FEATURED NEWS

Every child who is hungry, falling behind in school, in need of child care while their parents work, eligible for therapy and accommodations for a disability, or just at risk of losing a safe and stable home, depends on what Congress does in the next few weeks.

E-News Archive

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

Congress returns later this month to work on the next round of help for struggling Americans during the pandemic. Is this the time for a national UBI program? Our guests discuss the possible impact of, well, just giving people cash and letting them decide what to do with it.

E-News Archive

The board of directors of The Children’s Agenda formally endorsed the Rochester Black Agenda Group’s declaration that “Racism is a Public Health Crisis” In its last meeting on June 11th.  We urge as many other organizations and individuals as possible to join us in signing the declaration.

Hundreds of New York toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities may lose access to in-home speech, behavioral, occupational and other therapies next week – because the coronavirus pandemic has prevented them from getting the services approved by their local school district.

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.

As Emma Lazarus, the poet who’s other writing (“The New Colossus”) adorns our Statue of Liberty wrote, “Until we are all free, we are none of us free.”

A day after Rochester City Council passed a budget which would remove armed officers from schools, local advocacy groups and activists celebrated a small win, though they immediately called on the district to put more funding behind programs that support students.

The 12 police officers stationed in city schools will not be there anymore. City council defunded the program in an amendment to the 2020-21 budget approved Tuesday. The officers, known as School Resource Officers (SROs), have been a fixture in the district since 1998. 

The Children’s Agenda is encouraged by City Council’s approval of the 2020-2021 City of Rochester budget. This budget includes several measures that will address inequities in the Rochester City School District, in the city’s decision-making process, and will realign city government priorities based on the will of our community. The…

Parents who have been at home with their young children for months are looking forward to getting back to work. Unfortunately, they may come to realize that their child care program won’t be able to take their kids back. Children, whose lives have been disrupted by this crisis and thrive…

E-News Archive

This is the second of a series of blog posts regarding the current RSCD budget situation. The Rochester City School District (RCSD) is currently looking for ways to save $30.1 million this year to make up for overspending in the 2018-2019 budget. In The Children’s Agenda’s first blog post we…

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.

The Rochester Area Community Foundation has established a COVID Education Fund to urgently support the purchase of technology and home internet access for students who don’t have reliable or high-speed internet access or computers in their homes.

The RACF noted an April 15 report on the digital divide in Rochester, researched by The Children’s Agenda for ROC the Future, illustrates the problem. The U.S. Census indicates that 88 percent of Rochester residents have some type of computer, smart phone, or wireless device and, of those, 63 percent…

Nearly two dozen people voiced their ideas on how Rochester should spend $7.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds at a City Council committee meeting Thursday.

When schools closed in March and teachers and students were pushed to online learning settings, the transition proved difficult for students who lack internet access and technology. The digital divide continues to be a concern, and the team at ROC the Future has analyzed where the gaps are and the impact they're…

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.

E-News Archive

The Children’s Agenda is pleased to help lead Raising NY, a diverse statewide coalition of parent, early childhood, education, civil rights, business, and health organizations. This coalition is dedicated to increasing the number of children birth to age three who are on track for school readiness. This coalition recently commissioned…

Stephanie Townsend is speaking out about the need for scientific literacy. She says the pandemic has underscored the erosion of this kind of literacy, and "understanding the scope, limits, and process of science is critical to an informed citizenry and electorate. No one study 'proves' anything."

There’s a Grand Canyon of difference between using phrases like “woke” for self-congratulatory advertising or for applause from the already-converted (like so many social media posts) -- versus taking action in the world to root out something as insidious and all-permeating as racism.

Distancing measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 have pushed early intervention services like Kaia’s physical therapy — required by both state and federal law for children under 3 years old — into the virtual realm.

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…

The Children's Agenda put together an online zoom training to help participants both understand what was in the Rochester City School District Budget and also show people how they could advocate on behalf of students in the district.

Rochester City School District officials have to bridge an $81 million gap in its budget for the upcoming academic year, which means cuts are inevitable.

There's a heated debate happening regarding what to cut, and what to keep, in Rochester city schools. Evan Dawson recently spoke to Superintendent Terry Dade; additionally he interviews board members about teacher cuts, emotional support cuts, building usage, and more.

Today, The Children’s Agenda (TCA) released the executive summary for its annual RCSD Budget Analysis. Key points include the trickle-down effect of the recently passed New York State budget and how it’s impacting cuts to RCSD services and programs are creating devastating consequences for the most vulnerable children in our…

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…

E-News Archive

Low-income families are in a particularly vulnerable spot as the coronavirus spreads. If schools close, where can kids get meals? What happens for families that are already deeply struggling?

E-News Archive

The Rochester Board of Education has voted in favor of Superintendent Terry Dade’s proposal to revamp the City School District’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten program. 

Superintendent Terry Dade continued his push for a revamp of the Rochester City School District’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program on Monday. Some Rochester Board of Education members say the board is split on Supt. Terry Dade’s plan to take over 60 % of Rochester’s pre-K program. The board is set to…

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 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.

We all want quality child care but it is a struggle to hire and retain quality staff when you offer low wages. Therefore, the turnover. Child care employees are dedicated and hard working but are not honored with adequate compensation. Affording a place to live has been getting harder and…

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

Dozens of parents and community members came together Thursday to learn more about the financial crisis facing the Rochester City School District. Two community organizations - Roc the Future and The Children’s Agenda - teamed up for a forum on the budget.

Monroe County has made enhancements to the child care subsidy program in an effort to ensure working parents have access to vital programs.

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 session is an opportunity to learn more about the district’s budget crisis by discussing its causes, how decisions about money are made, how parents can influence the district’s budget and outlining what is likely to happen next.

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.

E-News Archive

Over 60% of New Yorkers live in a child care desert, meaning more than 50 children under age five with no child care providers or so few options that there are more than three times as many children as licensed child care spots. The trip is free and breakfast and…