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
AFC’s Fiscal Year 2022 City Budget Priorities
Spring 2021 | On March 23, 2021, we testified [PDF] before the City Council Committee on Education on the preliminary budget, outlining our prorities for an ambitious education initiative to direct the largest one-time federal investment in education in our nation’s history. Click on the links below to learn more about each of AFC's advocacy... Continue reading
AFC Statement on Summer Rising
04.13.2021 | Today, Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the City’s announcement of summer programming for 2021:We are pleased that the City is moving forward with an expanded version of summer school that will integrate academic and social-emotional support and be... Continue reading
100 Organizations Urge Mayor de Blasio to Meet the Need for Preschool Special Education Classes
04.12.2021 | Today, more than 100 organizations sent a letter to Mayor de Blasio making the point that 3-K and Pre-K will never be “for all” until the City addresses the continuing shortage of seats in preschool special education classes—a shortage that has left young children with disabilities who have a legal right to such a class sitting at... Continue reading
3-K Cannot Be "For All" While Preschoolers with Disabilities Go Without Needed Classes
03.24.2021 | Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) issued the following response to Mayor de Blasio’s announcement that New York City plans to use federal COVID-19 education relief funding to expand 3-K citywide: While AFC has strongly supported this Administration’s commitment to expanding access to early childhood education, 3-K and Pre-... Continue reading
AFC in the News
Advocates Sign Letter To Mayor De Blasio Demanding More Preschool Seats For Special Needs Students
04.12.2021 | CBS New York | Monday, a coalition of 100 organizations, including Advocates for Children, sent a letter to the mayor demanding federal funding be used to provide every special needs child access to a preschool class. “These are families of children who have a legal right to attend a preschool special class program,” said Betty... Continue reading
Court: New York City Must Give All Homeless Shelters Wi-Fi
04.12.2021 | Juvenile Justice Information Exchange | Despite progress in getting Wi-Fi in homeless shelters, many students remain disconnected from remote classrooms for several other, sometimes, unclear reasons, said Jennifer Pringle, director of the New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students. She said most... Continue reading
AFC Policy Director Randi Levine on NY1's In Focus with Cheryl Wills
04.11.2021 | In Focus on NY1 | Randi Levine joined In Focus to talk about her organization has come up with a comprehensive COVID education recovery plan for the current mayor and his successor to adopt that includes hiring a core of professionals to bolster the areas of academics, social, emotional and engagement and outreach; creating an... Continue reading
State budget to bring a long-awaited windfall for NYC schools
04.06.2021 | NY Daily News | Randi Levine, the policy director of Advocates for Children, said that with the influx of state and federal cash, the city should “fund a major education initiative” that includes academic support and mental health support with extra attention to students hit hardest by the pandemic. City officials have invested... Continue reading