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Mayor's FY 2014 Preliminary Budget Hurts Asian Pacific American Children and Families
We understand that difficult budgetary decisions must be made to ensure New York City can continue to weather the ongoing economic downturn, especially with the effects of Sandy. However, we cannot accept the continued irrational cuts to agencies that provide services supporting children and families. While we agree with the Mayor that education is a priority, the cuts made are not in the best interest of these same children. The Mayor stated that the city would protect the basic services that safeguard our quality of life and support growth in our city's economy but continues to cut the essential services that support New York City working families. In the Asian Pacific American community, where 1 out of 2 children is born into poverty, and 1 out of 4 children do not graduate high school on time or at all, these cuts will have severe consequences that will disproportionately affect our community. Additionally, in a community where 1 out of 8 Asian Pacific Americans do not have health insurance, the well-being of families is put at further risk with elimination of the Early Intervention Program. We urge the Mayor and City Council to work together to restore these budget priorities in the Mayor's Executive Budget for New York City's fastest growing community.
CACF STatement on governor's executive budget
In these tough economic times, we are glad to see that education continues to be a priority for the Governor with a 4.4% increase in educational spending. In New York City where 1 out of 4 Asian Pacific American students do not graduate on time, we support the increased funding to School Aid and programs such as full-day Pre-Kindergarten and extended learning time. We urge the Governor and State Legislature to ensure these programs are reaching the high English Language Learner population that fills our schools today. With 1 out of 8 Asian Pacific Americans uninsured, we are also glad to see the Health Benefit Exchange is on track to help insure at least one million more New Yorkers with reductions in individual and small business premiums. However, we urge the Governor and Legislature to also ensure language access to the Exchange and to prioritize the Asian Pacific American community in patient navigator and outreach/education initiatives. We applaud the Governor's proposal to increase the minimum wage and believe it illustrates his understanding of the challenges New Yorkers are facing. As the fastest growing population in New York State, many Asian Pacific American families will benefit from this increase. We look forward to working with our state leaders to ensure these investments will benefit all New Yorkers.
view CACF's latest responses
View CACF's Response to Governor Cuomo's 2013 State of the State
View CACF's Response to New York Education Reform Commission's Preliminary Action Plan
Now Available to Download!
Protecting the Health of Our Children and Families: An Immigrant Guide to Understand the Healthcare System in New York City
Learning about New York City's healthcare system can be very confusing. This guide aims to help immigrant families understand their rights to receive health care and how they can pay for it.
The guide is available in Bengali, Chinese, Korean and Urdu.
project charge statement on the supreme court ruling to uphold the affordable care act
On June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
As a collaborative working to improve the health and well-being of the Asian Pacific American community in New York City, Project CHARGE celebrates the Supreme Court's decision that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutional. The ruling paves the way for New York to continue to move forward with setting up its Exchange, established by Governor Cuomo's April 12, 2012 Executive Order. The State has already received $87.6 million in ACA grants for research, planning, information technology development, and implementation of its Exchange.
"The Supreme Court's decision to uphold ACA is a tremendous victory for ALL communities, including Asian Pacific American New Yorkers where 1 out of 8 is uninsured. Project CHARGE views ACA as a necessary step to moving our nation towards health equity and ensuring that everyone will have access to high quality and affordable care. Health care is an important facilitator for individuals and communities, including Asian Pacific Americans, to excel and contribute to our nation. We will continue to work with local and national policymakers to build on these improvements and create a truly inclusive and accessible health care system," said Noilyn Abesamis-Mendoza, Director of Project CHARGE.
