FEATURED NEWS

Parents looking to access child care assistance information in New York can face an uphill battle if they’re hoping to find answers on the internet.

Parents and children’s advocates have some differing views about the Rochester City School District’s decision to return some classrooms to in-person learning while others stay remote.

The Governor needs to hear from people like you. It's important that she hear from you now because in less than two weeks she will present her state budget proposal. We want to make sure that budget and the one finally adopted in the spring fully invest in New York's…

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.

Some students with disabilities may see a boost in support this coming year as Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a package of bills into law on Thursday that would do just that. The new legislation includes designating a newly established Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board. The board would in part help…

Preview – Our Wish List … And Much More in the December Edition of TCA’s E-News December 2021 2022 Wish List from The Children’s Agenda There is a palpable excitement in kids at this time of year. A break from school, family holiday celebrations, spending all day in pajamas, hopes…

On December 1, Governor Hochul signed the Child Poverty Reduction Act into law. The bill commits New York to reducing child poverty by 50 percent over the next ten years.

Brigit Hurley joins Raising Rochester this week to discuss the proposed 2022 Monroe County budget. Brigit is The Children’s Agenda’s Senior Director of Advocacy and Programs, and has been responsible for our Monroe County budget reviews since joining The Children’s Agenda in 2012. The conversation focuses on what is important…

Katie Albitz joins Raising Rochester this week as our podcast’s first out-of-town guest to analyze the child care components of the proposed federal Build Back Better reconciliation package. Katie is the Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for the New York Association for the Education of Young Children (NYAEYC). The conversation…

Preview – Building Back for Kids … And Much More in the November Edition of TCA’s E-News November 2021 Building Back for Children On November 18th, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better bill. It includes historic, transformative investments in children that will foster an inclusive and equitable…

ROC the Future is gearing up to release its annual State of Our Children report. This year's document is a nine-year summary showing areas of progress and what needs further work.

School officials in Rochester, New York voted on Tuesday to station police officers outside the city’s 11 high schools when students arrive and leave their campuses each day.

Now, with previously cooped-up kids back in classrooms, the number of campus fights and disruptions has grown, putting pressure on local school board officials to reestablish police presence. In recent weeks, police and private security officers have been posted outside high schools at the beginning and end of the school…

Kristen Rogers joins the show this week to reflect on her experiences as a family child care provider. She shares her motivation for opening her program, how she tried to structure a high quality experience for the children in her care, the unique value of family child care compared to…

Preview – Focusing on Children’s Mental Health … And Much More in the October Edition of TCA’s E-News October 2021 State of Emergency for America’s Children On October 19th a “National Emergency in Children’s Mental Health” was declared by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent…

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…

Days after leaders from four Rochester City School unions asked the district to address growing security concerns – including an incident when someone fired a gun outside All City High -- residents spoke out at Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting.

Talks between Rochester school and city officials continued on Wednesday to address violence among students at Rochester City schools.

Jessica Lewis, ROC the Future’s Communications Specialist and Urban-Suburban program graduate, joins the show this week. She and host Pete Nabozny discuss her experiences in the Urban-Suburban Interdistrict Transfer program as a child, the origins and history of Urban-Suburban, her thoughts on various critiques to the program, and her hopes…

Earlier this week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that $21 million in federal funding will be available to bolster the state's mental health workforce. This led The Children's Agenda and "Partners in Community BIPOC PEEEEEK" to start a discussion on how these funds can be best serve children in Rochester.

The child-care industry is down more than 126,000 workers. That's according to the Washington Post. Staff members are leaving the industry for higher-paying jobs and better benefits. This has economic impacts -- with fewer workers, fewer children can be cared for, and more parents must leave the workforce to stay…

Yversha Roman, Director of CASH at Empire Justice Center, joins the show this week to discuss the CASH program, the recent temporary expansion of the child tax credit, and local efforts to ensure that all potential recipients of the child tax credit are able to receive it.

