New York State’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council held a public hearing on Aug. 4 to present their anti-poverty efforts and to hear experiences and suggestions from New Yorkers. Barbara Guinn, commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, said the purpose of the hearings is…

Several teachers, students and concerned community members gathered outside Rochester City Hall on April 27 in protest of the Rochester City School District's proposed budget. The demonstration, organized by The Children's Agenda, Citizen Action of NY and Vocal NY, was held ahead of the budget hearing for the proposed budget…

Larry Marx, CEO of the Children's Agenda, said they need the federal government to recognize that childcare is a public good. "It's essential to the American way of life as public education and transportation. 90% of brain development happens before children reach kindergarten and children rely on safe and supportive…

The Children’s Agenda considers limiting the use of smartphones during school time a worthy goal, one which will be especially helpful curtailing bullying and improving academics particularly for low-income students.

A delegation of local elected officials and organizations, such as The Children’s Agenda and Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI), are pledging their support for a series of recommendations from the state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC) that would help reduce child poverty in Rochester area and across the state.

Stable, safe housing is critical for kids' mental, physical and social well-being. National studies have found that frequent moves and the inherited stress of not knowing how long you'll stay in your home or school hit children hard. Instability and poor housing conditions can increase kids' likelihood of developing anything…

A new report by The Children’s Agenda, EdTrust-NY, and Raising New York outlines strategies for New York State to enhance families’ economic well-being, ultimately benefiting children and communities. The report recommends making public benefits programs more accessible to eligible families.

'Devastating' housing instability in Rochester with almost 38% of students moving or changing schools over two years.

Data show that suspensions are linked to increased negative attitudes towards school, lower math and reading scores, higher dropout rates, and most troublingly, higher likelihood of incarceration.

Despite a stated interest in moving away from harsh disciplinary practices, local schools continue to suspend students at high and unequal rates, according to a report released Thursday by The Children's Agenda.

The Children's Agenda released a preliminary budget analysis Wednesday outlining many of those commonly cited concerns about the current proposal.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last week signed legislation to increase funding for Early Intervention services for young children with developmental delays and also pledged a major funding increase for specialized schools serving children with disabilities.

A bill setting the goal of halving child poverty in New York within a decade has passed the Legislature and now goes to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his signature.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer visited Rochester on Wednesday, enumerating the bounty of recent federal stimulus funding and promising even further spending in President Joe Biden's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure bill.

RCSD is in line for about $87 million from the COVID-19 relief bill that Congress passed in December. The more recent bill signed into law this month will provide an even bigger chunk of money, in the neighborhood of $200 million.

The city school district's Parent Leadership Advisory Council (PLAC) officially re-launched last week after about a year of preparation from a dedicated team of parents, caregivers and the RCSD Office of Parent Engagement.

In January 2021, a nine-year-old girl in our community was handcuffed and pepper sprayed by police. As a community that cares for children and sees their fundamental humanity, we must ask how we got to this point, where children of color are viewed as a threat, restrained and assaulted by the…

The children and families of Rochester City Schools deserve the right to choose an in-person learning option based on the reopening plan that has been presented and approved by the school board. To remove this option is synonymous with restricting one the right to vote in a democratic government.

We applaud New York’s own Chuck Schumer for understanding “the fierce urgency of now” in fighting for the needs of low-income families with children. The pandemic has caused some economic hardships, worsened others, but for the most part it has only exposed what has been with us all along.

In her role as family and community engagement specialist, Moyo-White continues to serve and work with PECAN, the first organization she joined in the city. She makes sure to point out that, even in this new capacity, she is not PECAN’s leader.

The Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation announced this week the creation of a two-year Rochester Education Fellowship, the latest reform-oriented effort to fix what ails the city's schools.

The state monitor for the Rochester City School District is recommending a significant reduction in teachers in city schools and a more disciplined approach to labor relations, according to draft academic and fiscal plans released Tuesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the issue with rising unemployment. The virus has hit poor, non-white communities the hardest. An additional 10,000 children in Monroe County, and 325,000 across New York, fell into poverty between March and July, according to research from the United Hospital Fund.