CACF statement on fy 2013 nyc budget agreement
CACF Applauds Investment in Child Care, Afterschool, and Education
In response to the agreement on the FY 2013 New York City budget, Wayne Ho, Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), said, "We would like to thank Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn, and the City Council for recognizing that the priority of New York City should be the future of our children. CACF is delighted to have been a member of the Campaign for Children and applaud the $150 million in restoration to child care and afterschool programs, preserving these vital services for children and working families. We support the increases in education funding and teachers, and we encourage the Department of Education to ensure that these increased resources support English Language Learners, who have the highest dropout rate. Of all racial groups in New York City, Asian Pacific Americans have the highest rate of linguistic isolation (28%) and the second highest rate of poverty (26%). Investing in child care, afterschool, and education is critical for Asian Pacific American children to grow up healthy and safe. We therefore urge the Mayor and City Council to ensure that the funding which was restored continue to go to organizations providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services to the growing and diverse Asian Pacific American community."
RELEASE of "planting seeds of change"
On May 15, 2012, the APA HEALIN's collaborative (Healthy Eating and Active Living in Our Neighborhoods) released their publication, "Planting Seeds of Change: Strategies for Engaging Asian Pacific Americans in Healthy Eating and Active Living Initiatives". The event took place at the Asian Americans for Equality office in the Lower East Side and included a special guest speaker, Dr. Kristin Reynolds, presentation of key findings, and a photography exhibit. This 23-page report draws on results from an innovative technique called Photovoice involving 28 community members, community-level data of 308 surveys, as well as extensive input from key stakeholders.
Funding for this report was generously provided by the Asian Pacific American Partners for Empowerment, Leadership and Advocacy (APPEAL) as part of the National Asian American and Pacific Islander Network to Eliminate Health Disparities (NAPNEHD). Special thanks to our collaborative partners: Adhikaar, Asian Americans for Equality, Indochinese Sino-American Community Center, and the Kalusugan Coalition for their support.
Click here for more information.
4th annual asian pacific american
city advocacy day
Over 45 Community Groups United to Fight for a Fair Budget
On May 9, 2012, the 13% and Growing Coalition gathered more than 200 community members, advocates, and allies at City Hall for the 4th Annual Asian Pacific American City Advocacy Day to protest budget cuts and demand equitable funding for the Asian Pacific American community. The 13% and Growing Coalition, co-led by CACF and the MinKwon Center for Community Action, unites over 45 Asian-led or -serving organizations in the City to fight for a fair budget that protects the most vulnerable Asian Pacific American New Yorkers, including children and youth, women, seniors, immigrants, and low-income individuals. The 13% and Growing Coalition released a policy brief entitled FY2012 Analysis of Discretionary Giving to Asian Pacific Americans, which finds that New York City Council discretionary funding to the Asian Pacific American community has increased but still falls short of meeting the needs of the City's fastest growing community.
Click here to view FY 2012 Analysis of Discretionary Giving to Asian Pacific Americans
Asian Pacific American organizations advocate for landmark legislation (A9792) to improve standards for data collection, analysis & reporting
Over 40 Community Organizations United to Demand Passage in New York State
On May 7, 2012, over 60 policy advocates, social service providers, community health workers, researchers, and community members joined Assemblywoman Grace Meng for New York State's 2012 Asian Pacific American Legislative Advocacy Day to advocate for landmark legislation (A9792) to demand that New York State collect, analyze, and disseminate disaggregated data on the diverse Asian Pacific American community. 2012 Asian Pacific American Legislative Advocacy Day was sponsored by Assemblywoman Grace Meng, AT&T, and AARP.
CACF statement on
MAYOR's FY 2013 Executive budget
Executive Budget Hurts Asian Pacific American Children and Families
"Today (5/3/12), Mayor Bloomberg released his Executive Budget for FY2013. We commend Mayor Bloomberg for restoring education funding to increase the number of teachers, and we encourage the Mayor to target teachers and other educational resources towards immigrant and ELL students. However, we cannot accept the continued irrational cuts to vital programs that support these same children and families," says Wayne Ho, Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. "In the Asian Pacific American community, where 1 out of 2 children is born into poverty and 1 out of 4 children does not graduate high school, the slashing of chid care and after school programs, which provide critical support for working families, will have both severe and disproportionate ramifications to already struggling communities. The Mayor needs to recognize the needs of the majority of New Yorkers and preserve these core services. Additionally, because 1 out of 8 Asian Pacific Americans does not have health insurance, the well-being of families is put in jeopardy with the continued cuts to Child Health Clinics and to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. We urge the Mayor and City Council to work together to restore these initiatives for New York City's fastest growing community and not to pass a budget balanced on the backs of the most vulnerable New Yorkers."
