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 2024 City Budget Priorities
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 funding, schools should receive additional... Continue reading
New Analysis Shows Nearly 10,000 Preschoolers with Disabilities Did Not Receive Mandated Special Education Services
06.06.2023 | Today, Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) released a new data analysis, Falling Short: NYC’s Failure to Provide Mandated Services for Preschoolers with Disabilities, showing that 37% of all preschoolers with disabilities—a total 9,800 children—went the entire 2021–22 school year without receiving at least one of the types of... Continue reading
AFC Testifies on the FY24 Executive Budget
05.24.2023 | Today, AFC is testifying before the New York City Council Committee on Finance regarding the FY24 Executive Budget, speaking out against proposed budget cuts. In particular, three programs included as priorities in the City Council’s response to the preliminary budget are on the chopping block, with funding that will expire in June... Continue reading
AFC Issues Statement in Response to NYC Literacy Instruction Announcement
05.09.2023 | Today, Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the Chancellor’s announced changes to literacy instruction in New York City Public Schools: Parents count on schools to teach their children how to read, but New York City’s approach to literacy... Continue reading
AFC in the News
The Parents Who Fight the City for a “Free Appropriate Public Education”
05.11.2023 | The New Yorker | Many—perhaps most—due-process claims circle around this fiscal void. Rebecca Shore, of Advocates for Children, told me, “It shouldn’t be a matter of, ‘Well, we have no providers, so we can’t provide this service.’ It should be, ‘There are no providers—what are the reasons for that, and how do we come up with a... Continue reading
Department of Education budget is set to shrink by nearly $1B under Mayor's proposal
04.28.2023 | Gothamist | Advocates have called for reinvesting any savings the administration has found back into the schools. “We are concerned that the mayor is proposing to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from our City’s schools at a time when there are so many unmet needs,” said Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children... Continue reading
Adams’ contention that proposed NYC education spending cuts won’t be felt in schools draws fire
04.27.2023 | NY Daily News | “This budget fails to make the investments our students need and threatens the success of several key education initiatives that are just getting off the ground,” said Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children. “With the recent increase in the number of newly arrived immigrant families, as well as... Continue reading
NYC’s education budget could drop by $960M next year under mayor’s proposal
04.26.2023 | Chalkbeat NY | The mayor’s budget received a mixed reception from advocates, union officials, and budget experts. Kim Sweet, executive director at the nonprofit Advocates for Children, praised the funding for shelter coordinators, but raised alarms about broader spending cuts — including to a program that provides extra mental health... Continue reading