Join WCA at the upcoming budget hearings! Our recommendations are to place children’s safety, housing needs, and well-being front and center. In partnership with the Campaign for Kids coalition of 100+ organizations and individuals, WCA’s County Budget Agenda includes:
– Sustaining the Invest in Kids program.
– Preventing child and youth homelessness and increasing investments in affordable housing.
– Increasing early childhood supports and home visiting.
– Allocating funds for mental health services for children and youth in out of school settings.
– Implementing pathways for community-based organizations to apply directly for Raise the Age funding.

WHAT CAN I DO?
1) Review the proposed 2024 County Budget (HERE or by clicking button above)
2) Add your name to our online petition (HERE or by clicking button above)
3) Speak up at one or more of the Westchester County Board of Legislators public hearings below. Individuals may address the Board on a first come first serve basis, arrive early.

* TOMORROW! Thursday, November 16th at 6 PM
Warner Public Library (121 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY, 10591)

* Monday, November 20th at 7 PM
Chappaqua Performing Arts Ctr. (480 N. Bedford Rd., Chappaqua, NY, 10514)

* Wednesday, December 6th at 7 PM
Westchester Board of Legislators Chambers (8th Floor, 148 Martine Ave, White Plains NY 10601)

WCA continues to take a leading role in ensuring that the needs of Westchester children and families are met. Our latest release, the Children By the Numbers 2023 Data Bulletin, powered by PCSB Community Foundation and the Robin Hood Foundation, is a testament to our commitment to this vision.

This latest Data Bulletin shows demographic and socio-economic data, as we have in past editions. It also presents statistics that touch upon topics like child welfare, physical and mental health, digital equity, education, and youth engagement.

In a thought-provoking address that brought together more than 100 individuals, WCA hosted “Youth Justice at a Crossroad: The Intersection of Data, Policy, and Advocacy.” Our lecturer, Dr. Edward Fergus, is an education expert who offered invaluable insights to the attendees, including the prevalence of bias in nearly every interaction within the educational system. He challenged educators and advocates to examine their own biases and acknowledge the potential influence their biases have when interacting with specific students. He also emphasized the notion that unchecked biases can perpetuate the surveillance of children in schools and lead to the labeling of their behavior as defiant or delinquent.

In a bold step towards a brighter future, WCA is partnering with Robin Hood Foundation to launch a transformative initiative. At the heart of this effort lies a firm belief that meaningful change begins with listening to the voices of those directly impacted.

WCA’s commitment to community voices is taking shape through a series of focus groups, conducted in collaboration with Westchester’s federal neighborhood health centers, including Open Door and the newly named Westchester Community Health Center (formerly Mt. Vernon Neighborhood Health Center).

WCA’s Court Watchers volunteers have continued their steady presence in Westchester’s courts, recording their observations of landlord-tenant eviction proceedings. The Court Watchers program seeks to better understand evictions and the representation of those involved. Our thanks to the Jandon Foundation for financial support of this pilot program.

Since April 2023, WCA volunteers have observed 283 eviction court cases. Approximately 14% were inconclusive. The recorded results show:
~ 63% of cases were adjourned to a later date;
~ 13% of cases ended in the tenant being evicted; and
~ 10% of cases were resolved with the tenant on a payment plan.

WCA’s 2024 Engagement Calendars are here! Thank you to a very special and generous anonymous donor who continues to sponsor the production of our calendars. The proceeds from donations for the calendars go to ensuring that Westchester’s children are healthy, safe, and prepared for life’s challenges regardless of race or zip code. Like many of our calendar patrons, our donor is a long-time WCA Calendar user whose use of this calendar began with their mother. Read more about our Engagement Calendars here.