Publications
All of CACF's publications are free to download and print. If you would like a copy mailed to you, please contact us. Certain publications are out of print.
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Healing the Health Care System: Asian American Voices for Health Care Reform
Recording Voices: Stories of Asian Pacific American Youth as Languge Brokers in New York City
Breaking the Barriers: Immigrant Families and Early Childhood Education in New York City
Crossing the Divide: Asian American Families and the Child Welfare System
A Seat at the Table: Toward a National Agenda for Asian Pacific American Children
Briefing book 2010
This briefing book provides an overview of the history, current critical issues, and policy recommendations in Child Welfare, Education, and Health. The briefing book is not an exhaustive list but provides a good starting point for anyone seeking to understand the current state of Asian Pacific American children and families in New York City.
Healing the Health Care System: Asian American Voices for Health care reform
Healing the Health Care System: Asian American Voices for Health Care Reform, produced by Project CHARGE (Coalition for Health Access to Reach Greater Equity), includes the following findings:
- Regardless of insurance coverage, Asian Americans are worried about health care costs.
- Language barriers exist for Asian Americans even with language access laws.
- Few health education and outreach efforts are targeting Asian Americans.
Based on these findings, Project CHARGE analyzed how particular provisions from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590) as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HR 4872) impacts the Asian American community. This report offers key recommendations which New York State do to be more effective in serving Asian Pacific American families.
View Healing the Health Care System
Bias-based harassment in new york city public schools: A report card on the department of education's implementation of chancellor's regulation a-832
Bias-based Harassment in New York City Public Schools: A Report Card on the Department of Education’s Implementation of Chancellor’s Regulation A-832, produced by the Sikh Coalition, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), assesses the DOE’s progress enforcing Chancellor’s Regulation A-832, which was issued last September to address student-to-student bullying and bias-based harassment. Based on a survey of more than 1,100 students and educators in the city’s public schools, the report card demonstrates that the regulation is not being fully implemented.
View Bias-Based Harassment in New York City Public Schools
Recording Voices: Stories of Asian Pacific American Youth as Language Brokers in NEw York City
Language brokering is the use of bilingual youths as translators and interpreters in daily situations without any special training. The increase use of language brokers in our community impacts health, education, and human service settings. New York City’s Asian Pacific American community has doubled every decade for the last 30 years, becoming the most rapidly expanding group of the city and accounting for 11 percent of the city’s population. Of the approximately 873,000 Asian Pacific Americans in New York City, 78 percent are foreign-born, 28 percent speak little or no English, and 53% are born into poverty. Recording Voices: Stories of Asian Pacific American Youth as Language Brokers in New York City provides a clearer picture of the impact of language brokering on the Asian Pacific American community.
View Recording Voices Policy Brief
keeping children safe and families together: a guide for immigrant families to UNDERSTAND child abuse and neglect laws and support services in new york
This multilingual parent education brochure provides information for Asian Pacific American parents on the child welfare system, appropriate childrearing practices, child discipline laws, parents’ and children’s rights, and support services. The brochure is available for free and is translated into seven languages.
View Bengali Brochure (May 2008, 16 pages)
View Chinese Brochure (May 2008, 16 pages)
View Hindi Brochure (May 2008, 16 pages)
View Korean Brochure (May 2008, 16 pages)
View Punjabi Brochure (May 2008, 16 pages)
View Urdu Brochure (May 2008, 16 pages)
View Vietnamese Brochure (May 2008, 16 pages)
Breaking the Barriers: Immigrant Families and Early Childhood Education in New York City
CACF was selected as 1 of 5 organizations by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) to conduct research on immigrant families and their access to early childhood education. This report focuses on Bangladeshi, Chinese, Dominican, Haitian, Korean and Russian communities of New York City. This policy brief:
- Identifies the strengths and challenges confronting immigrant families trying to access early childhood education.
- Promotes an understanding of the effective policies and practices that encourage immigrant families to participate in early childhood education programs.
- Increases knowledge of immigrant parents' perspectives, preferences, and expectations of early childhood education programs and experiences.
- Provides policy recommendations on improving immigrant families' access to early childhood education in New YorkCity.
Important findings conclude that many of New York City's immigrant families are unable to take advantage of the benefits of early childhood education because of barriers preventing their access to these programs.
