Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy

Schuyler Center is excited to welcome our newest team members! Lea Montalto-Rook joins us as Director of Administration, and Adanech Makey joins as a Policy and Community Engagement Specialist.    Lea most recently served as Chief Executive Officer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region (BBBSCR) from 2020-2024, leading the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, BBBSCR dramatically expanded programs and wraparound services, providing families assistance with securing food, medical attention, crisis intervention, and more.    Adanech represents the Schuyler Center as an Annie E. Casey Rising Leaders for Results Fellow in the inaugural 2023-2025 cohort. Previously, Adanech served as the Director of Civic Engagement and Advocacy at Jumpstart for Young Children. Please join us in giving Lea and Adanech a warm welcome!

"There’s a significant interest in making sure the child tax credit is available to the lowest income New Yorkers, and that we increase the amount,” said Kate Breslin, president and CEO of the Schuyler Center for Analysis. We have seen the tremendous difference that an expanded child tax credit has made for families. In 2021, the national child poverty rate fell to its lowest point ever recorded, thanks in large part to monthly payments to all parents in poverty. But when the child tax credits were allowed to expire, child poverty had its steepest rise in history -- jumping 139% back to 12.4%. A total of five million children fell back into poverty. New York's Child Poverty Reduction Council has the chance to make a significant difference for families across our state.

Schuyler Center is #hiring a Communications Associate! This position will support our advocacy communications and donor relations work. Do you know someone who may be the perfect fit? Please share!

Oral health equity is a pillar of health equity, and among our policy priorities. This new report on oral health needs throughout New York State, released with several of our partners, highlights high-need areas, especially in rural counties. "The research team identified 31 high-need areas with significant oral health needs, primarily located in rural regions such as the Mohawk Valley, North Country and Southern Tier, where more than two-thirds of the population live in high-need areas. Similarly, over one-third of the population of the Central New York region resides in high-need areas." https://lnkd.in/eTq54sMQ

The latest issue of the Schuyler Insider newsletter arrived in inboxes today! You can also find it online here: https://lnkd.in/eN-biP3U Make sure you're on our list by signing up at https://lnkd.in/gRUWvWaA

Schuyler Center was proud to attend Governor Hochul's announcement of the one-time supplemental payment of the Empire State Child Credit (ESCC), which will be sent to families across the state in August. Schuyler has long fought, alongside fellow advocates, for a stronger, more inclusive state child credit. These credits are among the most powerful and immediate ways to reduce child poverty and provide families with the tools they need to thrive. While a one-time supplement is appreciated, Gov. Hochul and our state leaders must make it a priority to craft a better, more powerful child tax credit for New York’s families. Read Kate Breslin's op-ed on the Empire State Child Credit: https://lnkd.in/dYRsV5Y4

Have you signed the Empire State Campaign for Child Care's letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, asking her to sign three bills that would reduce NY families' barriers to child care assistance? These bills passed the legislature with overwhelming support. Let's get them signed into law! https://lnkd.in/e3WbZnaf

Ending child poverty will require meaningful, effective policy change. That will only be possible with insight and direction from community members who have experienced poverty and the accompanying public systems firsthand. Our Community Conversations series seeks to do just that - so far, we have held conversations in Rochester, Schenectady, and St. Lawrence County. Learn more and read the reports from Rochester and Schenectady here: https://lnkd.in/dPPzUFF8

In June, the Schuyler Center team continued to work hard to further our policy priorities and share important data. Among our June activities: Dorothy (Dede) Hill, Kari Siddiqui, and Lara Kassel all spoke on panels at the New York State Food Summit, Crystal Charles joined a legislative briefing on the Solutions Not Suspensions Act, our Board of Trustees gathered in the Capital Region, Dorothy (Dede) Hill attended the Manhattan Borough President's Roundtable on Child Care, Kari Siddiqui attended community listening sessions in St. Lawrence County, and Kate Breslin participated in the June meeting of the NYS Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council - all with the support of the rest of the Schuyler team. We'll be starting July with some downtime: The Schuyler Center office will be closed from July 1 - 5 to give our team some time to rest and recharge. ☀

In the final week of the 2024 Legislative Session, the NYS Senate and Assembly passed several bills that will support children and families impacted by poverty. These include bills that make child care assistance more accessible and equitable, bills that make the child welfare system more transparent and supportive, and bills that further oral health equity. Find the run-down of the outcomes of Schuyler Center's end-of-session policy priorities here: https://lnkd.in/e75FVSP6