Every Child Healthy, Safe And Prepared For Life's Challenges

Our Issues:
Securing Positive Public Investments for Children

WCA works to keep children’s needs at the top of the agenda for government expenditures.

County Budget Advocacy

Each year, WCA organizes and mobilizes young people, parents and advocates to ensure that children and youth needs are appropriately addressed in the County budget. With our partners in the Campaign for Kids, the Child Health Advocacy Network, and other coalitions, we develop a unified children’s agenda, organize advocacy to County officials, and coordinate testimony on children’s issues at County Budget Hearings. These efforts have resulted in numerous victories for children, such as

  • Invest in Kids Fund (1994) that has supported dozens of local community programs for thousands of children and teens (2010 funding: $2,143,037).
  • Early Step Forward (2006) which brings social and emotional health services and prevention to low income children and families in local day care centers (2010 funding: $695,000).
  • Independent Living Fund (2006) which affords grants of up to $3,000 each to young people aging out of foster care (2010 funding: $100,000).
  • Parenting/Home Visiting (in process) which seeks to increase the number of pre-natal, infant and home visiting programs (HVPs) in the county.

View our Advocacy Alerts and news on the topic of the Westchester County Budget:

New York State Budget Advocacy

WCA leads local advocates in identifying priority programs in the New York State Budget, and then organizes efforts to communicate these priorities to local state legislators and other elected officials. We coordinate these efforts with advocates throughout the state, including the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy (SCAA), and the Citizens Committee for Children of New York.

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