View Breaking the Barrier Policy Brief (May 2008, 16 pages)
Connecting the Dots: Improving the Neighborhood-Based Child Welfare Services for Asian Pacific American Families
Connecting the Dots: Improving the Neighborhood-Based Child Welfare
Services for Asian Pacific American Families is our third report
on the Administration for Children's Services (ACS), New York City's
child welfare system. The report critically analyzes the needs
of Asian Pacific American families, the barriers to accessing child
welfare services, and the opportunities to develop collaboration with
the Asian Pacific American community. The report also offers timely,
feasible recommendations to reduce child abuse and neglect in the Asian
Pacific American community.
View Connecting the Dots Policy Brief (March 2007, 33 pages)
Building Bridges: Increasing Language Access for the Asian Pacific American Community of New York City
This policy brief on the quality of translation and interpretation services in the education, child welfare, and mental health systems of New York City:
- Examines the language barriers that Asian Pacific American children and families face when interacting with the education, child welfare, and mental health systems.
- Describes the relevant federal, state, and local laws mandating translation and interpretation services.
- Analyzes the actions being taken in New York City to provide language assistance services.
- Provides policy recommendations on improving language access for the diversifying and growing Asian Pacific American community.
According to the 2000 Census, Asian Pacific Americans are by percentage the fastest growing community in New York City. Asian Pacific Americans also have the highest percentage (28%) of any racial group to speak English "not well" or "not at all." As the Asian Pacific American population continues to grow, this policy brief explains why language access to necessary services is crucial for ensuring this community's important role in supporting the vitality and economy of New York City.
View Building Bridges Policy Brief (January 2006, 12 pages)
Hidden in Plain View: An Overview of the Needs of Asian American Students in the Public School System
The first-ever major report addressing the issues faced by Asian American students striving and struggling to get an education in New York City public schools. Education experts concur that the public school system faces significant challenges in effectively serving the growing Asian American community in New York City. Dropout rates for Asian Americans students have been increasing. Anti-immigrant sentiment in the aftermath of 9/11 has exacerbated the situation for Asian American children and youth who remain targets for bullying and harassment in schools. Schools are not equipped to address the increasing ethnic and language diversity that exists among Asian Americans, resulting in problems with student assessments, misunderstandings and the exclusion of Asian American parents from opportunities for parent involvement within the schools.
This report provides data and recommendations to policy makers; information for families and advocates; and opens a new dialogue on how schools can collaborate with Asian American community organizations to increase parent involvement and improve both the academic and informal education received by students.
View Hidden in Plain View (May 24, 2004; 40 pages)
Crossing the Divide: Asian American Families and The Child Welfare System
The first-ever major report addressing issues surrounding child abuse and neglect in the Asian American community and the City's child welfare system dealing with these issues. Community experts concur that increasing numbers of Asian American children will be reported to the child welfare system in the coming years, due to demographic growth and changes in the community. There is an ongoing lack of appropriate knowledge of Asian American cultures and languages within New York City's Administration for Children's Services and Family Court. This will continue to cause increases in unnecessary removals of children from their homes, and also in the time children linger in foster care without permanency.
This report provides data and recommendations to policy makers; information for families and advocates; and the beginning of a strategic plan for ACS and Family Court administrators to start to make the child welfare system and its processes more efficient.
View Crossing the Divide (January 23, 2002; 24 pages)
A Seat at the Table: Toward a National Agenda for Asian Pacific American Children
A summary of the proceedings from the Asian Pacific American advocacy building track at the 2000 national Children's Defense Fund Conference. These first time sessions, co-chaired by CACF, brought together service providers, educators, and advocates nationwide to identify needs and prioritize solutions for children and youth. The report summarizes discussions on bias crime and violence, K-12 education, poverty and welfare reform, child abuse and neglect, and substance abuse, mental health, and sexual health.
Half-Full or Half-Empty? Health Care, Child Care, and Youth Programs for Asian American Children in New York City
Half-Full or Half-Empty is the first major report on the status of New York City's Asian American children and families. The report reveals alarming statistics on how perceptions, policies, and legislative and budgetary priorities are affecting the growing and ever changing population of Asian American families. The report provides comprehensive data on Asian American children and families, identifies gaps in services, documents issues and trends, and links problems to solution.
Download Half-full or Half-Empty (April 1999; 34 pages)
Opening the Door: A Survey of the Cultural Competence of Foster Care Preventive Services to Asian and Latino Families in New York City
Written in conjunction with the Committee on Hispanic Children and Families, Opening the Door presents results of a survey of the bilingual capability, cultural sensitivity, and other service needs by agencies contracted by the Administration for Children's Services to provide services to prevent foster care and offers recommendations to make child welfare services more relevant to the community they serve.
Download Opening the Door (August 1999; 29 pages)