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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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L.V. v. NYC Department of EducationIn the L.V. case, parents of children with disabilities claimed that they had received favorable orders in impartial hearings, but the New York City Department of Education (DOE) was not implementing the orders. The parents also claimed that the DOE did not have a...
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06.27.2023 | The New York Times | Dawn Yuster, the director of the School Justice Project at Advocates for Children, an education advocacy nonprofit, said she remained particularly worried over the administration’s proposed $5 million in cuts from a mental health initiative at about 50 high-need...
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06.27.2023 | Chalkbeat NY | “Five million will evaporate at the end of this week if the city doesn’t restore it in the final budget,” said Dawn Yuster, director of the School Justice Project at Advocates for Children. “They have already hired clinicians,” she added. “To rip them away from students...
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06.29.2023 | The Washington Post | Still, some city advocates say they aren’t sure the breathing program is the best way to treat mental health. Dawn Yuster, a director of the Advocates for Children of New York, said she worries schools will lean on the breathing program instead of applying more...
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06.29.2023 | Amsterdam News | AFC recently issued a brief for the public with three distinct demands directed at Adams’s new FY2024 budget: first, aiding the large influx of immigrants enrolled in school since last year: second, extending funding to Promise NYC, a government-subsidized childcare...
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07.07.2023 | Gothamist | “There is much more work to do but we appreciate the restoration of key programs that will allow students to continue receiving mental health services and for immigrant families to get information about their children’s schools at a time of growing need,” said Randi Levine...
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07.06.2023 | Public News Service | Rita Rodriguez-Engberg, director of the Immigrant Students Rights Project at Advocates for Children of New York, noted funds for outreach to immigrant families are also facing cuts, which she said could be detrimental for immigrant students and their families....
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Resource: How to Report Bullying at a School
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Resource: Guía de AFC Sobre la Sección 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. (SPANISH)
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This tip sheet is for parents of children learning English who believe their child may need special education services. In New York City public schools, children who receive services to help them learn English and who also need special education services have the right to receive both types of...
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Learn how to navigate NYCSA, the New York City Department of Education website application that lets you see and manage important information about your child’s education online.
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Students with DisabilitiesClick on each student's name to read more.Abigail, a student with learning disabilities who needed help getting services during the pandemic.Adrian, a hardworking student who was stuggling with undiagnosed dyslexia.Angenis, a student with dyslexia who was a non-...
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May 2023 | Click on the links below to learn more about each of AFC's advocacy priorities [PDF] for the Fiscal Year 2024 City budget. At a time when New York City is receiving an increase in education funding from New York State and continues to have unspent federal COVID-19 relief...
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Page: Policy & InitiativesPolicyAdvocates for Children of New York (AFC) works to change education policy so that the public school system serves ALL children of New York City effectively. AFC’s attorneys and education specialists help thousands of families each year to resolve obstacles to their success in school....
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Page: Lillian's StoryLillian's StoryNext fall, Lillian will be heading to Hofstra University with a scholarship she obtained through a fund established for AFC clients. But when Lillian was in middle school, that seemed like a distant possibility. “Lillian was having a lot of problems,” her mother Maxine remembers. “I...
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06.20.2023 | NY Daily News | A half-dozen high school programs that offer intensive English classes are not expected to have the resources they need to help teenage immigrants learn the new language, according to a new analysis released Tuesday by Advocates for Children of New York. And...
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06.14.2023 | Caribbean Life | “High-quality early childhood education can be a game changer for children’s education and must be available to the children who need it most,” said Kim Sweet, executive director, Advocates for Children of New York. “Unfortunately, the city has been falling short...
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06.15.2023 | NY1 | “We're glad that the [Department of Education] has made progress this year in opening more preschool special education classes. But the job is not yet done. Right now, there are still more than 300 children waiting for seats in preschool special education classes,” said Randi...
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06.14.2023 | PIX 11 | New York City public schools are falling short when it comes to services for preschoolers with disabilities, new data shows. The nonprofit Advocates for Children of New York found that almost 10,000 children didn’t get the special services they are legally required to...
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06.20.2023 | City & State | The future of several key programs that have helped support immigrant students is at risk – a looming reality made all the more urgent by the arrival of thousands of asylum-seeking families who’ve leaned on subsidized child care and intensive English classes...