based instruction, said Sarah Part, a policy analyst at the nonprofit Advocates for Children of New York, which offers legal and advocacy support for students from low-income... Continue reading
Advocates fear suspensions could add to pandemic pain for vulnerable students
01.02.2022 | NBC News | But several advocates for student civil rights locally and nationally say they’re receiving more calls this school year from parents concerned about discipline issues. Advocates for Children of New York, which helps students facing disciplinary action, reported 47 calls about student discipline so far this school year... Continue reading