CACF statement on fy13 state budget
"We congratulate Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature for reaching a budget agreement which maintained many critical services and also accomplished the smallest budget gap in years. Specifically, we applaud the restorations to child care, early intervention services for special needs students, special education for pre-school students, and the $805 million in school aid for the State- all of which help to make the future of New York's children a priority. However we must make sure that the correct amount of school aid flows to New York City, where 1 out of every 5 Asian Pacific American students is an English Language Learner (ELL) and 1 out of every 4 Asian Pacific American high school students does not graduate on time or at all. Cuts to education and afterschool over the past few years have gutted many existing supports, and we need to work to ensure our young people have the resources they need to succeed," says Wayne Ho, Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF). "While we were happy to see that the budget included regulations requiring pharmacies to provide oral and written translation services for customers with limited English proficiency, it is disheartening to see that despite the Governor's leadership, politics prevented the biggest solution to our health care crisis- the Health Benefit Exchange Legislation- from being passed as part of the final budget agreement. In addition to bringing much needed revenue to the state, the Exchange would increase coverage for underserved New Yorkers. 1 out of 8 Asian Pacific Americans is without health insurance, and we urge the Governor and Legislature to work together to not only pass the Exchange, but also ensure language access in the Exchange to prioritize the Asian Pacific American community in patient navigator and outreach/education initiatives. Finally, we applaud the Governor and Legislature for restoring the 65%/35% State match for preventive services. We ask the Governor and Legislature to ensure that this match level is fully funded which will save the State money in the long-run by keeping children out of the costly foster care system. We look forward to our continued work together with the Governor, and the State Legislature to ensure the success of New York's children and families."
project charge statement on the
2nd anniversary of the
affordable care act and new york state health benefit exchange
March 23, 2012 marks the second anniversary since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable ACt (PPACA). In the two years since the law went into effect, millions of individuals, including many Asian Pacific Americans, have already benefited from expanded access to health insurance and improved protections for consumers. The PPACA improves the quality of health care coverage to 2.23 million people in New York State, including approximately 62,400 Asian Pacific Americans (APA). There are standards in the law that tackles the unique health care and human services disparities affecting Asian Pacific Americans.
Click here to read the full statement.
"We're not even allowed to ask for help": Debunking the myth of the model minority
On February 22, 2012, CACF and Pumphouse Projects held a community briefing to release a new report on Asian Pacific Americans and education. "We're Not Even Allowed to Ask for Help" addresses the issues faced by Asian Pacific American students striving and struggling to get an education in New York City public schools. This report provides data about the challenges in school climate that Asian Pacific American students are facing as well as the effects of poverty on Asian Pacific American students' education.
View "We're Not Even Allowed to Ask for Help" (February 2012, 54 pages)
View Technical Appendix
(February 2012, 49 pages)
View the community briefing presentation (February 22, 2012)
Asian pacific american organizations held largest third annual state legislative advocacy day
On February 13, 2012, over 70 policy advocates, social service providers, community health workers, researchers, and community members joined Assemblywoman Grace Meng for New York State's Third Annual Asian Pacific American Legislative Advocacy Day in order to ensure that the needs of the diverse Asian Pacific American community are understood and met by New York State policymakers.
See photos on CACF's Facebook page.
mayor's preliminary budget hurts asian pacific american children and families
"We understand that difficult budgetary decisions must be made to ensure New York City can continue to weather the ongoing economic downturn. While we agree with Mayor Bloomberg that education is a priority because our children are the 'future of our world, city, and country,' we cannot accept the continued irrational cuts to agencies that provide services that support these same children," says Wayne Ho, Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, "In the Asian Pacific American Community, where 1 out of every 2 children is born into poverty, and 1 out of 4 children do not graduate high school on time at all, the slashing of child care and after school programs, which provide vital support for working families, will have both severe and disproportionate ramifications to already struggling communities. Additionally, in a community where 1 out of 8 Asian Pacific Americans do not have health insurance, the well-being of families is put at further risk with near-elimination of the Early Intervention Program. We urge the Mayor and City Council to work together to restore these budget priorities in the Mayor's Executive Budget for New York City's fastest growing community, and to pass a budget that is not balanced on the backs of vulnerable New Yorkers."
