Advocates for Children of New York, Inc.
Protecting every child's right to learn
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Project Thrive (Students with Disabilities)
AFC has extensive expertise in the education-related rights of children with disabilities, and we put that expertise to work on several levels. We provide one-on-one legal representation and advocacy to help low-income families of children with disabilities get the educational services and support they need. We also offer free workshops throughout the city to bring training, information, and assistance on the education system to parents and the professionals who work with them. We address systemic problems with the education of students with disabilities through our policy work and when necessary, federal litigation. We coordinate and lead a collaborate effort called the ARISE Coalition, which brings together more than 50 different organizations and individuals to press for policy change to benefit children with disabilities in the New York City schools.
Project Achieve
AFC's Project Achieve advocates for the educational needs of children in or at risk of placement in foster care while building capacity in the agencies that serve them. Project staff operates satellite offices in child welfare agencies where they provide on-site assistance and training to caseworkers, birth parents, and foster parents to prepare them to address education-related issues affecting their children. Project staff also conducts policy advocacy on the city and state levels to improve educational outcomes for students in foster care.
Immigrant Students' Rights Project
AFC's bilingual project staff advocates on behalf of individual parents and their children, trains parents and community-based organizations serving immigrant families on education-related rights, monitors access to interpreters and translated materials in the city's schools, and collaborates with other groups to support communities seeking to improve outcomes for English Language Learners.
School Justice Project
AFC’s School Justice Project provides case advocacy and legal representation to address the educational needs of youth facing school suspension or court involvement. Through relationships built with social services agencies, community-based organizations, and community courts, project staff are able to reach the students who often fall through the cracks. The project also provides trainings and technical assistance to parents, young people, and the professionals who work with them. Finally, project staff advocate for systemic reform with respect to school discipline and school climate, as well as the education of court-involved youth.
NYS-TEACHS
AFC operates the New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students (NYS-TEACHS). This program focuses on building the capacity of school districts throughout the state to improve educational opportunities for homeless children and youth.
Early Childhood Education Project
AFC’s Early Childhood Education Project provides individual case assistance, community education, and policy advocacy to improve access to early childhood education for low-income children, ages 0–5, so that children can enter kindergarten prepared to succeed
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Advocates for Children of New York works to ensure a high-quality education for New York students who face barriers to academic success, focusing on students from low-income backgrounds who are at greatest risk for failure or discrimination in school because of their poverty, disability, race, ethnicity, immigrant or English Language Learner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, homelessness, or involvement in the foster care or juvenile justice systems. Our ultimate goal is for all children to succeed in schools and programs that meet their educational needs.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
AFC's unique and flexible approach to problem-solving gets students the support they need to succeed, educates and empowers families, and drives meaningful education reform. Our success results from our four integrated strategies: (1) We provide free advice and legal representation for families of students who are struggling or experiencing discrimination in school. We help them protect their education-related rights and obtain the educational support their children need. (2) Our free trainings and workshops provide pivotal information for parents, communities, and professionals, so that they may advocate effectively on behalf of their children. (3) Based on our “on the ground" experience, we conduct policy advocacy that spurs change in the education system and improves education outcomes. (4) When real change will not happen without a court order, our impact litigation provides the most vulnerable students protection under the law, gives them the opportunity to receive a quality education, and compels education reform.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Advocates for Children has been protecting the right to education for New York City's children for nearly 50 years. We are widely recognized as a leading authority on the nation's largest school system, particularly with respect to the education of students with disabilities; parents, professionals, and other advocates often turn to AFC for guidance in interpreting the extensive statutes and regulations that apply to special education. In addition, our staff of attorneys and advocates have deep expertise in the educational rights of populations such as immigrant students and English Language Learners, students in temporary housing, and court-involved youth.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2018, AFC provided advice, in-depth technical assistance, or direct legal representation in 8,249 matters for families throughout New York City. Last year AFC also taught an additional 10,000 parents and professionals to advocate effectively for themselves at 291 workshops throughout the five boroughs; distributed information at 14 fairs throughout New York City to more than 1,450 people; disseminated more than 650,000 printed and electronic documents (including fact sheets, guidebooks, newsletters, and email alerts); and answered over 3,500 calls on our Education Helpline. Our policy advocacy also saw significant wins, including $750 million in the city’s capital budget to make a third of the schools in every district fully accessible to students, parents, and educators with physical disabilities over the next five years.
While we are proud of our accomplishments, there is an unending demand for our services. We are always striving to provide assistance to as many families as possible and to use our limited resources efficiently and effectively.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Advocates for Children of New York, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 09/07/2023
Ms. Kimberley Harris
NBCUniversal
Term: 2022 -
Jamie Levitt
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Harriet Chan King
Paul Becker
Jessica Davis
140 Summer Partners
Matt Berke
Morgan Stanley
Brian Friedman
Brevan Howard
Eric Grossman
Morgan Stanley
Caroline Heller
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Maura Monaghan
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Jon Oram
Proskauer Rose LLP
Jonathan Polkes
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Veronica Wissel
Davis Polk
Lucy Fato
AIG
Carmita Alonso
Fragomen
Matt Darnall
Element Capital
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/07/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.