Education advocates are pushing for more state funding for 3-year-old prekindergarten programs in Rochester and across New York. Local advocates hosted a press conference Wednesday at the Rochester Early Childhood Education Center to highlight the importance of funding for 3-year-old PreK. Rochester’s decades-long prekindergarten evaluation study found that attending prekindergarten…

The Empire State Campaign for Child Care has proposed a roadmap to universal child care that includes two major funding bridges, each worth $75 million.

Monroe County receives the third largest allocation from the state’s Child Care Block Grant fund, but The Children’s Agenda says the county risks closing enrollment for the program next year unless more funding is set aside to keep it running. Several parents shared their thoughts on Wednesday at a Monroe…

“The emergency food pantry network in town are asked to do always more with empty shelves, do more with less. That’s just not possible without a partner in the federal government restoring sanity to food policy,” said Children’s Agenda CEO Larry Max.

Families and advocates want the state to fund a study to assess what can help fix a clearly broken system. They also want at least a 5% pay increase for the therapists who continue to chip away at those waiting lists. “Everyone seems to say they don’t have enough money…

City Council Vice President LaShay D. Harris released a 200+ page report detailing 13 initiatives to enhance the lives of Rochester’s children. A December report by The Children’s Agenda reveals that 40% of children in Rochester live in poverty.

The Children’s Agenda called on Governor Kathy Hochul to increase compensation and benefits for the early childcare education workforce. They said the policies would help support the people and organizations that care for children within the community, and in turn, create more childcare opportunities for working parents.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Friday that she wants free breakfast and lunch for every student in every school district in New York. This means not just free meals in the city of Rochester, but free meals in school districts like Pittsford, Brighton, and Penfield as well. Jason DeLooze, a…

Local officials and advocacy organizations expressed their support on Wednesday for recommendations from the state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council.

Hope 585, a nonprofit that works with kids and families, is planning to host a town hall next week to hear directly from people about their interactions with Child Protective Services.

More than 200 education, farm, union and anti-hunger groups have sent a letter to the governor urging her to include universal free meals in her next state budget.

The SAFE (Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation) for Kids Act bans personalized social media feeds for anyone under 18 unless they get verified parental approval.

Childcare across New York may see some changes this fall, as $24 billion in federal funding is set to expire.

“Suspensions don’t help anything; it’s more of a punishment than a solution,” Victor Vega, a student in the Rochester City School District, said.

Housing costs are out of reach for many families, leaving 8% of Rochester children homeless at some point in 2022.

61% of families in Monroe County who make less than $100,000 a year say they are rationing food for their families in between paychecks — according to a report released on Wednesday by The Children’s Agenda.

Parents really didn’t get a voice before this was presented.

Access to nutritious food is vital. Free school meals will be available in Greece Central School District starting this fall.

Childcare across New York may see some changes this fall, as $24 billion in federal funding is set to expire.

New school-based health centers plus telemedicine will expand access to health care for Rochester city school children.

Suspensions at schools took center stage Thursday. People gathered in front of the Rochester City School District administration building to rally and march. It’s to support a bill that would limit student suspensions across the state.

Some lawmakers say the state of New York is failing young children, especially when it comes to vital early childhood intervention services.

Advocates headed to Albany to push for universal child care.

State regulators require that Early Intervention services begin within 30 days of a plan being established, but there just aren’t enough providers to keep up with demand.

The Children’s Agenda just finished a study on the current childcare situation across New York State.  It found that statewide, there are 1,326 fewer childcare programs than there were before the pandemic which amounts to 10,554 fewer spots for children with parents who need to work. 

If you’re a working parent, if you can find childcare, it’s likely one of your largest weekly expenses. Investments made in the new New York State Budget may help relieve some of that stress.

Hundreds of Monroe County parents participated in a first-of-its-kind poll conducted by The Children's Agenda.

For the nearly 2,500 families in Monroe County that receive some form of childcare assistance, we have some good news for you.

As Rochester schools see incidents of violence, children's advocates are calling for the school system to push forward, and not turn back by bringing police back into schools. Children's Agenda Educational Policy Director Eamonn Scanlon said disturbances involving students frequently pick up this time of year and, after the disruption…

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello is calling for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to make sure kids in New York with special needs can get the help they need paid for.

Parents in the Rochester City School District marched to the central office Thursday night asking the district to invest in mental health. They said children in this city are being impacted mentally, socially and emotionally by the violence around them and that it’s affecting their behavior at home and at school.

The crisis of child poverty has gotten even worse during the pandemic. Now the State Legislature is pushing a new plan to cut child poverty in half over the next decade.

Youth leaders from across Rochester are coming together in person to train for the future. The group "ROC the Future" launched its Youth Leadership Coalition Saturday, the group met for training at the Avenue D R-Center.

Children's advocacy groups have a goal to cut child poverty by half over the next 10 years.

Advocates and parents joined the Rochester School Board in an enthusiastic embrace of the board’s selection of former Brockport Central School District Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small, Ed.D. as the new superintendent of the Rochester City School District.

Local child care leaders say they're feeling the strain, saying that Monroe County and the City of Rochester face a lack of affordable care options for young kids.

The Children's Agenda offered a 'teach-in' that discussed what caused the budget crisis. It says misreporting of numbers caused it.

On Thursday afternoon, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello announced three new enhancements to the county’s childcare subsidy program. The enhancements include a reduction in the parent fee percentage for subsidized child care to 20%, the development of childcare

Advocates for children are calling the lack of childcare in Monroe County a crisis. The problem is especially acute for newborns to age three. According to a newly released report by the Children's Agenda, there are only three slots for every 10 babies and toddlers who need care in Monroe…

Roc the Future released its "State of Our Children" report card Thursday morning. Group members say there have been gains and small changes in all areas affecting children.

Local, state and federal officials are now looking into how Rochester City School District officials overspent past their nearly one billion dollar budget. Sources tell News10NBC that the reported deficit for the 2018-19 school year is between $40 million and $50 million. 

President Donald Trump wants to make major changes to SNAP, the federal food stamp program that thousands of local families rely on to feed themselves and their children. 

Families and advocates confronted leaders Tuesday night over preschool special education service rates in Monroe County.

The Children's Agenda released its break down of the 2019-2020 Rochester City School District budget before Thursday's hearing. Their recommendation was transparency.

Local community and business leaders, along with Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, claim they want a say when it comes to transforming the Rochester City School District.

Historically African American hair has been the center of controversy. Whether worn as an afro, braids or dreadlocks, African Americans have faced what they say is discrimination in the workplace.