The Rochester City School District has a budget shortfall of either $117 million or $199 million — or far less, depending on one's definition of "deficit," or far more, depending on state aid projections.

Equity means ensuring additional supports for the students falling the farthest behind. One positive trend in reopening plans has been the prioritization of young children, students with disabilities, and English language learners, who research shows are the most in need of in-person instruction. Even so, to make up for the…

The looming threat of a 20% cut in state education funding has school districts across New York anxious — but, as is often the case, it is urban districts like Rochester that stand to suffer the most.

Students in the Rochester City School District collectively will spend less time in school buildings than any other school district in Monroe County, and nearly anywhere in New York, when classes resume this fall.

The Rochester City School District will keep distributing MiFi devices known as hot spots to help students who are struggling to access the internet.

An unspecified number of New York 3-year-olds with developmental delays and disabilities may lose their state-provided services next week if the state does not extend a key deadline, according to a group of 80 advocacy organizations.

A survey conducted the week of April 22 of New York parents found that 1 in 3 of of the parents surveyed had their hours and income reduced because of the pandemic, and two-thirds of the group said they were concerned about lost hours and lost employment going forward.

The day after the Rochester City School District announces its latest round of budget cuts, D&C education reporter will speak with former board member Melanie Funchess and The Children’s Agenda budget analyst Eamonn Scanlon about the implications for children in the city. It took until March 27 for that list…

Back in January, when the Rochester City School District first proposed shifting some prekindergarten seats from community-based organizations into district buildings, officials said the list of affected organizations would be published as soon as it was ready. It took until March 27 for that list to be presented internally, a…

The proposed restructuring of the RCSD’s preschool program will close high-quality community-based centers (CBOs)... in a new plan that hurts families hurts families and fails to demonstrate the promised savings.

Making Sense of the RCSD budget: Hosted by The Children's Agenda and ROC the Future. 5.30-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, Rochester Educational Opportunity Center, 161 Chestnut St., Rochester

The district's plan to reapportion 500, or roughly 25%, of pre-K slots allotted local nonprofits to a handful of new and expanded city school sites has raised concerns from child care providers and parents.

The current budget gap in the Rochester City School District is about $30 million, Superintendent Terry Dade said Thursday, less than originally feared but still a fearsome hole to fill.

Women of color make significantly less than white, non-Latino men over the course of their careers

The Rochester Early Childhood Education Center attributes parent involvement to much of its success.

Hank Rubin, PhD, board member of The Children’s Agenda, discusses "The Benefit Of Children" and the lines between what we say and what we do.

When Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo announced she was proposing a 15% "across-the-board" increase in reimbursement rates for preschool special education, providers and advocates hailed it as a significant step toward fixing a broken system. Two months later, they read the fine print.

Which school districts are making progress on problems like Rochester’s, and how?

Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo on Tuesday proposed a 15 percent rate hike for preschool special education providers, a welcome boost that could have significant practical and political implications for other parts of the deeply flawed system for providing services to young children.

There's no clear list of options from which to choose an alternative governance model for the Rochester City School District.

Hank Rubin, Guest Essayist, discusses his support of ROC the Future.

For the first time in decades, decision-makers in Rochester are having a robust discussion about different models of governance for education in the city. Mayor Lovely Warren, state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and state Board of Regents Vice Chairman Andrew Brown have all said, using the same language: "Nothing is off the table."

With controversies claiming most of the headlines, it’s easy to overlook successes in the Rochester City School District. Last month, the Children’s Agenda, in collaboration with Citizen Action and the Alliance for Quality Education, released a major report on the impact of our school climate work on academic performance.

The community nonprofit coalition ROC the Future and Mayor Lovely Warren Monday declared an end of the status quo for education in the city of Rochester.

A landmark community report in 2014 drew attention to that problem and helped set in motion a series of reforms. Now, nearly five years later, the results are coming in.

A landmark community report in 2014 drew attention to that problem and helped set in motion a series of reforms. Now, nearly five years later, the results are coming in.

Hank Rubin, board member of The Children’s Agenda, retired VP of Rochester Area Community Foundation and former advisor to the US Commission on Civil Rights, discusses recognizing and doing something about racism in our own behavior.