September 2026 E-Newsletter Looking at Chronic Absenteeism in Monroe County The Children’s Agenda has just released a new report: Beyond Attendance Awareness: Chronic Absenteeism in…

We get a status update on accessibility issues with New York’s child care subsidies and consider what needs to be done to realize the state’s…

Which expense is most difficult for your family to afford? That question was raised during a recent public hearing hosted by New York State's Child Poverty Reduction…

August 2026 E-Newsletter Poverty is a policy failure, not a personal choice We were honored to partner with the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability…

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…

NEW YORK — New York City lawmakers and advocates are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to boost funding for child care vouchers to shrink a…

Spring 2026 E-Newsletter State Budget Watch State policymakers have proposed transformative investments in children and families this year, and we have high hopes that the…

February 2026 It’s Time for Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) The research is clear: Attending Pre-Kindergarten leads to short- and long-term improvements in children’s academic and behavioral…

January 2026 With the Governor’s budget book in hand and the Legislature in session, our team is focused on building support for historic progress this…

Our Response to Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State Address In her 2026 State of the State address, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed bold…

Winter 2025 E-Newsletter Our 2026 State Policy Priorities Our key priority areas for 2026 are: • Child Care • Family Economic Security • Developmental Services…

Voters across New York — both Democrats and Republicans — want the state to invest more in affordable child care, a new poll found. It’s…

As part of ARC Rochester's Spotlight on Hunger, we learn more about The Children's Agenda and their work tackling food insecurity. Community and parent advocacy…

Families across the United States are facing an unprecedented affordability crisis. The costs of child care, housing, food, and other necessities continue to rise, causing…

November 2025 E-Newsletter November was National Family Engagement Month, and we are so grateful for our Very Invested Parents (VIPs) and their unwavering dedication to…

Unfounded calls to Child Protective Services cost Monroe County $13.76 million annually and cause lasting damage to children and families. We were proud to stand…

A new report shows Monroe County is spending millions of dollars each year on unfounded calls to CPS. Community agencies in our area say those…

Of the 6,768 Child Protective Services investigations in Monroe County in 2024, 76% were unfounded with no abuse or neglect, according to a report published…

When a teacher, health care professional, or social worker believes that a child is being abused or neglected, they are legally obligated to report the…

Budgets ARE moral documents. As much progress as we’ve made at the state level, with New York now leading the country in universal school meals,…

Approximately 28,000 households in Rochester would lose access to SNAP benefits in November. Over 31 percent of the city’s households rely on the federal program.…

While childhood poverty is creating a number of issues in communities across New York state, work is being done to stop it at its source.…

At The Children’s Agenda, we believe that: 1) Policy decisions should rely on more than intuition or politics, 2) Getting to the root causes of problems…

Several groups, including representatives from VOCAL-NY, are advocating for people who rely on assistance in paying for their groceries, demanding the Trump administration reverse the…

Earlier this year, lawmakers approved the largest cut to food assistance in U.S. history as part of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.…

“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…

Budgets ARE moral documents. As much progress as we’ve made at the state level, with New York now leading the country in universal school meals,…

Budgets ARE moral documents. As much progress as we’ve made at the state level, with New York now leading the country in universal school meals,…

Rochester City Council Vice President LaShay Harris, released a comprehensive report detailing the current state of childhood poverty in the city of Rochester. Compiled in…

Budgets ARE moral documents. As much progress as we’ve made at the state level, with New York now leading the country in universal school meals,…

Immigrant families across the United States are facing unprecedented attacks from the Trump Administration, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other federal, state, and…

Last night, we celebrated our VIP parent leaders at our annual Parent Appreciation Dinner. Parents and their willingness to show up and speak up for…

The Children's Agenda was honored to receive the Center for Teen Empowerment's Youth-Adult Partnership Award at their annual luncheon on May 7th. Members of our…

Advocacy and organizing are both crucial to The Children's Agenda's work to improve policies for New York's children and families. Learn more about the similarities…

Our partners at Medicaid Matters NY and Citizens' Committee for Children of New York have developed excellent tools that allow New Yorkers to explore the…

Pete Nabozny, Director of Policy for The Children’s Agenda, discusses the expected impacts of the State's budget on child poverty.

Eyes on State and Local Government: Since the beginning of March, advocates like you have sent 1,988 emails to State leaders to advocate for a…

Your Action + Our Work = Progress for Children It has been an extraordinarily busy start to the year, with our team focused on how…

New data reaffirms that families continue to struggle financially, with Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature under pressure to address rising child…

Qutisha Britt is finding it harder to support herself and her daughter as the cost of living continues to go up. She said inflation has…

Rochester City Council Vice President LaShay Harris, released a comprehensive report detailing the current state of childhood poverty in the city of Rochester. Compiled in…

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…

A new report hopes to give the city of Rochester tools to prevent childhood poverty. Members of Rochester City Council presented the findings on Tuesday.…

Advocates argue that by sending payments directly to families, the Working Families Tax Credit will help cover essential costs like groceries, childcare, and rent, ultimately…

Hope versus fear during challenging times. One of the things the field of child development teaches us is that human growth thrives on predictability, support,…

The share of New Yorkers in poverty is nearly double the national average, according to a report from Columbia University and an anti-poverty group. A…

According to data from the 2022 census, more than one in five New Yorkers under the age of 18 are living in poverty. New York…

Each year, The Children’s Agenda, alongside our partners, organizes Advocacy Days for our key issue areas: Child Care, Early Intervention/Preschool Special Education, Child Poverty, and…

According to a new report by the NYS Comptroller’s Office, homelessness in New York more than doubled between 2022 and 2024. This crisis has particularly…

January is always a busy month for us. See what we've been up to and where we are focusing our energies at the state level.