Category Archives: Child Care

de Blasio Pushes Early Childhood Plan

February 13, 2013 10:58 am Leave a Comment

Public Advocate and Mayoral Candidate Bill de Blasio toured P.S. 50 and the East Harlem Center, two early childhood facilities operated by the Children’s Aid Society yesterday.  He used the occasion to promote his plan, announced last October, to ensure all New York City children have access to Pre-Kindergarten and high-quality after-school programs, funding the expansion with a surcharge on upper-income households. Yesterday’s visit is part of a citywide tour to underscore the importance of early childhood programs and create new models to serve the city’s children.

“Look at what’s happening here. Every one of these children has a better shot at entering school at grade level and succeeding. We need a city where every child has this same opportunity,” de Blasio said. “The annual ‘budget dance’ has thrown too many of these exceptional programs and their families into turmoil. If this is truly a priority–and it has to be–we need the funding to keep these programs whole and make them truly universal.”

De Blasio’s plan would provide all four-year-olds with universal Pre-K for the first time in the city’s history, closing a gap of 48,000 children who currently receive insufficient part-time Pre-K or none at all. The plan would also fund quality after-school programs for middle schoolers between 3 and 6 p.m. on weekdays, keeping kids on-task and out of trouble. To finance this transformation, de Blasio has called for a 5-year income tax increase on New Yorkers earning $500,000 or more.

Click here to see a video of de Blasio’s tour.

Click here to read more about de Blasio’s early childhood proposals.

To comment on this story click here

Filed Under: Child Care, Children, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , ,

Quinn Lays Out Plans in State of the City

February 13, 2013 10:54 am Leave a Comment

Council Speaker and Mayoral Candidate Christine Quinn laid out her vision for the future in her State of the City speech yesterday.   She focused on a number of key issues, including several of interest to human service providers and advocates, particularly affordable housing, child care, and workforce development.

“Simply put, we face an affordability crisis in our city and it cuts right at the fabric of New York,” Quinn said.  “Affordable housing is at the heart of this crisis.”  The Speaker went on to lay out a four-part plan to address the affordable housing issue.  “I have a plan to build 40,000 new middle income affordable apartments over the next ten years,” she said.  “That’s quadruple the current rate of middle class housing construction.”  Quinn plans to finance the effort through savings from other governmental efficiencies, better use of existing Capital Budget allocations, and borrowing during today’s period of extraordinarily low interest rates.

The Speaker also called for a Permanent Affordability Act which would give building owners a new tax exemption, by capping their property taxes at a certain percent of their rental income, in exchange for a requirement that they keep their units affordable.   And, she called for pilot programs to turn existing market rate housing into affordable housing through a series of tax incentives.

Quinn addressed the issue of child care as another key element in the City’s affordability crisis, noting that for many families it is an expense that actually exceeds the cost of housing.   “It won’t surprise anyone here that New York City has the highest child care costs in the country – over $19,000 per year on average for infant care,” she said.

In response, the Speaker proposed a Middle Class Child Care Tax Credit.   “Right now the city offers a credit only to families that make less than $30,000 – which leaves middle class families to fend for themselves,” she said.  “Our Middle Class Credit will be available to more than 90,000 additional families, anyone making up to $150,000 a year. It will build on existing state and federal credits – so a family with two children making $75,000 a year will receive a total annual benefit of $2,040. This is real money in the pockets of middle class families.”

And, she called for efforts to create new jobs while simultaneously strengthening the workforce.

“We need to make workforce development a central component of our economic strategy,” the Speaker said.  “But to put it mildly – our current system is a disjointed mess.  Eight different city agencies currently spend more than $300 million each year on workforce development programs in New York City.  These agencies don’t communicate or coordinate, and there’s no standard measure of accountability for the many programs that they fund.  Some programs are just required to hit a target number of job placements, without any regard to how long people stay in a job, or whether it pays a living wage. We’ve heard stories about New Yorkers spending hours training for jobs in health care that are currently being phased out.

“Today I’m proposing a thoroughly reinvented workforce development system to bring middle class jobs to the five boroughs,” she continued.  “A system that’s driven by real world demand, has clearly defined metrics and goals, and rewards lasting results.”