For a link to Mayor Bloomberg's Preliminary Budget, click here.
CACF statement on governor's executive fy 2012-13 budget
"The nation's eyes are on New York State to be a leader in sustainable and progressive budget policy. We are pleased that Governor Cuomo makes the education of our youth a priority, but we disagree that the 4% increase in funding to municipalities, especially to those in need, is being tied to his education reform agenda. In New York City, where 1 out of every 4 Asian Pacific American student does not graduate, we cannot simply hold back much needed funding and must ensure increased funding goes to English Language Learner services," says Wayne Ho, Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF). "We agree with Governor Cuomo that the Health Insurance Benefit Exchange legislation must be passed, which will increase coverage for underserved New Yorkers and bring federal dollars to the State. Because 1 out of every 8 Asian Pacific American does not have health insurance, we urge the Governor and Legislature to also ensure language access to the Exchange and to prioritize the Asian Pacific American community in patient navigator and outreach/education initiatives. Finally, we urge the Governor and Legislature to fully fund the State's uncapped match of 65%/35% for child welfare preventative services. Without linguistically appropriate and culturally competent preventive services, many immigrant families will be unable to access the supports they need to keep their children safely at home. Cutting preventive services in the short-term will lead to more families being involved in the costlier foster care system in the long-term. We look forward to working with Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature on a Fiscal Year 2012-13 Budget that is fair to all New Yorkers."
CACF Statement on 2012 state of the city
Mayor Bloomberg's agenda for New York City focuses on education and other supports for New York City's youth, but changes must factor in the needs of Asian Pacific American children and families
Wayne Ho, CACF Executive Director, says, "We salute Mayor Bloomberg for laying out a plan for New York City with a strong focus on education and commitment to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families. We agree that New York City must work together to find solutions to improve our education system, attract the best teachers, and ensure all of our students have the opportunity to succeed. We know that to do this, there is a lot of work ahead, so we urge the Mayor and City Council to work on reforms that address the needs of the diverse Asian Pacific American (APA) community, where 1 out of 5 APA students is an English Language Learner (ELL); 1 out of 4 students does not graduate high school on time or at all; and out of those who do graduate, 1 out of 3 are not academically prepared for college coursework or careers. We were excited to hear about the Mayor's steadfast support for immigrant students with his promise for New York City to lead the charge for the New York State DREAM Act, which would allow many students in the APA community to afford a college education. Finally, we thank Mayor Bloomberg for planning to increase opportunities for youth through the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), which has been a critical support to teenagers around New York City to provide services while gaining leadersip and creating expanded capacity at many community based organizations in the APA community. We thank Mayor Bloomberg for all of his hard work, and look forward to working together to support the success of New York City's youth.
To see the full text of the Mayor's speech,
click here.
CACF statement on governor cuomo's "state of the State" address
Governor Cuomo's agenda for New York State addresses the needs of vulnerable children and families, but steps must be taken to ensure that the Asian Pacific American community's needs are met.
