That is Schuyler Center’s vision for New York’s future: a future in which every child has the opportunity to thrive, and where well-being is accessible to every family, in every region of the state. Read Schuyler Center’s 2023 Impact Report.
We believe New York’s leaders can and must center the needs of families when making policy decisions. And we are tenacious in delivering that message – along with the data to support it – to the governor, state legislators, government leaders, and policymakers.
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With the support of our donors and funders, Schuyler Center is a trusted leader in advocating for policy that centers children and families, especially those impacted by poverty and inequity.
Since 1872, SCAA’s work has had far-reaching impact. Together, we are proving that meaningful change is possible, and that a just future for all New Yorkers is within reach through effective advocacy, thoughtful analysis, and trusted leadership.
On November 1, Schuyler Center, Fostering Youth Success Alliance, and partners hosted the NYS Child Welfare Summit in Albany. In attendance were over 70 participants, from legislators to advocates, to state agencies, researchers, and community members, including parents and young people. It was a great day full of important discussions- thank you to everyone who attended!
The Summit kicked off with a joint presentation on the shared policy priorities of the Child and Family Wellbeing Action Network (CFWAN), an expanding group of advocates, providers, and people impacted by New York’s child welfare system. The Action Network is working towards a vision of New York where the state prioritizes investing in and implementing policies that strengthen and support children, youth and families. Following the presentation, sessions were held that focused on major issues in New York’s child welfare system:
Note: This commentary originally appeared in the Times Union on October 20, 2023.
Some populations are affected more deeply by current economic conditions, and state spending should reflect that.
By Dede Hill, Director of Policy
Last week, state agencies were required to submit their proposed budgets to the governor. The Division of the Budget sent out its annual “call letter” to agencies last month, setting spending parameters on agency budgets. Every agency received the same letter, with the same parameters.
This year, the instruction to agencies was to present budgets at the same level as last year. (In recent years, call letters have allowed agencies to increase their budgets by 2%.) The reasons cited include the end of historic levels of federal pandemic-era funding along with “softening economic activity, a reduction in State tax receipts, and a humanitarian crisis.”
While the tone of this call letter wasn’t surprising, it is disappointing to see Gov. Kathy Hochul persist in the longstanding and deeply inequitable practice of setting the same spending limits on all agencies. This practice ignores the fact that tough economic conditions have disproportionate impacts on different sectors and communities, requiring differing responses from the state.
This blanket approach stands to disproportionately harm agencies that have been chronically underfunded, among them the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the Office of Children and Family Services, both of which serve the very New Yorkers hit hardest by the state’s current challenges.
Households that have had to tighten their family budgets understand that the process begins with looking at areas where cuts will be the least painful: Maybe that’s going out to dinner less often, spending less on entertaining, or cutting back on extra purchases. It wouldn’t make sense to start with cutting back on essentials like mortgage payments and child care. Budgeting requires careful consideration, not a one-size-fits-all approach to every type of spending. The same goes for New York’s budget: Some spending areas can be limited less painfully than others, and the impact is not the same across the board.
As policy director of a nonprofit that advocates for initiatives that prioritize children and families affected by poverty, I have watched this budget dance for many years. And each year, the agencies charged with supporting the state’s least powerful, most marginalized residents are left to shoulder the challenges of tight budgets. This includes agencies serving low-income New Yorkers, children and families involved in the child welfare system, immigrants and those living with disabilities or experiencing homelessness. These are the agencies and populations most in need of state investment.
One result of this model: For more than a decade, New York has ranked in the bottom third of states for our rate of child poverty: New York children are more likely to live in poverty than in 32 other states.
If New York is truly committed to becoming a more affordable state for young families and seniors; to turning the tide on child poverty; and to ensuring that all residents are safely housed and well nourished, we must create a new budget playbook, starting now.
There is still time to get it right. As the next Executive Budget is crafted, Gov. Hochul and the Division of the Budget must return to these agencies – the ones charged with ensuring the health and well-being of the state’s children and communities marginalized by systemic racism, ill-health, disability and poverty – and ask for updated budgets that adequately and equitably meet the most pressing needs of the populations they serve.
At the same time, all agencies should be asked to include budget policies that will reduce or mitigate child poverty and improve racial equity. Finally, if the governor determines cuts are needed, agencies that are better able to tolerate cuts in the current environment should be the ones asked to scale back.
With realistic agency budgets in hand, budgets that center low-income and marginalized New Yorkers, the governor will be able to create an equitable Executive Budget that brings relief to the New Yorkers hit hardest by the sky-high food prices, runaway housing costs, and child care shortages roiling the state. And that will be a budget that truly reflects who we are as New Yorkers.
This series of virtual and in-person policy discussions kicked off in June 2023, and examines the intersections of child poverty reduction and other policy areas, including health, early childhood policy, and immigration. Panelists have included policy experts, pediatricians, parent advocates, NYS agency leaders, youth partners, and others invested in ending child poverty in New York State.