The Speaker outlined a system under which a job seeker would be “immediately greeted by a trained professional who will conduct an in depth interview to assess his interests, skills, and any barriers that might prevent him from finding success in a job… Under our new system, every center will have access to the same data – so we can tell what classes he’s taken and what interviews he’s been sent on… Staff will have access to up to the minute labor market information, compiled by egghead economists, but based on data and conversations with real employers.  So they know exactly what kinds of companies are hiring, and what kinds of jobs are in demand.

“If Joe is ready for one of those jobs today, we’ll give him interview coaching and resume prep, and set him up with a prospective employer. If he needs more specific job-related skills, he’ll be enrolled in a targeted training course, to help him qualify for a good paying available job. And once Joe gets that job, our work won’t stop there. Workforce staff will check in regularly with both Joe and his employer. We’ll make sure Joe continues to have the support he needs, so he doesn’t just keep that job for a month, but can turn it into a lifelong career. We can do this. The foundation is already in place.”

Filed Under: Child Care, Housing, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bloomberg Cuts Child Care & After-School Money Again

January 30, 2013 2:55 pm Leave a Comment

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg outlined his FY2014 Preliminary Budget yesterday and for the second year in a row outlined massive proposed cuts to early childhood and afterschool programs.  Providers and advocates who had mounted a major grassroots campaign last year to win $150 million in restorations of these cuts expressed extreme disappointment and vowed to prepare for battle again.

“I am, once again, disappointed to see all of the additional program dollars added by the City Council at budget adoption removed from the City’s budget plan,” said Allison Sesso, Deputy Executive Director of the Human Services Council (HSC).  “Advocates should dust off their dancing shoes to get ready for the inevitable process of fighting for the same restorations we push for year after year.”

The Campaign for Children, a coalition of over 150 child care and after-school advocacy and provider organizations, argued that the Mayor’s Preliminary Budget cuts more than $135 million needed to keep after-school and early education programs open.  The budget, they said, includes:

  • None of the City Council’s $120 million restorations from last year which will run out in June, causing hundreds of programs to shut their doors to the children they serve;
  • A further $10 million cut to Out-of-School Time (OST) after-school programs;
  • An additional $5.3 million cut to child car which will result in another 250-300 children losing child care vouchers each month as their parents transition off of public assistance.

“Groundhog’s Day came early this year for New York City’s children and working families,“ said Michelle Yanche, Assistant Executive Director for Government and External Relations at Good Shepherd Services, on behalf of the Campaign for Children. “Just like last year, 47,000 children are set to lose access to after-school and early education programs – programs proven to help children succeed while parents work to support their families. The same parents and providers will be forced to fight for the same funding that they were just given a few months ago. How can this be happening, after all we’ve heard from our City leaders about making children a priority?“

“The City simply can’t go back on its promise to children and families – not when we’ve been told time and again that after-school and early education programs are a priority forthis administration,“ said Jennifer Jones Austin, Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, on behalf of the Campaign for Children. “We need our City’s leaders to make long-term investments in these essential programs that help our children succeed in school and in life. The Mayor must include the needed funds in his Executive Budget.“

“Once again, the mayor’s proposed cuts to after-school and early childhood programs will continue a disappointing trend of shrinking programs for the children in our city who need them most,“ said Richard R. Buery, Jr.  President and CEO of The Children’s Aid Society . “A budget that does not prioritize needy children and working families fails the test of fairness and opportunity for all New Yorkers. We at Children’s Aid are committed to working with our government, nonprofit and corporate partners to restore this critical funding.“

“There is a great unmet need for afterschool programs citywide; therefore elimination of any slots would create an even greater shortage of critical programs for our young people,“ added Kathy Fitzgibbons, Senior Policy Analyst for Elderly Welfare and Youth Services.

“In addition, FPWA is distressed by the proposal to revise the eligibility process for post transitional child care.  This new $5.3 million budget cut to child care vouchers will potentially impact the access of 250-300 children to quality early childhood education programs, as their parents transition off of public assistance,“ stated Liz Accles, Senior Policy Analyst for Early Childhood Education and Income Security.

