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.
Find out more here
Need Help?
Call AFC's Education Helpline
(866) 427-6033
Monday to Thursday
10 am to 4 pm
Donate Now
Help Advocates for Children assist more New York City students!
Sign up
Receive email updates or text alerts from AFC.
Spotlight
Advocates Call For a Coordinated Plan to Address the Urgent Educational Needs of Students Who Are Homeless
09.16.2020 | Today, Advocates for Children of New York joins 30 organizations in calling on Mayor de Blasio to address the urgent educational needs of students who are homeless as the school year begins. We are urging the City to develop a coordinated interagency plan and designate a point person to work across agencies to ensure that every... Continue reading
AFC Statement on Delay of School Reopening
09.01.2020 | Today, Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to Mayor de Blasio’s announcement delaying the first day of school: With so many unanswered questions about the reopening of school buildings, the City needs to use this additional time to develop robust... Continue reading
Advocates Call for a Restorative Reopening Plan for the 2020-2021 School Year
08.31.2020 | Today, Advocates for Children and Girls for Gender Equity (GGE) shared recommendations with Chancellor Carranza for a developing reopening plans are trauma-informed, culturally-responsive, grounded in restorative practices, and geared towards developing healing-centered school communities. The 2019-2020 school year presented historic... Continue reading
AFC Issues Essential Recommendations to Strengthen School Reopening Plan for NYC Students with Disabilities
08.18.2020 | Today, Advocates for Children of New York released a set of essential recommendations for New York City’s school reopening plan, urging the Department of Education (DOE) to ensure that students with disabilities have the support they need when schools reopen, whether they are learning in a school building or remotely. The closure... Continue reading
AFC in the News
The First Day of School Came and Went for NYC Special Needs Students Stranded Without a Nurse Required to Ride the Bus With Them
09.25.2020 | The 74 | Bus drivers are generally notified in advance about the needs of the children riding in their vehicles, explains Maggie Moroff, special education policy director at Advocates for Children of New York. If a bus driver finds a student alone at the curb, without the paraprofessional or nurse required by their Individualized... Continue reading
Some Homeless Children Are Still Struggling to Get Online for School
09.24.2020 | NY1 | Many shelters don't get good enough cell service for the DOE's devices to get online, advocates said."We now need the city to charge someone with looking at why the iPads are not working in certain city shelters and identifying the problem and fixing it because we don’t want students to miss out on anymore school this year... Continue reading
Many NYC Students Still Waiting for Devices to Get Online as Remote Learning Ramps Up
09.22.2020 | The CITY | Randi Levine, policy director at Advocates For Children, said her organization has spoken to families who are “doing their best” using cell phones with limited data plans. One child goes to a grandmother’s home for internet connection but cannot travel there every day. Her organization is still hearing from children... Continue reading
New York City postpones in-person classes 3 days before planned reopening
09.18.2020 | NBC Today Show | Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York speaks with the Today Show about the delay of the start of in-person classes for New York City public schools, and what this means for families and students. "Parents and families are supervising and instructing their children, whether they... Continue reading