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.
Find out more here
Need Help?
Call AFC's Education Helpline
(866) 427-6033
Monday to Thursday
10 am to 4 pm
Donate Now
Help Advocates for Children assist more New York City students!
Sign up
Receive email updates or text alerts from AFC.
Spotlight
AFC Executive Director Kim Sweet Recognized as One of the 100 Most Powerful Education Leaders in New York
02.16.2020 | City & State magazine recognized Kim Sweet, AFC's Executive Director, as one of the 100 most powerful education leaders in New York. Kim has made a career out of bringing parents and policymakers together to make New York City a safer, more nurturing place for students with disabilities. She spearheaded special education advocacy... Continue reading
AFC Testifies on the 2020-2021 State Education Budget Proposal
02.11.2020 | Today, AFC is testifying at the New York State Joint Legislative Hearing on the 2020-2021 Elementary and Secondary Education Budget proposal, urging legislators to fully fund Foundation Aid; increase investments in targeted areas such as preschool special education programs, support for Multilingual Learners, and positive approaches... Continue reading
New Analysis Shows NYC Is Short 1,000+ Preschool Special Education Class Seats for Spring 2020
01.30.2020 | Today, Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) released a new report, Waiting for a Seat: The Shortage of Preschool Special Education Class Seats in New York City, showing a projected shortfall of between 1,028 and 1,932 preschool special education class seats for three- and four-year-old children with disabilities in New York City... Continue reading
Disparities in Graduation Rates Show the Need to Rethink Graduation Requirements
01.16.2020 | Today, Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the New York State Education Department (NYSED)’s release of high school graduation rates for the 2015 cohort: While we are pleased that graduation rates continue to trend in the right direction, the... Continue reading
AFC in the News
Immigrant advocates press city schools to fund program for newly arrived students
02.19.2020 | Politico NY | The New York Immigration Coalition Education Collaborative, which includes the groups Advocates for Children of New York and the Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project, is pushing the Department of Education to develop a $6 million pilot program that would create classrooms citywide to cater to the needs of older, newcomer... Continue reading
Thousands of NYC immigrant youth didn’t enroll in school. Advocates want to fix that.
02.19.2020 | Chalkbeat NY | From 2013-2017, 4,200 newly arrived older immigrant students — ranging in age from 14 to 21 — were not enrolled in school, according to U.S. Census Bureau data analyzed by Migration Policy Institute, in response to a request from the New York Immigration Coalition. The immigrant advocacy group defined “newly arrived” as... Continue reading
Class Action Suit Takes Aim at Special Education Delays
02.13.2020 | NY1 | Advocates say the hearing process is rife with delays."I hope it helps. We have a number of clients who have been waiting for months, sometimes a year, to get a hearing and get their due process so that their children can get the services that they need," Rebecca Shore, director of litigation for Advocates for Children, said.... Continue reading
High percentage of college students face hunger, report says
02.12.2020 | SI Live | A report from October identified more than 2,500 Staten Island students in elementary, middle and high schools who are, or have been, homeless. The New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students, a project of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), released the data of students who... Continue reading