Advocates, however, indicated that they were prepared  to take on the Mayor again. The Campaign for Children recently kicked off their new phase of 2013 organizing with a series of town hall meetings in each borough during the month of January. The meetings attracted hundreds of parents, providers, and community members who are concerned about the City’s lack of investment in child care and after-school programs, and who together will call on City leaders and candidates for office to have a long-term plan to stabilize the systems.

Hunger

The New York City Coalition Against Hunger also took issue with the Mayor’s budget. “Despite high levels of hunger in NYC pre-Sandy, a huge spike in food insecurity since the storm, and increasing food prices, the Mayor has again proposed flat funding funding the city’s struggling food pantries,“ said Joel Berg, Executive Director of NYCCAH.  “Given the increased need, this is, in effect, a cut. Unless the City Council is able to provide more money that the Mayor proposes, local hunger will surely increase. A City this wealthy shouldn’t balance its budget on the backs of the hungry. We are glad, however that the Mayor was withdrawn his ill-advised plan to increase the prices of school lunches.“

Adult Literacy

The New York City Coalition for Adult Literacy (NYCCAL) expressed disappointment at the lack of funding for adult literacy in Mayor Bloomberg’s FY preliminary budget, continuing the downward trend in the Administration’s inclusion of adult literacy programs in the City’s budget. Over the last four years, the City’s investment in DYCD’s Adult Literacy programs has fallen by over 80% from $5.2 million in FY 2010 to just $1 million in FY 2013, restored by the City Council for one year. This has resulted in the loss of over 6,000 classroom seats in a city with over 3 million immigrants and 1 million adults lacking a high school diploma.

“After years of budget cuts, providers are forced to decrease their classes while still trying to serve a growing population,“ said Christina Curran, Director of Adult Education for the Fifth Avenue Committee. “Prospective students are on the waitlist six to eight months, which already has 200 names on it. The demand is overwhelming.“

NYCCAL calls on the Mayor and the City Council to work together to restore city funding for essential community-based adult literacy programs and consider the long-term benefits of these programs.

Child Protective Services

“FPWA remains concerned about the impact of a $1.8 million budget cut proposed for the Administration for Children’s Services Division of Child Protection (DCP,“ stated Noah Franklin, Senior Policy Analyst for Child Welfare and Workforce Development.   “In the past, ACS has made efforts to increase utilization in General Preventive services by working with Child Protective Services staff to refer more cases to general preventive service providers.  While ACS has claimed that caseloads will not be affected as a result of proposed staff cuts, we are concerned that budget cuts would lead to higher Protective Services caseloads for the remaining managers and a reduction of DCP’s capacity to make timely referrals to general preventive service providers.“

HIV/AIDS

“FPWA is concerned about the proposal of the Department of Social Services to align rental assistance levels with medical necessity.  It is unclear in what way this action would help improve the efficiency of the HIV/AIDS program when only low-income people with an AIDS diagnosis are eligible for the benefits.  It is also unclear what methodology and information will be used to complete the assessment,” stated Esther Lok, Assistant Director of Policy, Advocacy and Research and Senior Policy Analyst for HIV/AIDS.

Some Good News

“The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) is appreciative that the Mayor has continued to baseline funding for child welfare preventive services,“ stated Jennifer Jones Austin, Executive Director & CEO.  “We are also happy to see that no funding cut was made to aging services.  This is particularly important given the projected growth of the older adult population in New York City.“

Filed Under: After School, Child Care, Children, Food, HIV/AIDS, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Good News & The Bad in Governor’s Budget

January 25, 2013 2:28 pm Leave a Comment

Nonprofit providers and advocates are continuing to examine Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Budget Proposal for FY2013-14 to determine the potential impacts on human services programs.   Here are some more comments on what the sector likes and doesn’t like.

Early Childhood

The Governor’s inclusion of a $25 million increase for full day Pre-K, on the other hand, drew widespread praise from advocates, including the Ready for Kindergarten, Ready for College Campaign, a coalition of early childhood, education and community organizations. The new full day Pre-K funding would be the first state sponsored full-day pre-kindergarten program in the New York.

