Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

Hundreds of parents, students and teachers came out to our First Book giveaway in East Harlem on May 14. I want to thank those parents who volunteered the day before to unload books and set up for the fair.

When parents are engaged, great things happen. That's why I'm asking you to support the Coalition for Educational Justice's efforts to convince the City Council to create a Parent Engagement Innovation Fund.

The innovation fund would allow every district to implement a research-backed parent engagement initiative like parent-teacher home visits or academic parent-teacher teams. These programs would help strengthen relationships between home and school and help parents get involved in their children's learning. Read more about the Parent Engagement Innovation Fund proposal »

If you want to see the parent engagement fund implemented, call your City Council representative and let him or her know. The city budget this year may be finalized as early as June 7. Look up your City Council member »

I want to thank our Manhattan parent leaders who joined with hundreds of advocates from all over the country on May 24 in Chicago to lobby for a $15 minimum wage and union representation.

Don't forget to come to our last UFT Manhattan parent workshop of the school year on June 1 or 3. We'll be discussing Title I funding and the city and state budget processes.

• When: Wednesday, June 1 at 9 a.m. OR Friday, June 3 at 6 p.m.
• Where: UFT headquarters at 52 Broadway, 10th floor. Directions »

As always, refreshments will be served, and children are welcome. To RSVP, email me at fstreich@uft.org. See the flier »

You may have noticed a note on our workshop flier to save the date for next fall's Manhattan parent conference on Oct. 15. Our conference planning committee is already hard at work lining up exciting speakers and activities. You're welcome to join us and help plan a great conference. See the flier in English and Spanish »

You are also invited to have your child enter our student art contest to have his or her art featured on the cover of our conference brochure and win a $50 gift certificate. The deadline for submission is June 24. For more details, see the flier »

Remember to sign up for UFT text messaging by texting the word "parent" to the number 30644 and answering the questions that follow. We'll alert you about political campaigns, breaking news and school cancellations due to weather. After just three more parents sign up, we'll start sending a text message that links to a copy of your newsletter you can easily read on your mobile phone.

Check out more events, news and resources below.

Sincerely,

Francine Streich
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Thursday, June 2: Come to an internship open house at noon at 301 Henry St. to learn about internship opportunities with Henry Street Settlement. Anyone between the ages of 17 and 24 who is out of work and out of school, reads at an 8th-grade level and has less than 60 college credits is eligible. Lunch will be served. For more details, See the flier »

• Thursday, June 2: If you live in Manhattan, have a child under the age of 18 and receive some form of public assistance; OR if you live between 34th and 100th streets west of Fifth Avenue, you may attend a free tenant clinic from 5 to 7 p.m. at 431 W. 125th St. for a consultation with an attorney about your housing rights. For more information, call 212-531-1609.

• Sunday, June 5; Sunday, June 12; Sunday, June 19 and Saturday, June 26: Throughout all of June, the Children's Museum of the Arts will host "Inclusive Sunday" workshops and events for children with disabilities and their families. These events are geared toward children with physical disabilities. The June 5 workshop is for children under the age of 7, and you can RSVP online » The rest are for children ages 8 and up. RSVP online »

• Saturday, June 11: The Department of Education invites parents to a spring conference for families of students with disabilities from 9 a.m. to noon at 2500 Nostrand Ave. in Brooklyn. Learn about special education programs and connect with other special education families. Register online now »

• Saturday, June 18: Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson invites you to an immigration forum from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Matthews Church, 1345 Lincoln Place, 4th floor, in Brooklyn. Get information and resources to protect yourself regardless of immigration status. Refreshments will be served. See the flier »

Summer camps and programs

• Day camp at Riverbank State Park: Children between the ages of 7 and 12 are eligible to register for Riverbank Summer Camp, held between July 5 and Aug. 5, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The camp fee is $550.00 for the whole summer. Registration is open until July 2. For more information, see the flier »

• Sports classes for kids in NYC parks this summer: The City Parks Foundation offers free sports classes in soccer, track and field, golf, tennis and more. Register online now »

• Leadership program for immigrant high school students: The New York Immigration Coalition invites immigrant high school students to apply for its second cohort of the New American Youth Leadership Corps. The program will meet weekly this summer for leadership workshops, community service projects and more. The application deadline is June 9. Apply online now »

• Dual-enrollment and college-readiness programs: High school students are invited to enroll in College Now summer programs. These are dual-enrollment (both college and high school credit) classes and college-readiness classes offered by CUNY. They span many disciplines and are offered in all boroughs. For more information, visit the website »

• Free summer tutoring for rising fourth-grade students: Everyone Reading will offer free tutoring this summer to children born in 2007 and entering fourth grade next school year. This program most benefits students with dyslexia or those who need support with phonics. The program will begin on June 30 and run from July 5 to 29, Monday through Friday, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York on Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street in Manhattan. The program involves an hour of one-on-one tutoring in reading skills, then two hours of hands-on museum education activities such as photography, mapmaking and model building. To apply, contact Lavinia Mancuso at lmancuso@everyonereading.org or 917-903-2648. See the flier »

• Other lists of summer opportunities: Check out these other resources for summer programs. Jobs and internships for teens from The Door » and Free and cheap NYC summer camps from Mommy Poppins »

Political news

• The new movement to regulate Wall Street: A coalition of labor unions and activist groups called Take On Wall Street is working to regulate predatory financial practices. Read the article from The Washington Post »

• Overtime pay expanded for salaried workers: A new ruling from the federal Department of Labor has expanded overtime pay for full-time salaried employees who make up to $47,476 a year. When the rule takes effect on Dec. 1, millions more workers will be eligible for overtime pay. Read the article from The Washington Post »

Parent news

• 2017-18 high school admissions: If your child is entering 8th grade in the 2016-17 school year, it's not too early to prepare for high school admissions. The Department of Education has already published a high school directory and handbook. There are also high school admissions workshops in July. To find out more, visit the high school admissions website »

• Check whether your child's school meets CPR requirements: All schools are required to have at least one Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and staff members who are CPR/AED certified. To find out more, read the DOE guidelines »

• Field trip regulations from the DOE apply to pre-K programs: The Department of Education has regulations for schools taking students on field trips. The policy applies to pre-K programs as well. You can read the policy online »

• Hidden gardens in New York City: If you're looking for summer day-trip ideas, check out this list of hidden New York City gardens »

• Two-minute warnings make turning off the TV harder: New research shows that giving children warnings before they must turn off the TV or put down their video games in order to make it easier for them to step away from the technology may have the opposite effect. Find out more »

Opportunities

• New York Communities for Change is hiring: New York Communities for Change is looking for a lead community organizer to help work on community issues including gentrification, school privatization, foreclosures, climate change and more. See the job posting »

• Sinergia is hiring: Sinergia, a community service organization based in New York City, is seeking a facilities manager. For more information, see the job listing »

• Free museum admission for children with disabilities: Starting July 1, children with disabilities and their parents are invited to register for free admission to the Children's Museum of the Arts in Manhattan. The museum simply asks that in exchange, parents and caregivers provide feedback as to how the museum can improve accessibility. Find out more »

• Leadership workshop series in Manhattan: This summer, Manhattan Borough President Gail Brewer will host a series of workshops about community leadership in local government. To find out more, see the registration form »

• Apply by May 31 to be a teen explainer at the New York Botanical Garden: The New York Botanical Garden is seeking applications from students between the ages of 14 and 17 for its teen explainer internship program. Interns will volunteer all school year educating children and families about plant life. For more information, see the website »