Immigration

Report: Funding cuts threaten services for asylum-seeking kids in NYC

The city launched child care for asylum-seekers and English language learning high school programs soon after migrants started to arrive. The future of those new initiatives is uncertain.

Since July 2022, New York City’s school system has helped enroll over 18,000 new students in temporary housing.

Since July 2022, New York City’s school system has helped enroll over 18,000 new students in temporary housing. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The future of several key programs that have helped support immigrant students is at risk – a looming reality made all the more urgent by the arrival of thousands of asylum-seeking families who’ve leaned on subsidized child care and intensive English classes while navigating a new city and school system, according to a new analysis from Advocates for Children of New York, an advocacy group focused on the educational rights of marginalized children.

Since July 2022, New York City’s school system has helped enroll over 18,000 new students in temporary housing. While the city does not ask students’ their immigration status, most of these children are believed to be recently arrived asylum-seekers from Latin America. The report, which was released Tuesday, charges that New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed budget for the coming fiscal year doesn’t make the investments needed to adequately support immigrant students. It also says that the ending of funding for programs like Promise NYC – a subsidized child care program for children who aren’t documented – and English language learning programs in six city high schools would likely have destabilizing ramifications for both children and their parents. 

Specialized child care for undocumented children

Adams launched Promise NYC in January 2023, billing it as a first-of-its-kind program intended to serve around 600 children whose parents’ immigration status makes them ineligible for other state and federally-funded child care services. (Undocumented kids are eligible for the city’s free 3-K and pre-K programs, but they are not specifically oriented toward recent arrivals nor are they open to the city’s youngest children.) Advocates say that the program has been a vital resource for families, allowing them to enter the workforce or have more time to search for a job and manage their immigration cases and apply for asylum. But the $10 million initially put forward by the city to fund the program was only enough to cover six months. Revenue is expected to dry up by the end of the month unless the Adams administration renews programming. While budget negotiations are ongoing, the Adams administration has yet to commit to renewing the program.

Pushback against the end of the program has grown. Over 60 different advocacy organizations urged Adams in a letter to extend funding for Promise NYC in March. A few weeks later, over a dozen City Council members and state lawmakers also pressed the city to allocate at least $20 million “to sustain and expand” the program. 

English language learning in high schools

The report also expressed concerns about what it described as a lack of funding for six newly launched high school programs in the outer boroughs aimed at helping high school immigrant students learn English.

Even before the influx of immigrant families began entering the public school system last year, the city has historically struggled to meet the needs of teenagers learning English. In one example, just 67% of English language learners who entered the ninth grade in 2018 graduated by August 2022, with 15.4% dropping out – more than triple the dropout rate of their peers, according to the report. 

Hoping to create more options for these teenagers, the city rolled out new programs at six existing transfer high schools in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens last fall specifically for newly arrived immigrants. While advocates have long called for the city to increase the number of transfer schools (which help students who are behind on credits or are in need of additional support) that specifically serve English Language Learners, the report said that the new programs haven’t received “sufficient resources to provide the intensive support that newcomer youth typically need.” Each of the six schools were allocated a mere $50,000 this year – less than the cost of employing a single Spanish-speaking teacher. Advocates for Children is calling for an additional $3 million to help support the programs.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said that all newcomers in upper grades who are identified as an English language learner will receive their mandated English services – and that all high schools are equipped to help them do so.

“Regardless of their immigration status or language spoken at home, every student deserves access to high-quality schools that meet their unique needs,” said Nicole Brownstein, director of media relations for the education department. “As we have done since we launched Project Open Arms, we will continue to work with students, families, and partners to ensure that newcomer students have what they need in our public schools.”

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.