“Governor Cuomo’s plan to create the first state-funded, full-day pre-kindergarten initiative is a welcome and important step,” said Billy Easton, Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Education. “Full-day pre-kindergarten increases student success in school, raises graduation rates, and increases lifetime earnings of students. This initiative builds on the long term leadership of Speaker Sheldon Silver on providing pre-kindergarten to four year olds.”

“Investing in full day Pre-K provides a major return on investment, both boosting our kids’ success and providing savings in the long term,” said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. “This investment is a great step toward providing our kids with the path to success and making our communities strong.”

“Governor Cuomo has made it clear that our youngest learners should be a key priority for New York State,” said Nancy Kolben, Executive Director, Center for Children’s Initiatives. “We know that investing in full day Pre-K drastically increases our children’s chances at success in the future, making this a very wise initiative.”

“There is strong and significant research that shows that high quality early care and learning improves educational outcomes, reduces disparities and saves money,” said Kate Breslin of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy and WinningBeginning NY. “The Governor’s plan to expand full-day Pre-K is a strong first step to reaching at-risk children early for lasting impact. We are eager to work with policymakers to ensure that the State makes sound investments in high quality early education.”

“Governor Cuomo has embraced the critical role early education plays in our children’s educational foundation, acknowledging that success in school is determined largely by the experiences children have before they start Kindergarten,” said Dana E. Friedman, Ed.D., Founder and President, The Early Years Institute. “With investment in full day Pre-K, especially in high needs districts, we’ll be able to ensure that our most vulnerable children will have more opportunities, putting them on a stronger path to school readiness.”

“The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) applauds Governor Cuomo for including vital early childhood education funding increases for low-income children and their working parents in the Executive Budge,” said Jennifer Jones Austin, Executive Director & CEO.  “The $25 million to support full-day pre-kindergarten programs for high-need students in low-income communities will ensure that these children will enter school more ready to learn.”

Behavioral Health

At first blush, providers and advocates seemed relieved … and perhaps pleasantly surprised by what they saw in the Governor’s proposals for mental health services.

“There were no cuts to the community safety net and perhaps the promise of some increased savings through reinvestment savings from anticipated hospital downsizing,” noted Harvey Rosenthal, Executive Director of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS).    Rosenthal also noted that there appeared to be positives in enhancements to Health Homes and additional community housing.

“We like very much the emphasis on community housing,” said Phillip Saperia, Executive Director of the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies.  While waiting for additional detail, he also praised the proposed restructuring of the State’s psychiatric centers.  “This system has needed close scrutiny and some fixing for a long time,” he said.  “The fact that they are going to look at it is good… and the fact that they are going to reinvest savings into community services is really good.”

On the other hand, Andrea Smyth, Executive Director of the NYS Coalition for Children’s Mental Health Services argues that the failure to offer COLAs and rate increases to keep pace with inflation has a detrimental impact on services.  She notes that a recent review of children’s outpatient mental health clinics showed 20 of 22 clinics losing significant amounts of money.  “Despite widespread public awareness that the children’s behavioral health care system’s capacity is not robust enough to meet the needs of all the kids with unmet mental health needs, the Governor fails to make investments that are on parity with the recommendations in the general health care field,” she says.

Substance Abuse Services

While still waiting for additional budget details, John Coppola, Executive Director of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of NYS, expressed concern over whether sufficient resources were being provided to meet the growing demand for services.  He pointed to reports of increased heroin usage and forecasts of even greater growth in response to legislative action to clamp down on physicians in an effort to curb prescriptions drug abuse.   He also noted that cuts in federal funding had substantially reduced funding at the State level for prevention programming.

“It is disappointing that there hasn’t been a stronger policy initiative focused on misuse of drugs and that the budget doesn’t reflect any new initiatives in this area,” he said.

At the same time, Coppola expressed some hope that improved integration of substance abuse services with other healthcare providers might leverage savings in the Department of Health budget that could be used to fund treatment.

Health & HIV/AIDS

“FPWA is very pleased to know that the Governor has committed $15 million to develop the Health Homes infrastructure. We hope some of this funding will be allocated to community-based organizations to develop capacity for health information technology,” stated Esther Lok, Assistant Director of Policy, Advocacy and Research and Senior Policy Analyst for HIV/AIDS.  “FPWA is, however, concerned about the funding reduction made to the AIDS Institute and the lack of clarity on the level of appropriation to HIV/AIDS programs.  New York State has made tremendous progress toward achieving the national goal of zero HIV infections.  Resources for prevention, care and support services should be kept intact.”

