Housing instability and child poverty are problems we can fix, if we can summon the political will to do so. New York State should identify housing stability as a top priority so every child has a consistent place to call home.

The proposed City budget includes a number of new and existing investments that will help build a better future for Rochester’s young residents. We also urge the Mayor and City Council to take further steps to make even more progress.

The Children’s Agenda welcomes the strides made in this year’s budget, but our optimism is tempered by misplaced priorities for which children will bear the consequences.

The Children’s Agenda commends the City for investing more in youth-serving staff. We additionally have six recommendations to further meet the social, emotional and developmental needs of youth. 

The Children’s Agenda offers this summary of provisions for children that were included in the New York state budget enacted in April 2022.

New York State has drafted a proposal that will be submitted to the US Department of Health and Human Services, requesting flexibility in how it uses Medicaid funds. Known as a “Medicaid waiver,” the proposal includes a request for $13.52 billion to be used over five years. The intent is to design innovative ways of using Medicaid funds that will promote health equity and address health disparities. Despite the fact this waiver is focused on equity, the investments in the current proposal are not aligned with the needs of the poorest and most diverse population of New Yorkers who rely on Medicaid: children.

Rochester’s families deserve pre-kindergarten and kindergarten placements that meet their children’s needs. This report is a first step to better understand parents’ enrollment decision-making and how they experience enrollment policies. The goal is to help the Rochester City School District improve existing policies and processes so families have a better experience with enrollment.

The balance between caring for children and work is a crisis or major problem for 7 out of 10 Monroe County families and 5 out of 10 parents say their stress is high as a result of the pandemic. The stress parents are experiencing has three branches: affording and accessing resources, pandemic disruptions in schools, and mental health impacts of the pandemic.