Centering Children in the New York State Budget– January 2024 webinar
January 12, 2024 at noon
As Albany gears up for the 2024 New York State legislative session, this insider conversation looks at what we expect (and hope!) to see in this year’s state budget and the investments needed to make New York State a place where families can afford to live, grow, and thrive.
In this webinar, Schuyler Center’s Kate Breslin and Dede Hill discuss budget priorities for New York’s children and families, answer questions, and share resources as we kick off 2024.
The Power of Guaranteed Income Programs– December 2023 webinar
There are several guaranteed income pilot programs across the state and country. These programs provide a basic income to participants, with no work requirement. During this webinar, panelists discussed lessons learned from these pilot programs, the experience as a participant, and how this type of policy can combat child poverty. View the webinar recording.
Panelists:
Steph Silkowski, Director of Policy & Strategic Initiatives, The Bridge Project
Children in Immigrant Families – October 2023 webinar
For children in immigrant families, there can be many barriers to services that support well-being. This discussion with immigration and policy experts examined how New York can best support all children, why those investments matter, and opportunities to support the newest New Yorkers. View the webinar recording.
Panelists:
Lillie Hinkle, Associate Policy Analyst, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute
Early Childhood Foundations – September 2023, in-person event
This discussion with early childhood experts focused on the intersections of early childhood development and the experience of poverty, as well as the policy interventions that have proven to be effective for families. Held in Albany at The Bull Moose Club, the event brought together advocates, policymakers, community leaders, and state agency leadership. View the recording here.
The discussion was moderated by David Lombardo, host of The Capitol Pressroom, with panelists:
For families experiencing poverty, there are many barriers to consistent, quality health care. This discussion with leading child health and policy experts focused on how New York supports health for all children, opportunities for improvement, and recommendations for action that addresses health goals within child poverty reduction efforts. View the recording here.
Panelists:
Dr. Benard Dreyer, Pediatrician, NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital Center
Progress Update on the Child Poverty Reduction Act – June 2023 webinar
The first in our discussion series included the co-chair and members of the NYS Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council. The conversation focused on the work the Council has done so far, goals for the coming months, and what lies ahead in pursuit of the Child Poverty Reduction Act goal to reduce the State’s child poverty rate by 50% by 2033. View the recording here.
Panelists:
Advisory Council co-chair Daniel Tietz, Commissioner of the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance;
Alyson Tarek, Assistant Secretary for Human Services and Mental Hygiene, NYS Executive Chamber; and
Advisory Council member Candace Cabral, Parent Advocate.
Chair of the Schuyler Center Board of Trustees, Paul Kaye, MD, has been a pediatrician for 30 years and medical director of Hudson River HealthCare (HRHCare) since 1991. Paul has served on the Schuyler Center board for over 20 years. He has also served on numerous quality and health information technology advisory groups for both state and federal governments, and was a national faculty member of the Bureau of Primary Health Care’s Health Disparities Collaboratives.
Organizational Affiliation and/or Professional Information:
Sun River Health – Executive Vice President for Practice Transformation
Why do you serve on the Schuyler Center Board?
I am honored to join generations of SCAA Board members who have supported outstanding advocates for over 150 years in a quest for justice. Currently, under the leadership of Kate Breslin, our remarkable staff is making steady inroads into decades of inequity and injustice.
What does the work of the Schuyler Center mean to you? Why is it important?
I have always appreciated the nuanced, insider approach that has characterized SCAA’s successes over more than a century. Using facts coupled with stories and observations from the field, we have relied on dogged persuasion rather than bombast to win the trust of policymakers of both parties. Our endowment gives us the freedom to speak our mind and the independence to be free from self interest.
What are your hopes for the future of the organization?
I am hoping we continue to be worthy of the legacy we’ve inherited. That will require us to do what generations before have done: provide the financial base from which our indolence springs. I am hoping that we will continue to grow our endowment and welcome new donors to support this transformative work.
Elizabeth Palley, JD, Ph.D., MSW Professor at the Adelphi University School of Social Work
Schuyler Center welcomes the newest member of the Board of Trustees, Elizabeth Palley. Dr. Palley joined the Board earlier this year. We asked her to share a bit about why she serves on the Board, and what the work of the Schuyler Center means to her.
Why drew you to serve on the Schuyler Center Board? I learned about the Schuyler Center while doing child care advocacy work. I was impressed by the people I worked with from the organization and was thrilled to be asked to serve on the board.
What does the work of the Schuyler Center mean to you? Why is it important? The Schuyler Center does amazing advocacy work on behalf of children and families. They make sure that the needs of the underserved in our communities are part of policy conversations and help center the voices of people from those communities. They help to organize others in the advocacy community so that we can make more of a difference. I have also been impressed with how well they are able to include providers and former providers in their advocacy around child care.
What are your hopes for the future of the organization? I hope that the Schuyler Center will continue to do the good work that it is doing, advocating for immigrant and refugee families, access to health care for low-income families, universal child care, ending child poverty, and promoting family well-being.
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