Vanessa Leung, CACF Deputy Director, says, "We applaud Governor Cuomo on presenting an agenda to push New York State forward as a progressive leader and as a state that prioritizes the needs of vulnerable children and families in tough economic times. We are elated that the Governor stood strong on the need for the Health Care Exchange to be implemented this year. 1 out of 8 Asian Pacific Americans does not have health insurance, and the Health Care Exchange is essential in creating a system that has historically forgotten so many. We urge the Governor to work with the State Legislature to ensure that the Health Care Exchange has adequate interpretation and translation services, prioritizes the Asian Pacific American community in patient navigator and outreach/education initiatives, and improves the collection and reporting of demographic data for Asian Pacific Americans within the exchange. Additionally, we commend the Governor's plan to increase the amount of children who should receive food stamps. In the Asian Pacific American community, where 1 out of 2 children are born into poverty, supports such as these are critical to the very basic well being of families. We also agree with Governor Cuomo that serious education reform must occur, and we look forward to working with the bipartisan education commission in the State Legislature to identify ways that the needs of the Asian Pacific American students can be better met. Finally, we urge the Governor to ensure that the Tax Reform and Fairness Commission identify ways to increase revenue in New York State without further cuts to already tattered human services programs. Asian Pacific Americans are, by percentage, the fastest growing population in America, nearly doubling in size every decade. The success of New York State and our community are inextricably linked. We are excited to work closely with Governor Cuomo, the state legislature, and our State Agencies for a brighter future for all New Yorkers.
CACF Member agencies meet with new acs commissioner ron richter
On Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 13 CACF member agencies met with Administration for Children's Services (ACS) Commissioner Ron Richter. The meeting was an opportunity to hear from the newly-appointed commissioner regarding his plans for ACS, and for CACF members to advocate for stronger support and improved services for APA children and families in the child welfare system. Commissioner Richter expressed his ongoing committment to ensure that all children and families in New York have access to the services and support they need.
CAcf statement on tax reform deal
Governor Cuomo's plan a step in the right direction, but more has to be done to prevent future cuts to Asian Pacific American children and families.
Vanessa Leung, Deputy Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, says "We would like to congratulate Governer Cuomo and the State Legislature for coming together and reaching a very important compromise around changing current tax rates so that more wealthy New Yorkers pay their fair share. This is a step forward in balancing the budget on both sides by bringing in $1.9 billion in revenue to New York State. We agree with the Governor that a "cuts-only" approach would continue to chip away at already eroded services. The Asian Pacific American community is the fastest growing community in New York City, and 26% of the population lives in poverty. Continued cuts to safety net services for children and families would be devastating to our community. However, we also understand that this is not enough money to address New York State's fiscal problem. In order to close the $3.5 billion dollar budget gap, it is crucial that more revenue is raised. We urge the Governor and State Legislature to ensure that the new comission will reform the tax code so our state is no longer the seat of the highest income inequality in the country, and that our budget is not balanced on the backs of vulnerable New Yorkers.
CaCF Statement on mayor's november plan
Budget Modification will dramatically cut services to children and families.
Vanessa Leung, Deputy Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, says "The Mayor's November plan paints a bleak picture of New York City's future with the drastic cuts to agencies that provide critical services to children and families. Furthermore, immigrant communities such as the Asian Pacific American Community will be even harder hit. 1 out of every 2 Asian Pacific American children in New York City is born into poverty, and the population of Asian Pacific Americans is set to double every decade. The slashing of afterschool programs, health care programs, and early education will eradicate existing supports to Asian Pacific American communities, and have harsh consequences as the community grows in size. We urge the Mayor to reconsider these cuts and work with us and other advocates to identify ways to preserve these services, improve the lives of childre and families, and make way for a better New York City."
For more information on the Mayor's November Plan, click here.
CACF Statement on HHS Data Standards and MRT Health Disparities Proposals
This has been a tremendous week at the state and federal level in advancing efforts to reduce health disparities. On behalf of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, we applaud HHS and the MRT for putting forth a series of standards and proposals that will improve the health for millions of individuals and leads us towards greater health equity for all.
On October 31, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its final standards for collecting and reporting data on race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, and disability status. These standards implement Section 4302 of the Affordable Care Act, and set the minimum for the collection of demographic data in federally-sponsored surveys.
On November 1, 2011, Governor Andrew Cuomo's Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) voted yes on a comprehensive list of proposals to reduce health disparities and improve access for the diverse communities in New York State, including immigrants, people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ populations.
Click here for more information on HHS Data Standards and MRT Health Disparities Proposals
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