Filed Under: Child Care, Finance, Health, HIV/AIDS, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Left Flat: Innovative Programs but No COLAs

January 24, 2013 3:33 pm Leave a Comment

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo rolled out his proposed FY2013-14 Executive Budget on Tuesday, expressing obvious pride and satisfaction that he would once again be able to close a $1.3 billion budget gap with no new taxes.  The $136.5 billion budget – the Governor’s third – is built on a base of fiscal and programmatic reform during the two prior years, he emphasized.

“By making difficult decisions over the past two years we have brought stability, predictability, and common sense to the state’s budget process,” Governor Cuomo said. “Two consecutive fiscally responsible budgets have drastically reduced the deficit we face in this fiscal year and those we will face in years to come. As a result, we are able to make critical investments to build a world-class education system, support job creating projects in all corners of the state, provide assistance to local governments, and rebuild communities that were hit hard by Superstorm Sandy.”

As previewed in the Governor’s State of the State Address a week earlier, the budget features a number of programmatic initiatives strongly favored by the nonprofit human services community.  These include:

A $25 million proposal to support Full-Day Pre-kindergarten in lower wealth school districts;

A $20 million Extended Learning Time proposal to provide increased learning opportunities through high-quality extended school day or extended school year programs;

A Community Schools proposal to support the integration of social, health and other services, as well as after-school programming to support students and their families.

A Minimum Wage increase from $7.25 to $8.75 an hour;

A $1 billion House NY proposal to finance the creation and preservation of more than 14,300 affordable housing units over five years;

Creation of a $100 million “Pay for Success” social impact bond program to undertake cost effective human services programs over the next five years;

Expansion of the “Close to Home” Juvenile Justice Reform initiative to additional counties outside New York City;

Continued “Right-Sizing” of prison capacity through the closure of two prisons – Bayview in Manhattan and Beacon in Dutchess County, to save $18.7 million in 2013-14 and $62.1 million in 2014-15;

The regionalization and restructuring of state psychiatric centers by creating “regional centers of excellence” to diagnosis and treat individuals with complex behavioral health issues, with expected savings to be reinvested in community-based services.

The development of 1,000 supported housing units for residents of nursing homes (including 400 by the end of 2014), 4,000 supported housing beds for individuals in adult homes (including1,400 by the end of 2014), and 3,400 beds for the homeless housing program in New York City (including 634 by the end of 2014).

Filed Under: Child Care, Children, Finance, Housing, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News, Youths Tagged With: ,

NYS Child Care Least Affordable in Nation

August 20, 2012 1:07 am Leave a Comment

New York State has the unfortunate distinction of having the “least affordable” child care in the nation, according to a new report issued by Child Care Aware® of America (formerly NACCRRA, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies).    The report – Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2012, determines affordability by looking at the cost of child care as a percentage of state median income for a two-parent family. The 10 least affordable states (in ranked order) for full-time center-based infant care in 2011 were: New York, Minnesota, Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Indiana and Wisconsin.

In New York the average annual cost for center-based care for an infant is $14,009, more than twice the average one-year tuition and fees for a SUNY college.  In New York, the average cost of center-based child care for two children (an infant and a 4-year-old) is $25,594, again, more than twice the average rent for one year in New York State.  New Yorkers are not alone in struggling with the high cost of child care, however.  In every state and the District of Columbia, center-based child care costs for two children (an infant and a 4-year-old) exceeded annual average rent payments.

“Families need child care in order to work,” said Marsha Basloe, Executive Director of the Early Care & Learning Council “But, we are facing a crisis.  As child care costs continue to rise, parents are faced with difficult decisions. Do I pay my rent, buy groceries or pay for child care? Parents are often forced to take their children out of regulated care and place them in unlicensed care where the quality is unknown. While parents may not always be able to afford to place their children in quality child care, we as a state can’t afford not to.”

Click here to download a full copy of the report.

