Dara N. Sharif
New York Teacher Editor
Fueling student success
At food pantries and distribution efforts run by UFT-supported United Community Schools, monthly or weekly programs help meet the nutritional needs of struggling families across the city. The pantries are a safe haven for many immigrant families burdened by fear of being detained by ICE, even during grocery runs.
Matching families with needed child care
The UFT is making it easier for NYC families to find child care. NYC Childcare Navigator is an expansion of an online tool the union launched a year ago to help members find child care options and apply for programs that could offset the cost.
Unplugged and reengaged
The state’s new UFT-backed cellphone ban is getting rave reviews from educators who say students are more engaged in class — and rediscovering “old-fashioned” pastimes like reading, playing board games and simply talking to one another.
Who are we?
The United Federation of Teachers represents nearly 200,000 members, including a diverse group of some 78,000 teachers and 26,000 paraprofessionals as well as school counselors, school nurses, social workers and psychologists, occupational and physical therapists and school secretaries. Discover more about who makes up the UFT in this series of charts and graphs.
Optical network grows
The number of optical stores available to UFT Welfare Fund-eligible members has increased by almost 800 nationwide with the addition of Visionworks to the General Vision Services network.
Counting the benefits
Maria Dela Cruz and her fellow math teachers at Newtown High School in Queens fuel their students' interest in the subject by participating in a national math competition whose live and virtual aspects pique students' desire to go all out to best other students in real time.
May Day! May Day!
The New York City Labor Council, AFL-CIO, organizes a rally every May 1 to mark International Workers’ Day. But the size of this year’s event dwarfed those in years past as more than 15,000 union members, including hundreds of UFT members, marched from Foley Square to Bowling Green in lower Manhattan to denounce the Trump administration’s attacks on worker, immigrant and union rights.
Provider Appreciation Awards Ceremony
About 400 members of the UFT Family Child Care Providers Chapter and their guests filled Shanker Hall at union headquarters on May 9 for the 12th annual Provider Appreciation Awards Ceremony to honor more than 50 providers for the extraordinary work they do at their home-based child care centers in support of children and their families throughout New York City.
Port in the storm
The educational team who make up the World Cultures and Languages Academy small learning community at John Adams HS in Queens labor daily to support the often delicate and specialized needs of their predominantly immigrant and English language learner students.
Trying success on for size
Karina Budhu, an aspiring teacher and SVA apprentice, is a rare woman in tech and the winner of this year's Edwin Espaillat Award at the 2025 CTE Awards Recognition Ceremony.