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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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Blog: Live Updates on COVID-19As we continue to monitor the evolving public health situation regarding COVID-19, we will update this page with more information for families about NYC public schools.A note about AFC's services: In response to the public health emergency resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, Advocates for...
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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...
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03.24.2021 | Gothamist | The nonprofit Advocates for Children said there are not enough slots for students with disabilities, who require smaller classes with a special education teacher. They estimate a shortage of 1,000 to 2,000 seats for special education pre-school classes, plus hundreds more...
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03.24.2021 | Chalkbeat New York | “We have heard from families desperate for help because their children with autism or other complex disabilities were going without appropriate services because there were no available seats in the type of class they needed,” the nonprofit Advocates for Children...
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03.23.2021 | Forbes | "This is the fifth consecutive year that the number of New York City students experiencing homelessness has topped 100,000, a number that's steadily increased by more than 70% over the last decade," said Janyll Canals-Kernizan from Advocates for Children, which works to ensure...
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03.23.2021 | Today, AFC is testifying before the City Council Committee on Education on the preliminary budget, outlining our priorities for an ambitious education initiative to direct the largest one-time federal investment in education in our nation’s history. Read our testimony
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03.19.2021 | City Limits | Ashley Grant, a director with Advocates for Children of New York, says they are particularly concerned about the impact of the pandemic on the city’s students of color, as well as English Language Learners (ELLs) and students with disabilities — groups disproportionately...
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Page: Career OpportunitiesCareer OpportunitiesMake a positive impact on the lives of New York City children and join our team of committed professionals at Advocates for Children of New York (AFC). AFC is an affirmative action employer that actively seeks a diverse staff and especially encourages applications from a...
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General School RightsReturning visitors to our resource library: If you have downloaded a publication before, we recommend clearing your browsing history before clicking the links below, to ensure you are viewing the most up-to-date versions. Note: Unless otherwise noted, all...
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03.16.2021 | The Hechinger Report | But after the pandemic hit, many routes to help were cut off. A study by the nonprofit Advocates for Children of New York found that in New York City alone, there was an 82 percent decline in referrals to early intervention services during a four-week period...
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Students Attending Charter SchoolsAdvocates for Children of New York serves all New York City students from birth through age 26, including students in charter schools. As charter schools differ from community schools in terms of accountability structures and applicable laws, we started an...
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Students with Disabilities and Special EducationReturning visitors to our resource library: If you have downloaded a publication before, we recommend clearing your browsing history before clicking the links below, to ensure you are viewing the most up-to-date versions. Note: Unless...
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03.15.2021 | Gothamist | Some students are simply overwhelmed trying to work multiple jobs and keep up with school. Attorney Ashley Grant from the nonprofit Advocates for Children said that is the case for many older students who attend transfer high schools. She said her organization is...
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03.11.2021 | Spectrum News Albany | "For those older students, the pandemic has been particularly rough. Many young people have lost family members, students are working much more to bring income into their homes. And so, we're very worried about students who are in their very last year of school...
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03.10.2021 | The 74 | The city is home to at least 111,000 children without stable housing, according to a December analysis published by Advocates for Children. That’s about 1 in 10 youth enrolled in the city’s public or charter schools — more than the population of Albany. Many of these...
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Coalition Activities and Public Comments2021250+ Organizations & Individuals Urge NYS to Protect Graduation Opportunities for Students Turning 21 During COVID-19In March, Coalition members joined more than 100 education and advocacy organizations and over 150 parents, educators, and other...
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03.09.2021 | The 74 | In November, the nonprofit Advocates for Children filed a federal class action lawsuit against the city on behalf of students with special needs who they say have missed legally mandated services during virtual learning. Fortunately for Hamza and Sumaya, their mother Merieme...
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03.03.2021 | Uptown Radio | One of the bills introduced last month in the City Council seeks to shift safety agents from the NYPD to the Department of Education. Another establishes new procedures for police responding to students in crisis. It would also require more training in de-escalation and...
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03.09.2021 | CBS New York | With that directive set to expire this year, more than 100 advocates signed a letter asking state leaders for another extension. “We know that anytime a barrier comes up for a student, they’re less likely to finish their high school diploma,” said Ashley Grant, with...
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Z.Q. v. NYC Department of EducationIn the Z.Q. case, Advocates for Children of New York (“AFC”) and Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP filed a class action complaint in federal court against the New York City Department of Education (“DOE”) and New York State Education Department (“...