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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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01.19.2023 | Our newest tip sheet covers how to know whether your child needs behavior supports in the classroom; who to contact if your child is having behavioral, emotional, or mental health challenges at school; your rights as a parent of a student with a disability; and what your child's school...
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Students Facing Disciplinary IssuesAdvocates for Children of New York (AFC) has more than 45 years of experience assisting students who are being removed from school for disciplinary reasons. When a student is facing a school suspension or expulsion, AFC works to ensure the student’s rights are not...
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Frequently asked questions for families of students with behavioral, emotional, or mental health challenges at school, including who to contact; your rights as a parent of a student with a disability; and what your child's school is NOT allowed to do.
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Blog: NYC’s pre-K program will soon have seats for all children with disabilities who want one, mayor says12.13.2022 | Chalkbeat NY | The city has also committed to opening another 400 new seats by sometime this spring. “We plan to hold the administration accountable for delivering on that promise,” said Randi Levine, policy director for Advocates for Children, a nonprofit organization that...
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12.15.2022 | NYC News Service | “It’s a really unjust and inequitable system,” said Maggie Moroff, senior special-education policy coordinator at the nonprofit Advocates for Children of New York. “And the more resources the family has, the more likely they are to be able to navigate the system...
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12.16.2022 | BronxNet | On this edition of Today’s Verdict, attorney Juliet Eisenstein, Esq. from Advocates for Children of New York explains to us about eliminating Regents exams from graduation requirements, a practice which currently makes New York State an outlier in the US. Watch video
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Page: Trainings & WorkshopsTrainings & WorkshopsAdvocates for Children of New York conducts hundreds of trainings and workshops year-round, providing parents and professionals with the most up-to-date information so that they are equipped to advocate on behalf of their children. Previous WebinarsWatch all previous...
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Join AFC’s educational experts to learn more about how to get special education services for students with disabilities as they move from preschool to kindergarten.Families of children with disabilities born in 2018 will participate in two processes this year: the Kindergarten Admissions process...
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Acompañe a expertos en educación de AFC para aprender más acerca de cómo obtener servicios de educación especial para los estudiantes con discapacidades al pasar de prescolar al kínder.Las familias de niños con discapacidades nacidos en 2018 participarán de dos procesos este año: el proceso...
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Resource: Guide to Section 504This guide explains what Section 504 is, how it applies to children in public schools, and how to get Section 504 services or accommodations for your child.
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January 2023 call to action for policy makers to develop a plan to sustain key education initiatives that are funded by temporary federal COVID-19 relief, due to expire in October 2024.
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12.13.2022 I Gothamist | According to Advocates for Children of New York, while the de Blasio administration did provide preschool programming for students with disabilities, it was not enough. Hundreds of the city’s 3- and 4-year-olds have been unable to participate in the city’s free pre-K...
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12.13.2022 | NY Daily News | “We’ve heard from family after family with the same story,” said Randi Levine of Advocates for Children. “Their young child had autism or other complex disabilities and needed a seat in a preschool special-education class, but there was no seats available. Many of...
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12.13.2022 | NY1 | A shortage of seats left hundreds of students with disabilities without a spot in a special education classroom that could meet the needs listed on their Individualized Education Program, or IEP, according to annual data from the organization Advocates for Children. “At the...
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12.13.2022 | City & State | A report released in January by nonprofit Advocates for Children found that about 34% of preschool students identified for needing special education did not receive all their mandated services in the 2019-2020 school year. Students of color as well as children...
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12.19.2022 | The Washington Post | In recent years, a growing number of experts, advocates and parents have argued that educators are often too quick to blame poor reading outcomes on families, particularly low-income ones, overlooking schools’ complicity in perpetuating unequal access. “Blame...
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12.19.2022 | The Hechinger Report | In a May report pushing for stronger reading curricula in New York City schools, as well as an amped-up safety net for those who struggle, leaders of Advocates for Children of New York said that for too long it has been left up to families to ensure their...
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12.20.2022 | Public News Service | Juliet Eisenstein, senior staff attorney, Post Readiness Project, Advocates for Children of New York, described some of the options the state could consider for students to have, in lieu of Regents exams. "I think the most important thing is that students...
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12.20.2022 | Gothamist | “We have heard from parents whose children are placed in monolingual English classrooms… as well as students placed at schools that do not have needed bilingual staff,” said Diana Aragundi, senior staff attorney at Advocates for Children New York. She said schools also...
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12.22.2022 | Amsterdam News | The timing of the Promise NYC childcare program will certainly help newly arrived asylum seekers find stable housing and employment, but it’s been a long awaited change for many. “Before this announcement, children who were undocumented did not have access to...