Need Help?
Call AFC's Education Helpline
(866) 427-6033
Monday to Thursday
10 am to 4 pm
Donate Now
Help Advocates for Children support more New York City students!
Julian’s Story
Julian is a 3-year-old preschooler with delays in his language skills, but the DOE failed to provide recommended services.
Stay connected
Sign up for AFC's email updates and find other ways to take action.
-
12.22.2022 | Amsterdam News | Randi Levine, policy director for Advocates for Children of New York, said that based on the data, Black students disproportionately rank in high numbers in “school aged” special education classes compared to other races while simultaneously missing out on critical...
-
12.22.2022 | WRCR | Student advocates in New York are asking state education officials for alternate pathways to graduation. The group “Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma” has a petition signed by 12-hundred New Yorkers urging state leaders to separate Regents exams from graduation...
-
01.04.2023 | Chalkbeat NY | The Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma, a group that has pushed for changes to graduation requirements for more than a decade, compiled a 1,200-signature petition last month calling for the state to immediately remove Regents exams from diploma requirements....
-
01.12.2023 | Gothamist | “This crisis underscores the need for recruiting, training and retaining bilingual staff and opening more bilingual programs in schools serving a significant number of English language learners and newly arrived immigrant children,” said Rita Rodriguez-Engberg,...
-
Blog: NYC mayor’s proposed budget reduces education spending, but avoids controversial cuts to schools01.12.2023 | Gothamist | Advocates said they were glad to see that the financial plan did not include the enrollment-based cuts, but many worried about the scaled back of ambitions around 3K and other initiatives. “We are relieved that the city is not moving forward with certain planned cuts...
-
01.12.2023 | Today, Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the release of the City’s Fiscal Year 2024 preliminary budget: We are relieved that the City is not moving forward with certain planned cuts to school...
-
Turning 5 Webinar Series MaterialsStill have questions? Register for another one of our upcoming Turning 5 events.¿Aún tienes preguntas? Regístrese para otro de nuestros próximos eventos de Cumpliendo 5.Watch a video recording of 'Understanding the Kindergarten IEP' webinarSee slides from this...
-
Resource: Cumpliendo 5: Una Guía para la Transición de la Educación Especial del Preescolar a KínderOverview of the kindergarten placement process for students who need school-aged special education services. More detailed information on eligibility, referral, evaluations, Turning 5 IEP meeting, and kindergarten placement. Guide also includes information on what to do if placement is...
-
Early Childhood Education: Ages 0-5Returning 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...
-
This guide explains the kindergarten admissions process and answers frequently asked questions. Includes information for families of students with disabilities, ELLs, and students in temporary housing. (Spanish)
-
Resource: COVID Compensatory Services Fact SheetThis fact sheet reviews NYC DOE's compensatory services, which are additional specialized services to help students catch up to where they would have been if they had received appropriate special education services during any period of remote/hybrid learning.
-
12.20.2022 | Today, AFC is testifying before the New York City Council about the need to better support immigrant students and families amidst the recent influx of migrant families, including by increasing access to bilingual staff and programs, ensuring students get needed special education...
-
11.21.2022 | Gothamist | In prepared testimony, Janyll Canals with Advocates for Children of New York, said some kids entitled to bus service still don’t have it. “Just last week, we heard from a Spanish-speaking parent whose high school student with a disability has not yet attended school this...
-
11.21.2022 | Chalkbeat NY | The situation hasn’t improved this year. Despite help from Advocates for Children, a nonprofit group, Jalissa struggled to secure a bus at the beginning of the school year, even though the required paperwork was filed on time, according to her advocate. She took Deandre...
-
11.25.2022 | Gothamist | “To me this literacy advisory council is critical because it brings together expertise and diverse points of view [to] sustain support for the initiative going forward,” said Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children New York and a member of the council...
-
11.28.2022 | Documented | Nicole Wallach, a staff attorney with the Immigrant Students’ Rights Project at Advocates for Children, says that one school her organization spoke with has over 80 recently arrived migrant students. “Their needs are not purely academic,” Wallach said. “They need more...
-
11.28.2022 | Columbia News Service | Dawn Yuster, Director of the School Justice Project at Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), said that District 75 parents have reason to be suspicious, particularly when it comes to paraprofessionals in the classroom. “Every year, there are legal cases...
-
12.01.2022 | Brooklyn Paper | “We are pleased to see the Chancellor focusing attention on special education and taking the opportunity to hear and learn directly from those with experience in the system – former students, parents, advocates, educators, and other experts,” said Maggie Moroff, senior...
-
12.01.2022 | Chalkbeat NY | Still, some advocates and newly appointed council members say they’re looking forward to having an official voice in the education department’s planning for the future of special education. Maggie Moroff, the special education policy coordinator at Advocates for...
-
12.01.2022| NY Daily News | “If the city can achieve what it’s laying out today, and continue building on that, it’s going to be such a better world for our students with disabilities and their families,” said Maggie Moroff, senior special education policy coordinator at Advocates for Children, who...