Many parents rely on child care to help take care of their children, but lately services could be hard to find. 

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello called for new legislation that would increase early intervention resources in New York for children and students during an address Saturday.

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 child-care industry is down more than 126,000 workers. That's according to the Washington Post. Staff members are leaving the industry for higher-paying jobs and better benefits. This has economic impacts -- with fewer workers, fewer children can be cared for, and more parents must leave the workforce to stay…

Preview – Early Intervention Month Continues … And Much More in the September Edition of TCA’s E-News September 2021 Early Intervention (EI) Month Continues A special thank you to all who joined us for the kickoff event for Early Intervention (EI) Awareness Month; it was a blast!   Our next…

The challenge of just getting to school, both nationally and locally, has dominated headlines as children returned to the classroom this month.  But busing is not the only challenge students face in returning to a normal school day experience.

This week’s episode is all about sleep. Raising Rochester’s Host Pete Nabozny interviews Dr. Jack Peltz, a clinical psychologist and researcher who specializes in sleep issues.

Monroe County has dedicated September as Early Intervention (EI) Awareness Month.

This week’s episode is all about sleep. Raising Rochester’s Host Pete Nabozny interviews Dr. Jack Peltz, a clinical psychologist and researcher who specializes in sleep issues.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, child care in New York could cost families up to $15,000 per year, per child. And then the pandemic hit, decimating the child care sector even further.

One of the industries that was deeply hurt by the pandemic was the child care sector in New York. Over 1,200 child care operators closed permanently during the COVID-19 crisis. “It’s been a challenge for child care providers,” Peter Nabozny of The Children’s Agenda in Rochester told Capital Tonight. “Because…

Preview – September is Early Intervention Month … And Much More in the August Edition of TCA’s E-News August 2021 Coming in September – Early Intervention (EI) Month Monroe County has dedicated September as Early Intervention (EI) Awareness Month. The County will be collaborating with community organizations, providers, and parents…

New York was selected as one of five states by a national funder consortium with the Alliance for Early Success to receive a $1.2 million grant over the next 3 years called “Child Care NEXT” to support the state's efforts to transform child care.

Monroe County has dedicated September as Early Intervention (EI) Awareness Month. The County will be collaborating with community organizations, providers, and parents to plan a series of events, starting with the kickoff on September 4.

The first episode of Raising Rochester is a conversation with Kim Dooher. Kim is a parent of four, including Vivian, a remarkable 5 year old girl who has benefitted immensely from Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education services.

Long before COVID-19, the child care sector in New York was in a state of crisis. But now there are circumstances swirling around the issue, both positive and negative, that could change the way the system functions in the state.

Preview – Tapping National Networks to Amplify Local Parent Power … And Much More in the July Edition of TCA’s E-News July 2021 Tapping National Networks to Amplify Local Parent Power Among other partners, The Children’s Agenda drives policy and system change with parent leaders (and with RCSD, for example).…

The Children’s Agenda has long supported the establishment of a Child Well-Being Dashboard, and we believe this COVID-19 recovery moment is an ideal time to create such a tool. This dashboard would also support the county’s efforts to streamline and reinvent its delivery of Human Services.

Early intervention services are required for young children with developmental disabilities and delays, but the federal government doesn’t mandate who pays the bill, so in New York it usually falls on taxpayers. Brigit Hurley, senior director of advocacy and program for The Children’s Agenda, breaks down legislation awaiting the governor’s…

The Biden administration has launched the biggest anti-poverty program in more than half a century in this country. The money started rolling out last Thursday: checks to households in every state, aimed at helping more than 60 million children. Who gets the money, and how far will it go?

Almost every family with children in the country is expected to be eligible for direct payments from the U.S. government for the next several months.