Filed Under: After School, Child Care, Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Top News Tagged With: , , ,

OST & Child Care Cuts Hit Neediest Communities

June 21, 2012 1:21 pm Leave a Comment

New Out-of-School Time (OST) and EarlyLearn NYC contract award recommendations — which embody staggering cuts to both after school and early childhood programs — will not focus services on those New Yorkers who need them most as the Bloomberg administration has claimed, according to a new report issued by the Campaign for Children.  The report offers evidence showing that the Mayor’s cuts to child care and after-school programs will hit hardest in New York City’s most struggling communities, particularly those suffering from high rates of childhood obesity, rampant unemployment, low school achievement, and high rates of poverty.

The Campaign for Children report disputes the City’s claim that they have concentrated the cuts in “non-priority” or lower-need ZIP codes. In a case study on cuts to the Out-of-School Time (OST) after-school system, the report finds that the areas losing the most OST after-school programs are also

  • Neighborhoods with the highest rates of childhood obesity: Washington Heights (MNHTN), Bushwick (BK), and Williamsburg/Greenpoint (BK).
  • Neighborhoods with the lowest school achievement: Mott Haven (BX), Sunset Park (BK), Morissania (BX), Bushwick (BK), Highbridge (BX), Hunts Point (BX), East Tremont (BX), and Brownsville (BK).
  • Neighborhoods with the highest rates of poverty and unemployment: Mott Haven (BX), Morissania (BX), Brownsville (BK), University Heights (BX), and South Crown Heights (BK).

Click here to download a copy of the full report.

Advocates emphasized that while the Mayor has taken aim at curbing obesity rates through banning large sugary drinks, he is simultaneously cutting programs that offer children from low-income communities healthy meals and recreational activities.

“As we look at how the cuts to child care and after-school will affect New York City’s most vulnerable children, how can our City’s leaders disagree that these cuts are unconscionable?” said Stephanie Gendell of Citizens’ Committee for Children, an advocate from the Campaign for Children. “Where there are hard-working parents struggling to make ends meet, and children without any other safe place to go, we simply cannot take away these essential programs.”

Included in the report is a map showing the neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown of cuts to the Out-of-School Time (OST) after-school system. The OST system was created by Mayor Bloomberg in 2005 as the nation’s largest and most cohesive after-school system, serving 85,000 children at its height in 2009. With this year’s proposed budget cuts, the OST system will be reduced by half. 191 programs will be forced to close, and only 25,000 children will have access to programs next year.

“Our after-school programs provide a structured, educational environment for children in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, and our curriculum includes dance and other recreational activities. Now the City wants to cut nearly two-thirds of our programs. If they lose their after-school programs, where will the children go? There is gun violence on our streets,” said Leslie Mantrone, Deputy Director of School and Community Based Programs at East Side House Settlement in Mott Haven. “In our community, these programs are a lifeline. We need to keep our children safe, active and learning, and we need to keep our parents in the workforce.”

“If I lose after-school for my son, I will have to go on public assistance just to make sure he has a safe place to be outside of school hours,” said parent Ada De la Rosa. “This decision would devastate me, but I have no other choice. Why would the City do this to hard-working parents who are already struggling just to get by?”

“I cannot help but dread the fate that awaits thousands of children and families who rely on the early childhood and after-school programs that are on the chopping block,” said Children’s Aid Society President and CEO Richard Buery. “The cuts will be particularly devastating to low-income children and their families, especially in neighborhoods such as Washington Heights and the Morrisania section of the South Bronx—two of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods—which will face alarming reductions in after-school programs of 67% and 91% respectively.”

Filed Under: After School, Child Care, Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , ,

Young Fathers Face Obstacles in Providing for Their Children

June 15, 2012 7:15 pm 1 Comment

A new report released today by the Resilience Advocacy Project (RAP) focuses on the challenges faced and posed by the tens of thousands of young fathers in New York City as well as their potential to move their children out of poverty.

“Who Cares About New York’s Teen Dads? How Family Court Reform Can Help Break a Cycle of Poverty” paints a portrait of a group about which little is known. Using national data, city statistics, its own research and anecdotal evidence, RAP, a child and youth advocacy organization working to break cycles of poverty, finds the city’s population of young  and teen/adolescent fathers woefully undereducated and faced with bleak employment prospects, yet expected to adeptly navigate legal proceedings and provide child support.

