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SpanishChildren's Interfaith Weekend
October 16-18, 2020
Worship and Education Resources
A Welcome Letter from Marian Wright Edelman
Founder and President Emerita, Children’s Defense Fund
2020 ADVOCACY ISSUE: The time is now to prioritize the needs of young children in New York with developmental delays and disabilities in the State’s FY 2021-22 budget. The Early Intervention (EI) and Preschool Special Education (PSE) programs must receive additional dollars to make up for missed therapy and services, get the systems back on track, and make progress toward providing effective, on-time services.
This vulnerable group of children and their families has been shortchanged during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Though there is no statewide data available to track what has happened to children eligible for EI and PSE during the pandemic, anecdotal reports and parent surveys indicate that telehealth services have benefitted some children but not all. Behavior problems and regression in skills are a major concern of parents. Some families have not received any services at all.
Six months without therapy and support is devastating to a 1-year-old with Down Syndrome, or a 3-year-old with multiple disabilities, or a preschooler with Autism.
If we do not address the needs of these vulnerable children, their healthy development will be compromised. In addition to this human cost, future tax dollars will be spent paying for more costly special education programs, medical treatment, and other expensive remediation as these children grow older. New York’s children need bold action to ensure they have access to the therapies and services they need.
They cannot wait any longer.
Click here for a 2 ½ minute video perfect for adult education or discussion groups who are interested in learning more about the local shortage of special education services for young children, and what they can do to help.
Click to download a English version of the Early Intervention/Preschool Special Education fact sheet
Click to download resources for Education for adults of all faiths
Reflections
Reflection on Lectionary readings by Brigit Hurley (10/26/2020)
Where are the children? (10/16/2020)
Prayers
- A Step Along the Way Romero Prayer
- Multifaith Children's Defense Fund Prayers
- Prayers and Poems for Children's Interfaith Weekend
- Something Inside So Strong Lyrics
Prayer and action resources from the Children’s Defense Fund for the Children’s Sabbath/Interfaith Weekend
A note on Childrens Defense Fund (CDF) resources: “Children’s Sabbath” and “Children’s Interfaith Weekend” are used interchangeably, and mean the same thing. CDF has created interfaith resources on advocacy for children for many years. They generously share these at no cost to congregations or groups who celebrate the Children’s Sabbath or engage in faith-based child advocacy. Keep in mind that while CDF highlights a national children’s issue every year (e.g., poverty, gun violence), here in the Rochester area we select our own local or New York State-based issue, so some of CDF’s materials might not be relevant to your activities on the Children’s Interfaith Weekend.
- Christian Worship Resources
- Jewish Worship Resources
- Multifaith Worship Resources
- Click here to go to a page with a rich array of resource containing links to collections of books, CDs, DVDS, and tool kits connecting children’s concerns with the insights, texts, and teachings of religious faith; Children’s Sabbath materials that offer worship resources, lesson plans, planning and communication materials, and action ideas for many faith traditions; collections of prayers by Marian Wright Edelman and devotional resources; and links for resources from a variety of CDF’s religious partners reflecting Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions.
- Click here to go to CDF’s 2020 Children’s Sabbath page.
2020 Interfaith Weekend Fact Sheet
(Click below to download)
A Reflection: The Nature of Children
(Click below to download)
See Early Intervention In Action
If your congregation or group is planning participate, please let us know.
For more information, contact Brigit Hurley, Advocacy Director, at (585) 256-2620 ext. 2602
