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Julian’s Story
Julian is a 3-year-old preschooler with delays in his language skills, but the DOE failed to provide recommended services.
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Page: Policy AgendaPolicy AgendaAFC’s mission is to ensure a high-quality education for New York students who face barriers to academic success, focusing on students from low-income backgrounds. At a minimum, this education must allow all students to become literate, develop social-emotional competence, and...
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Page: Support Our WorkSupport Our WorkEvery child in New York City has a right to learn!For more than 50 years, AFC has protected that right for the children and youth most likely to fall through the cracks of our education system because of their poverty, race, disability, language barriers, homelessness, or...
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Older Students, Graduation Requirements, and Transitioning to AdulthoodReturning visitors to our resource library: If you have downloaded a publication before, we recommend clearing your browsing history before clicking the links below, to ensure you are viewing the most up-to-date versions....
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Blog: NY’s budget has $100M for academic and mental health programs. Schools still don’t have the money.02.24.2023 | Chalkbeat NY | “It is very disappointing that the money that was allocated for desperately needed services by children and adolescents is not getting to them,” said Dawn Yuster, director of the School Justice Project at Advocates for Children. “There is a lot of trauma, anxiety,...
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02.20.2023 | NY Daily News | “There are a lot of reasons why a child doesn’t want to go to school, and one of those is the feeling of hopelessness and anxiety of falling behind academically,” said Rita Rodriguez-Engberg, the director of the Immigrant Students’ Rights Project at Advocates for...
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02.08.2023 | NY Daily News | Meanwhile, than a dozen critical education initiatives are vulnerable to cutbacks or elimination after federal stimulus runs out and the city hits a so-called fiscal cliff, from preschool programs to social workers, according to a brief from Advocates for Children...
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Blog: Lawsuit on behalf of NYC students with disabilities who lost services during the pandemic goes ahead02.03.2023 | Chalkbeat NY | A class action lawsuit seeking to force New York City to expedite makeup services to students with disabilities has been revived by an appeals court, according to a ruling released Friday. The ruling reverses a lower court’s decision last year to dismiss the case....
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02.02.2023 | NY Daily News | “The numbers continue to tick up a little bit from year to year, but we’re still seeing broad disparities,” said Juliet Eisenstein, a staff attorney at Advocates for Children who sits on a state commission tasked with reviewing state graduation measures. Roughly...
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02.02.2023 | Chalkbeat NY | “Our guess is that the Regents exam waivers during the pandemic have disproportionately benefited students who most struggle with those exams,” said Sarah Part, a senior policy analyst at Advocates for Children. Still, she added that “it is noteworthy that we’ve seen...
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Page: LitigationImpact LitigationAdvocates for Children of New York’s impact litigation is a powerful tool in our efforts to improve education law and to change the systemic practices and policies we have identified within the New York City Department of Education (DOE) that violate state or federal law. Whether...
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Students with Disabilities and Special EducationReturning visitors to our resource library: If you have downloaded a publication before, we recommend clearing your browsing history before clicking the links below, to ensure you are viewing the most up-to-date versions. Note: Unless...
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This guide provides information on free/low-cost early childhood programs in New York City, including Pre-K for All, EarlyLearn NYC, and Head Start. (Spanish)
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Resource: Early Childhood Education Programs: A Guide to Public Education Programs for 3 and 4 Year OldsThis guide provides information on free/low-cost early childhood programs in New York City, including Pre-K for All, 3-K, EarlyLearn NYC, and Head Start.
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Z.Q. v. NYC Department of EducationIn the Z.Q. case, Advocates for Children of New York (“AFC”) and Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP filed a class action complaint in federal court against the New York City Department of Education (“DOE”) and New York State Education Department (“...
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02.08.2023 | AFC is testifying at the New York State Joint Legislative Hearing on the 2023-2024 Elementary and Secondary Education Budget proposal, supporting the historic increase in Foundation Aid and urging legislators to work with the Governor to modify the budget proposal including by...
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Page: Board of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsKimberley D. Harris, PresidentNBCUniversalHarriet Chan King, Secretary Paul D. Becker, Treasurer Eric F. Grossman, President EmeritusMorgan StanleyCarmita AlonsoFragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLPMatt BerkeMorgan StanleyMatt DarnallElement CapitalJessica A....
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01.31.2023 | amNY | Erika Palmer at AFC said that there is a renewed sense of hope that the new DOE team could identify and tackle systemic barriers preventing foster students from finishing their education successfully. Nevertheless, she said, improvements are needed. “This is a population of...
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Students Who Are Over-Age for their Grade LevelAdvocates for Children of New York (AFC) serves all New York City students from birth through age 26, including middle school and high school students who are over the typical age for their grade level or who are behind in credits.Individual Case...
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Resource: Arranging Transportation Services
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This fact sheet explains options for students who are struggling in middle school and high school and need a fresh start, including transfer schools, YABCs, and high school equivalency programs.