“These are severely undereducated and under-skilled young men,” says Brooke Richie, Executive Director of RAP, yet we expect them to negotiate Family Court and meet the same support obligations as adult fathers. “Our neglect of these young fathers imperils their children’s futures as well as their own.”

Though they typically neither live with, nor are married to, the teen mothers of their children, these fathers are generally involved with their offspring, the report finds, providing informal and emotional support, and eventually, financial support. This less formal support is critically important to their children, who reap significant developmental benefits from their involvement with both parents, says the group.

There are more than 30,000 children of teen parents in New York City; most of them live in poverty.  While the report demonstrates the value of a father’s non-financial support, Who Cares About New York’s Teen Dads? also uses Urban Institute and national child support data to show the vital economic value of the fathers’ financial child support in lifting their children out of poverty. According to RAP, the Urban Institute found that “for poor custodial parents who received child support, such monies represented 40% of their income.”

The report goes on to argue that Family Court fails to “facilitate teen fathers’ ability to provide economic and emotional support to their children.”  “Child support is a critical anti-poverty tool,” says Richie, but we need to do a better job of meeting these dads where they are educationally and developmentally if we want them to actually be able to provide financial support.”

Click here for a full copy of the report.

Filed Under: Career Connector, Child Care, Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News, Youths Tagged With: , , , , ,

Advocates Urge OST & Child Care Supporters to Vote in Daily News Poll

May 25, 2012 6:19 pm Leave a Comment

Advocates are urging supporters of after-school and child care services to express their opinions regarding Mayor Michael Bloombergs proposed cuts to these programs in a poll being conducted by the Daily News.

As of this morning, 96% of respondents agree that “Yes, the damage these cuts make have serious repercussions for a family and community” while just 4% stat that “No, in tough economic times, all programs are fair game for cuts”.

Click here to read a Daily News article on the cuts and take the survey.

Filed Under: After School, Child Care, Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , ,

Parents Say Cuts Will Force Them to Give Up Jobs

May 25, 2012 6:12 pm Leave a Comment

Thousands of New York City parents say they will be forced to give up their jobs and stay home with their children if Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed cuts to child care and Out-of-School Time (OST) programs go through as planned.   That was the findings of a survey conducted by the Campaign for Children, a coalition of advocacy and service organizations.  The Mayor’s budget for FY2012-2013, which begins on July 1st, calls for the elimination of after-school and child care services for 47,000 children.

Fully half of the parents (50%) currently using City subsidized child care services indicated that they would quit their jobs and stay home if the program was no longer available.  More than one-third (36%) of parents using after-school programs said the same.

In 16% of responses, parents who currently use after-school programs for their elementary and middle-school aged children said that they would leave the children home alone in the afternoons and during school holidays.   Approximately one-in-five parents (21%) using after-school and almost one quarter (23%) of parents using child care said they would leave their children with a relative.

The survey was conducted during the week of May 14-18 and the Campaign for Children received over 4,000 responses.

“If these cuts to child care and after-school are not restored, thousands of children will be left home alone, unsafe and unsupervised, without access to the educational, enriching environments that increase their likelihood of succeeding in school and decrease their likelihood of turning to drugs and violence,” said Jennifer March-Joly, Executive Director of Citizens’ Committee for Children and member of the Campaign for Children. “Thousands of parents will leave the workforce and be forced to turn to unemployment or public assistance just to provide for their families. In worst case scenarios, families will become homeless or children will be separated from their parents. This can’t be what New York City’s leaders want for our communities.”

“The results of this survey show the deeply troubling reality of what will happen to New York City if the cuts to child care and after-school are not restored in the final city budget,” said David Nocenti, Executive Director of Union Settlement. “This is a ripple effect that will harm our City’s children, working families, and economic stability in both the short and long terms. We urge Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn, and the City Council to listen to the voices of parents and fully fund child care and after-school in the final city budget.”

Click here to download the full report.

Filed Under: After School, Child Care, Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: ,
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