Advocates for Children of New York.

At Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), we are dedicated exclusively to protecting every child's right to an education, focusing on students from low-income backgrounds who are struggling in school or experiencing school discrimination of any kind.

For 50 years, our staff of attorneys and education specialists have successfully helped hundreds of thousands of families by providing free legal and advocacy services, including representation at school-related hearings and appeals, and teaching families what they need to know to stand up for their children's educational rights.

AFC also works to change education policy so that the public school system serves ALL children of New York City effectively. For more information about policy advocacy and litigation, please click on the links.

To learn more about the populations we serve, go to:

Early childhood: children ages 0-5
Students with disabilities
Students who are over-age for their grade level
Immigrant students and English Language Learners (ELLs)
Students facing disciplinary issues
Youth involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems
Students involved in bullying incidents
Students in foster care
Students in temporary housing
Students attending charter schools
Advocates for Children of New York (AFC)'s mission is to ensure a high-quality education for New York students who face barriers to academic success, focusing on students from low-income backgrounds.

AFC achieves this through four integrated strategies:

Free advice and legal representation for families of students;
Free trainings and workshops for parents, communities, and educators and other professionals, to equip them to advocate on behalf of students;
Policy advocacy to effect change in the education system and improve education outcomes; and
Impact litigation to protect the right to quality education and to compel needed education reform.

Our History

In 1971, three education activists created Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) to address the desperate need for skilled intervention to protect New York City children from inappropriate suspension; improve education for young people with disabilities; and foster communication between schools and parents. To this day, AFC leads the charge for access to quality education for ALL New York City students, focusing on the children and youth who are most likely to experience failure or discrimination in school because of poverty, disability, race, ethnicity, immigrant or English Language Learner status, homelessness, sexual orientation, gender identity, or involvement in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. No other city-wide organization works in the trenches, providing students and their families with the one-on-one guidance and advocacy they need, while at the same time, pressing for systemic reforms that benefit ALL students.

Locations	No. of Attorneys
New York City, NY	2