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 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 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.
The City of Rochester’s Proposed Budget for 2021-22 directs expenditures to support our community’s recovery from 16 months of health, economic, and social crises. While pandemic restrictions are slowly being lifted and many Rochester residents are returning to some sense of normalcy, the healing from losses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic has just begun. Children are the center of our concern.
The City of Rochester’s Proposed Budget for 2021-22 directs expenditures to support our community’s recovery from 16 months of health, economic, and social crises. While pandemic restrictions are slowly being lifted and many Rochester residents are returning to some sense of normalcy, the healing from losses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic has just begun. Children are the center of our concern.
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a $1.9 billion stimulus plan designed to accelerate our nation’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It contains a number of measures to provide direct relief to families, e.g. $1,400 stimulus checks to households, extended unemployment benefits and emergency housing assistance, and $5 billion for federal food aid. The pandemic recovery is addressed with $160 billion for vaccine distribution, supplies, emergency response, testing and the public health workforce.
A significant portion of ARPA funds are directed to children and families through provisions that include changes to federal tax credits and increased resources for child care, PreK-12 education, and closing the digital divide.
PRIORITY RECOMMENDATION #1:
Eliminate the School Resource Officer contract with the Rochester City School District.
Under the School Resource Officer (SRO) contract, armed Rochester police officers have been present in a number of Rochester schools since 1998. There is increasing concern that this program has accelerated the school-to-prison pipeline in Rochester, as the permanent presence of armed police on school grounds may unintentionally lead to the criminalization of youth for normal adolescent behavior.
Child care across the state and nation suffers from an extraordinary lack of public resources. Greater investments from local, state, and federal partners are needed to stabilize our community’s child care system, allow child care workers to earn a living wage, and ensure children receive the care and support they need to thrive. The purpose of this report is to inform leaders in Rochester, Monroe County, and New York State about the growing shortage of regulated care for young children, and to identify policies that can strengthen this crucial support for families.
The Children’s Agenda
1 South Washington St., Suite 120
Rochester, NY 14614
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(585) 256-2620
The Children’s Agenda advocates for effective policies and drives evidenced-based solutions for the health, education and success of children. We are especially committed to children who are vulnerable because of poverty, racism, health inequities and trauma.
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