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Monroe County Reports

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Beyond Attendance Awareness: Chronic Absenteeism in Monroe County and What Some Students Say Is Keeping Them Home

September 21, 2026

Chronic absenteeism, which soared nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains above pre-pandemic levels in Monroe County, with 24% of elementary students and 32.4% of high school students missing at least ten percent of school days. The academic impact of absences is cumulative, and research shows chronic absenteeism impacts reading proficiency, test scores, graduation rates, and college enrollment. We should not accept that 1 out of 3 high school students in Monroe County is chronically absent.

The Children’s Agenda analyzed statistics for every school district in the county and surveyed Rochester high school students for two years to learn what students’ reasons were for missing school. The data show that chronic absenteeism is not a single problem with a single fix, but the product of overlapping barriers — health, transportation, school discipline, and mental health — that fall disproportionately on Rochester students and specific student subgroups.

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TCA’s Statement on the NYS 2026-27 Enacted Budget

June 1, 2026

The Children’s Agenda is grateful for the groundbreaking investments in New York’s child care system in the SFY27 enacted budget. Proposed by the Governor and with full support from the legislature, the $3 billion dedicated to the program is a significant milestone on the path to achieving universal child care. We are disappointed that there were no new investments in the child care workforce and are concerned that the fragile condition of the workforce will be a barrier to the success of this initiative.
Similarly, we applaud the $1.6 billion investment in New York’s Universal Pre-K program, enabling the program to serve nearly all 4-year-olds in the state. The Children’s Agenda is disappointed that State leaders failed to ensure equity for three-year-old children in need of Pre-K programs outside of New York City. To achieve a truly universal Pre-K system, New York State must increase per-pupil rates for all pre-kindergarteners.
With the Early Intervention program, so effective in helping infants and toddlers get developmentally on track, only level-funded at $205 million, we are deeply concerned that the state is leaving behind thousands of children and families whose rights to those services and therapies are neglected in this budget.

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2025 Impact Update

March 23, 2026

Every sturdy structure begins with a strong foundation, and every meaningful change in the lives of children and families starts the same way: with people who believe it is possible, and who commit themselves to making it real.

That is the spirit behind this year’s Impact Report, and its theme: Building Blocks of Progress.

Throughout 2025, we continued to focus on initiatives that create positive, long-term change for children and families across New York state. Because persistent structural and racial inequities result in worse outcomes for children of color and minoritized children especially, we work to center the voices and lived experiences of families in everything we do, from local neighborhoods to the state capitol. Our strengths in policy-driven research, effective organizing, and impactful advocacy are only as powerful as the community of people and organizations that stand behind them.

We also know that this work does not happen in a vacuum. Political headwinds shift. Budgets are contested. Hard-won progress is sometimes threatened. But our answer remains the same, regardless of any one election or new law: we keep fighting for children, we keep building power, we keep exposing cruelty, and we keep making the case for policies that work.

We never give up on a New York where every child thrives.

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TCA’s Response to the NYS Senate and Assembly One-House Budget Proposals

March 17, 2026

We applaud both the NYS Senate and Assembly for building on Governor Hochul’s proposed budget with bold investments that will transform the lives of children and families across New York. At the same time, we believe there are missed opportunities for New York’s children and families.

Read more to find out what The Children’s Agenda supports in the One-House budget proposals.

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Fact Sheet: Child Care Challenges at the County Level

January 23, 2026

Child care is a critical support for families with young children, employers, and New York State’s economy. The State made substantial investments in the child care system in the past few years, but this progress is threatened by significant issues related to cost and capacity. To address these challenges and ensure families have access to the care they need, policymakers must make critical investments in the 26-27 NYS Budget to bolster the child care workforce and stabilize the Child Care Assistance Program.

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TCA’s Response to Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State Address

January 15, 2026

In her 2026 State of the State address, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed bold investments that will profoundly and positively impact children, families, and our economy across the state for generations to come. In a time of real setbacks from the current federal administration, we applaud Governor Hochul’s leadership and determination to fight for families.

Read more to find out what we’re applauding this year, what we believe is missing, and what New York voters say they want from State leaders in this year’s budget.

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Recommendations for the 2026 Monroe County Budget

November 11, 2025

Monroe County’s Department of Human Services plays a pivotal role in supporting thousands of our community’s children and families. The Children’s Agenda pays close attention to County spending and policy making to ensure the best outcomes for kids, especially our most vulnerable. In this document we lay out recommendations to improve the Child Care Assistance Program and Child Protective Services through budgetary and policy changes for the upcoming 2026 Monroe County Budget.

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Family Affordability Fact Sheets for All NYS Counties

October 23, 2025

New York is one of the most expensive states to raise a family. Core necessities such as housing, child care, food, healthcare, and transportation consume a growing share of household income, especially for low- and middle-income families. These rising costs are driving many families to leave the state in search of more affordable living conditions. High costs of living also contribute to persistent child poverty, with New York home to three of the ten U.S. cities with the highest child poverty rates. Addressing these challenges requires bold, family-centered policies that ease cost burdens and promote economic stability.

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SNS Factsheets for Select Monroe County School Districts in 2023-24

April 7, 2025

In New York, students are suspended from schools in response to a wide range of behaviors, including minor infractions like being late to class and dress code violations. This form of punishment begins as early as Pre-Kindergarten. The overreliance on exclusionary discipline continues despite research that indicates suspensions are ineffective and harmful and that they deepen academic inequities, especially for students of color, those from low-income backgrounds, and students with disabilities.

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Parent Poll: Perspectives on School Suspensions from Our September 2024 Survey

November 30, 2024

Research indicates that suspensions are ineffective in changing behavior, harmful to students academically and socially, and used in biased ways that target students of color, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families. In The Children’s Agenda’s Sept. 2024 poll, parents told us what concerns them most about exclusionary discipline and the guardrails they would like to see regarding the use of suspensions.

While concern that their own child may be suspended varied demographically, parents’ support for alternative approaches to school discipline and additional school funding for these initiatives was consistent.

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