The Children's Agenda was honored to receive the Center for Teen Empowerment's Youth-Adult Partnership Award at their annual luncheon on May 7th. 

Members of our staff, Board, and Very Invested Parents (VIP) group attended the event. We are grateful for the strong partnership our two organizations have.

Our mighty team organized an Advocacy Day bus trip to Albany for Solutions Not Suspensions. A total of 63 VIPs and youth leaders from the Center for Teen Empowerment participated, meeting with 10 of our local elected officials. The day included 51 legislative visits from our coalition and kicked off with a rally of approximately 250 people in the capitol building, hearing from 7 legislator-champions, RCSD Board Commissioner Isaiah Santiago, and Dr. Warren Spielberg, Director of the Center for the Study of Boys, Men and Masculinity.

The 2025-26 New York State budget contains some milestone wins for children and families – and some big misses. We are grateful that Governor Hochul and the State Legislature listened to the calls of advocates and took bold actions to boost economic security and health for New Yorkers. These gains could be threatened unless additional investments are made in areas missed this session.

Read or download a copy of our report today!

The State budget includes an additional $400 million to prevent Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) closures. This will address current and impending shortfalls in funding that have led to CCAP closures or waitlists in 15 counties and New York City, and we applaud this investment.

Local Impact: Monroe County will receive a $5.9 million increase in CCAP funding if it demonstrates sufficient need for the funding. 

We are deeply disappointed by the State’s lack of investment in the child care workforce, which is among the state’s lowest paid. The lack of continued funding means this critical workforce will see their pay decrease this year, which perpetuates the cycle of poor staff retention and child care closures.

Governor Hochul and the Legislature failed young children with developmental delays and disabilities again. The State made no new investments to shorten wait times for infants and toddlers in need of therapy and services and ignored the Early Intervention reform bill (A.283-A/S.1222) that would have begun to address the structural problems with the program. 

The State’s failure to act harms 65,000 infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities across New York each year. These children are eligible for – but not receiving – important Early Intervention services, which is a violation of federal law. 

Parents like Qutisha Britt, a single mom and TCA VIP, face significant challenges in meeting the basic needs of their children:

“Inflation and price gouging in supermarkets is making it impossible to feed our children consistent healthy meals. Not only are parents struggling with food insecurities, they also struggle to provide clothing, and safe, stable, and affordable housing which is putting a deeper strain and emotional instability on the well-being of the entire family. I am a single mother who experiences struggles making it through each month…”

Few efforts change the root causes of why children and families need services in the first place, and even fewer efforts improve all children’s lives, especially the most vulnerable, by working across systems for change. That’s where The Children’s Agenda comes in.

We do not accept government funding, so donor support is critical to our ability to help families in need. Your donation can make a real difference for children across New York state and their families. Every dollar counts and can make a significant impact on the lives of local children.

TCA works to improve all children's lives, especially the most vulnerable, but we cannot do that without your support.