CHCF provides testimony before New York State and City Council Committees.
To read testimony transcripts in full please click on their respective dates.
On February 25 CHCF supported exempting newly arrived English Language Learners from taking the English Language Arts assessment test, and we presented our recommendations for ensuring quality early education to support English Language Learners (ELLs), who are considered emergent bilingual children.
On March 30 CHCF supported resolutions calling upon the New York State legislature to reject raising the cap on the number of charter schools, and calling upon the DOE to amend the Parent’s Bill of Rights to include information about opting out of high-stakes testing.
There are a number of ways you can advocate on behalf of yourself and your family.
Take Action
As a United States resident, you have elected officials who speak on your behalf. You can contact your city, state and federal level representatives via phone, email or regular mail.
If you live in New York City, find your City Council Member by entering your address here.
Find your New York State Assembly Member here.
Contact your New York State Senator here.
Find your United States Representative here.
Download the sample letter as a guide to write your letter using our template.
Template Letter
Petition your representatives
If there is an issue that concerns you, you can start a petition by gathering enough signatures on your letter. Then mail it to your representative to request action.
Attend meetings of your local community board
New York City community boards address residents complaints, handle land and zoning issues and advise city agencies. The public can attend and speak at these meetings. You can find your community board here.
Join the Parent Teacher Association(PTA) at your child’s school
PTAs approve extracurricular budgets and provide outside support to the school to make programs and services stronger for students. Contact your child’s school to learn more about their parent involvement opportunities.
Vote
If you are a United States citizen, you have the right to vote.
To vote in New York State you must:
- Be a United States citizen.
- Be 18 years old by December 31 of the year in which you file this form (note: you must be 18 years old by the date of the general, primary or other election in which you want to vote).
- Live at your present address at least 30 days before an election.
- Not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction and.
- Not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court.
- Not claim the right to vote elsewhere.
You can find out more about voter registration on the New York Board of Elections page.