Roughly 133,000 children in Monroe County will benefit from the new Child Tax Credit payments that began rolling out Thursday. The payments are an expansion of the existing child tax credit which is normally paid out at tax time every year. But now, qualifying families can expect to receive this…

The major problem, advocates say, is that the state sets reimbursement rates for Early Intervention services in each county and hasn't raised them since at least 2011. Some rates were cut around 2010 and are now lower than they were during the 1990s.  "This pattern of inadequate compensation has led to a critical shortage of…

The New York State Legislature passed the Child Poverty Reduction Act. The goal of the legislation is to cut childhood poverty in half within ten years. Now, the bill awaits Gov. Andrew Cuomo's signature.

The lapsing of the state’s disaster declaration will likely have immediate ramifications for the child care industry, with The Children’s Agenda Director of Policy Pete Nabozny highlighting a benefits cliff that parents and providers are rapidly heading toward.

Preview – June 2021 E-News June 2021 Progress for Kids at State Level Thanks to you, 6,000 members of our online Advocacy Network, and coalitions of dozens of organizations statewide, the New York State Assembly and Senate passed five important bills supporting our community’s children.  The Children’s Agenda advocated for…

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.”

The Childhood Poverty Reduction Act passed overwhelmingly during the state legislative session that wrapped up this week. Now, local leaders are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign it.

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.

New York state could soon be engaging in a new push to help reduce child poverty. The Childhood Poverty Reduction Act has passed both houses in the State Assembly and is awaiting the governor's signature.

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.

Together, we made progress for kids in the state legislature! Four bills we prioritized and advocated for via visits with legislators and their staff, sharing data, testifying at hearings, and spending hours on Zoom calls strategizing with our advocacy partners were approved by the NYS Senate and Assembly! There’s one…

New York’s Legislature has voted overwhelmingly to set a goal of cutting child poverty in half in 10 years.

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.”

The two leading plans in Washington to support children and families come from President Biden and... Mitt Romney? It's true - the Republican Senator has released his own plan to boost financial support for children, leading some in his own party to call it "welfare expansion."

Many children stayed at home during to the pandemic, leaving child care centers empty and suffering financially. At the same time, essential workers badly needed child care, but many had trouble affording it. The federal funds were meant to alleviate those problems.

Earlier this week, TCA CEO, Larry Marx, sat down with Tony Infantino from WARM 101.3 to talk a bit about The Children's Agenda's role in the community.

Preview – RCSD Budget Once in a Lifetime Opportunity … And Much More in the May Edition of TCA’s E-News May 2021 RCSD Budget Once In a Lifetime Opportunity Read our Report Related News Stimulus Money in RCSD Budget is ‘Once in a Lifetime Opportunity Children’s Agenda says 21-22 RCSD…

The Rochester City School District’s Board of Education passed a nearly billion-dollar budget for the 2021-22 school year that is bolstered by government money from COVID-19 relief packages and based on recommendations from the state monitor.

Local advocates at the Children’s Agenda said they believe more changes should be made after the Rochester City School District released its 2021-2022 budget Monday night. The $986 million approved by the Board of Education and surpasses last year’s budget by around $58 million.

Congress passed the expanded federal child tax credit as part of the latest stimulus package. While eligible families can get the credit, some may miss out because their income is below the income threshold for filing taxes. 

Preview – April 2021 E-News April 2021 Big Wins for Children – But More Needs to Be Done     View Our Full Summary The Children’s Agenda applauds the New York State Legislature and Governor Cuomo for groundbreaking investments in child care and education in the FY 2021-22 Budget. Federal…

We must imagine – and build – a world where public safety upholds the lives and dignity of all Black people, prenatally to old age. 

April is national Child Abuse Prevention Month.  Particularly when it comes to physical and sexual abuse, it is a deeply upsetting topic, and so much easier to avoid or ignore. 

Schumer also addressed the extension of the Child Tax Credit, saying that the law will funnel about $7 billion to eligible families in New York. Some of them will receive $300 monthly payments from the federal government beginning in July.

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.

