oped letters & comments
Bill de Blasio: Fulfi ll your
promise to NYC foster youth
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M BTR AY 21-27, 2021 13
New York needs
to stay invested
in childcare
Mildred Augustin’s class
BY MILDRED AUGUSTIN
One of the enduring lessons
of the pandemic should
be that childcare is an essential
service and those who
provide it have been undervalued
for too long. This is
a reality I have known fi rsthand,
as owner and operator
of a home-based childcare
business in the Bronx for the
past 18 years.
My business is licensed
by New York State to serve
16 children and employ two
staffers. Thanks to training,
technical assistance, and
other resources I receive
from the nonprofi t Women’s
Housing and Economic
Development Corporation
(WHEDco), I have transformed
my home daycare
into a school-like setting
where children learn and
play through exploration.
Enrollment in my program
declined to just one
child during the height of
the pandemic. Fortunately,
WHEDco stepped up with
health and safety resources,
as well as virtual trainings
and connections to grant
funding for providers in its
network, allowing many of us
to make it through the darkest
days of the pandemic. Today,
my enrollment is back
up to 10. But nonprofi ts can
only do so much, and the already
vulnerable childcare
sector was brought to the
brink by COVID.
I am encouraged that the
2022 New York State budget
includes a $5 billion investment
in childcare through
state and federally funded
initiatives – with some directly
supporting childcare
providers. It’s a sign that our
leaders have learned how essential
childcare – and those
who provide it – are. Hopefully,
it’s a lesson they never
forget.
Mildred Augustin runs a
home-based childcare business
in the Wakefi eld section
of the Bronx, as part of
WHEDco’s network.
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BY CHANTAL FERNANDEZ
Like many ninth graders
in New York City, I have faced
several challenges throughout
the pandemic: keeping my
grades up in a virtual school
setting, attempting to be active
while in quarantine and
trying to stay grounded despite
all of the changes in my
life.
The diffi culties brought on
by COVID-19 have been even
more challenging because I
am one of the 4,000 youth in
New York City’s foster care
system. On top of transitioning
into my fi rst year of high
school remotely, I have had
the responsibility of keeping
myself and my 10-year-old
brother together as we moved
from placement to placement
throughout the last few years.
Last spring when the pandemic
hit, my brother and I
were truly in a contending
situation while placed in our
last home. School was closed
and we were required to stay
in the home constantly. My
mental health began to deteriorate.
There were no breaks.
Life started to feel redundant.
Thankfully, Fair Futures
was there to make sure I
wasn’t alone, and that I had
the support I needed to make
it through the pandemic.
Fair Futures is a citywide
program that currently supports
over 3,000 middle and
high schoolers in foster care
with one-on-one coaching, academic
and other support services
to help us thrive in the
system and succeed after we
age out of care. It has been a
lifeline for me but now it’s future
is in jeopardy if it doesn’t
get funding from the city.
Yet, despite touting his
commitment to New York foster
youth, Mayor de Blasio
gutted funding for Fair Futures
in his Executive Budget.
If he does not reconsider this
decision, my peers and I will
lose one of our most critical
lifelines. I’m urging Mayor de
Blasio to baseline $20 million
in funding for Fair Futures
in the Adopted Budget to ensure
that kids like me get the
support we need to thrive in
foster care and succeed in college
or jobs as young adults.
Without this program, I’m
not sure where I would be
right now. Fair Futures does
so much for young people:
they provide emotional support,
academic support, housing
support and create a safe
space for youth in care to be
connected with one another.
My aspirations in life
are to graduate from Harvard,
become a lawyer and
advocate for youth in foster
care. Prior to the pandemic,
schoolwork was easy to excel
in despite the adversities of
being in foster care. Dealing
with the added effects of
COVID-19, it became impossible
to find motivation in
anything. Thankfully, I was
paired with a coach in the
program and with her help
we were able to get me back
on track.
With my coach’s support,
I feel I am able to handle anything
that comes my way. My
coach has helped me transfer
into a school of my choice,
find a geometry tutor, enroll
in an SAT prep program and
apply to be a member of the
Fair Futures Youth Advisory
Board. We often talk about
my plans for college and are
planning to take in-person
college tours when it’s safer
to do so.
Most importantly, my
coach has never failed to
provide support in times of
need. She is available and
always ensures a safe environment
for me to express
myself. When I was feeling
discouraged and dispirited
a few months ago, she managed
to check in on me numerous
times, even when I
was unresponsive.
My coach believes in
me. She motivates me to get
things done. Thanks to my
coach I feel happier, optimistic
and more supported.
Mr. Mayor, youth like myself
in foster care are more
likely than our peers to end
up either homeless, doing
drugs or in jail. But Fair
Futures is proven to help us
beat the odds against us and
reach our full potential.
I am one of many voices
speaking out because I fear
what will happen to me and
all the youth engaged in
this program if the funding
for Fair Futures is not provided.
All we’re asking for is a
chance to succeed. Please listen
to us and ensure necessary
Fair Futures funding is
in the Adopted Budget so we
can reach the bright and fair
future we deserve.
Chantal Fernandez is a New
York City high school student.
Mildred Augustin’s class
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