As New York City struggles to assimilate a deluge of migrants, key education and child care programs that help make recent arrivals less reliant on city services are at risk of being pulled out from under them.
A half-dozen high school programs that offer intensive English classes are not expected to have the resources they need to help teenage immigrants learn the new language, according to a new analysis released Tuesday by Advocates for Children of New York.
And hundreds of undocumented immigrants could lose access to subsidized child care by the end of the month with the expiration of a program open to all parents regardless of immigration status that freed them up to work, find housing and apply for asylum.
“It is befuddling that they are threatening to cut the resource that allows our newest New Yorkers, especially those who are women, to go to work,” said Councilwoman Shahana Hanif (D-Brooklyn) at a hearing last week on the initiative, called Promise NYC.
“This program is an economic driver that will make asylum seekers more self-sufficient and less reliant on costly city-funded shelter beds,” said Hanif, who chairs the Council’s immigration committee as well as its progressive caucus.
Many of the families who’ve recently arrived in New York have struggled to access the city services and legal help — such as applying for asylum and work permits — that could help get them out of city care. Close to 18,000 new students in temporary housing arrangements have enrolled in local public schools this school year — estimated to be mostly Latin American migrants.
As more young people who did not speak English immigrated to NYC, the city rolled out new programs last fall at six existing alternative high schools in the outer boroughs, where many migrants live.
But each principal was allocated only $50,000 for the initiative — less than the cost of hiring just one Spanish-speaking staffer, the advocates found. They are looking for an additional $3 million to strengthen these programs.
“It’s just such a small amount of money that it’s hard to imagine that it can go far at all,” said Rita Rodriguez-Engberg, director of the Immigrant Students’ Rights Project at Advocates for Children. “You can’t hire a single teacher or social worker with that amount because it can’t cover a full salary.”
Bronx mom Gabina Morales sent for her daughter Jaydy in Mexico about a year ago. A few months later, she enrolled in the local high school, but it was not a good fit.
“She didn’t feel like she was learning,” Morales said in Spanish. “She was anxious moving to the country and never been in a school that large before.”
Morales transferred her daughter to a specialized program for non-English speakers, English Language Learners and International Support Preparatory Academy, where she can learn the language after school and on Saturdays, and receive counseling in Spanish.
“My daughter is receiving a lot of help and she’s learning how to speak English well,” Morales said.
The need for such programming has only grown, the report suggests. The number of young people between ages 14 and 17 living in shelters run by the Department of Homeless Services grew by almost 77% from last spring to this year.
According to the Department of Education, any student who needs services to help them learn English will receive them, and that all high schools are equipped to instruct them.
In another potential blow to economic self-sufficiency, hundreds of undocumented migrants are also at risk of losing subsidized child care within weeks, advocates and local lawmakers warn.
Rolled out earlier this year, Promise NYC now enrolls 664 young children — up from 172 kids in March, according to new figures provided at the Council hearing. The city provides $700 per week to cover the cost of child care.
The city has allocated $10 million for the program since January that, if not renewed, would dry up by the end of June. Some councilmembers said those dollars should not only be included again in next year’s budget — but doubled to last the full year.
“I’m very confused on what a ramp-down would look like,” said Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán (D-Queens) at the hearing. “A ramp needs a runway. And there is no runway — not to mention the fact that outside of that, it is a central service that needs to not just exist, but expand.”
The Adams administration would not commit to renewing the program for another year.
“We... hope that our collaborative advocacy can bring change at the federal level so that we do not need to rely alone on city funds for childcare assistance for this population,” said Elizabeth Wolkomir, deputy commissioner of child and family well-being at the Administration for Children’s Services, “and could more adequately support the families that need it.”
Also on the chopping block is funding that helps schools reach out to immigrant families not only by email and websites, but also through text messages, ethnic media, and print campaigns from nail salons to bodegas.
“The last two years was a first step figuring out what ways were most effective,” said Rodriguez-Engberg. “We’d hate to see that not renewed because we know it could have a huge impact, especially on new families who don’t have a cellphone or live in shelters, who can only get information by being out in the community.”
Education officials said every school has a designated language access coordinator, and they ramped up interpretation services at shelters and emergency centers to help with enrollment.
“Regardless of their immigration status or language spoken at home, every student deserves access to high-quality schools that meet their unique needs,” education spokeswoman Nicole Brownstein said in a statement. “We will continue to work with students, families, and partners to ensure that newcomer students have what they need in our public schools.”