Preview – The American Rescue Plan and Children … And Much More in the March Edition of TCA’s E-News March 2021 What The American Rescue Plan Means For Children  Significant Wins for State Children in Need  The pandemic, along with the economic downturn and flaring racial injustice, has created new…

When the pandemic ends, it will not be cheap for East’s staff to get students, many of whom have checked out during the school’s remote learning offerings, back up to speed. While the new American Rescue Plan funnels nearly $130 billion into K-12 nationally to deal with fallout from the…

Robin Hood, the largest poverty-fighting organization in New York City, held a press conference with elected officials and advocates calling for the immediate and permanent expansion of the Empire State Child Tax Credit (ESCTC) to confront a crisis of poverty in New York that has left nearly 1 in 4 New York…

The New York State budget process has reached the final negotiation stage, with the April 1st deadline fast approaching.

No child is predestined to live in poverty.  And even though the United States is among the richest countries in the world, we consistently rank as having one of the worst child poverty rates among, for instance, the 37 industrialized countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.  Nearly…

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that the Rochester-Finger Lakes region will receive $391 million for K-12 education. The money comes from the recent COVID-19 federal stimulus package.

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.

If you’re a part of a family with children – there’s a good chance you receive a child tax credit. President Biden’s $1.2 trillion stimulus relief package signed into law Thursday night is going to raise this credit for a year, and make it easier for you to qualify.

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.

The two leading plans in Washington to support children and families come from President Biden and... Mitt Romney? It's true - the Republican Senator has released his own plan to boost financial support for children, leading some in his own party to call it "welfare expansion."

February 2021 Federal COVID Relief – What it Means for Children House & Senate to Take Action on “Once In A Lifetime” Legislation in Coming Days  The Biden Administration and Congress have targeted early March as the completion date for the next round of federal COVID relief funding. The Children’s…

Thursday, February 25th will be the first time in over twenty years that Rochester City School District (RCSD) high school students will be returning to the classroom without armed police officers present. These police, known as School Resource Officers (SROs), were eliminated in the 2020-21 Rochester City Budget back on…

The Biden Administration and Congress have targeted early March as the completion date for the next round of federal COVID relief funding. The Children’s Agenda and allied organizations are paying close attention to the emerging deal in Washington DC, and are working with child advocacy organizations around the country to…

Students in the Rochester City School District no longer see police officers in their schools. As part of the approval of the city’s budget in June, all 12 school resource officers were removed from RCSD campuses.

The recent pepper spraying of a 9-year-old girl at the hands of Rochester police is leading to a conversation about the "adultification" of Black youth.

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…

  Sea Change for Children     By Larry Marx, CEO, The Children’s Agenda Looking up from last year’s nadir of crises (the pandemic, economic downturn, and racial injustice), we see some newly visible ripples of light and hope. At The Children’s Agenda, we are raring to go to turn…

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.

During the week of February 22nd, the Kids Can’t Wait Campaign will be holding Virtual Advocacy Days. We invite you to raise your voice, from the comfort of your home, alongside other advocates from across New York State.

The Rochester Teachers Association has strengthened its stance against students returning to the classrooms in the Rochester City School District. Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small plans to bring thousands of students back to buildings in February. A few hundred students with special needs returned to school buildings in early January.

The latest New York state testing scores show that charter schools outperformed all other public schools in Monroe County in three out of four English and math assessments.

Governor Andrew Cuomo released his 2022 Executive Budget on January 19th.  The Children’s Agenda has conducted an initial review of the proposed budget, as we work with partners around the state, including our local legislative delegation, to ensure that children and families get the support they need to thrive. The…

The pandemic opened up a deep, gaping hole of need and injustice – and just further exposed others, like the health and economic impact of systemic racism, and the fragility of our society’s systemic supports for families with children. It will take a sea change to not only repair but…

The Rochester City School District and ROC the Future hosted an information session with parents Wednesday night to share how they will keep students safe when they return to the classroom.

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.