Richard Buery, The Children’s Aid Society President and CEO:
“The Children’s Aid Society thanks Governor Cuomo and the members of the New York State Education Reform Commission for delivering a robust ‘action plan’ with a welcome focus on New York’s highest-needs neighborhoods. It signifies an urgent call to put all children on a path to success in college and adulthood.
As an organization with a history of innovation and broad experience implementing proven strategies such as early childhood education, community schools and after-school and extended learning programs, The Children’s Aid Society is gratified to see each of these models cited in the report’s recommendations. We know that children living in poverty lag behind their peers without access to early childhood programs that combine cognitive, physical, social-emotional and language development and that help build a foundation for lifelong learning. We have proof that low-income students who attend community schools—which bring together under one roof essential academic, health and social services—make gains in attendance and academic performance, and their parents are more engaged at these schools. And we see every day that extended learning time—including after-school, weekend and summer programs—prevents learning loss, builds character and leadership skills in students, and keeps children and adolescents in safe and stable environments while their parents work.
We also applaud the report’s calls to strengthen programs that create a college-going culture for at-risk students and to create a school performance management system to increase accountability and transparency. As the report points out, long-term investments in evidence-based programs must be made at every stage of a child’s education, from birth to college graduation. We look forward to partnering with the state to realize this bold vision and we call on all state and local leaders to heed the report’s recommendations and to deliver on an educational agenda that keeps our promise to all New York’s children.”
About The Children’s Aid Society
The Children’s Aid Society is an independent, not-for-profit organization established to serve the children of New York City. Our mission is to help children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this by providing comprehensive supports to children and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods. Founded in 1853, it is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving New York’s neediest children. Services are provided in community schools, neighborhood centers, health clinics and camps. For additional information, please call Anthony Ramos at (212) 949-4938/ (917) 204-8214, email anthonyr@childrensaidsociety.org or visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.