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UFT toy drive and holiday party 2025

The UFT, in partnership with the Coalition for the Homeless, hosted its annual holiday toy drive and celebration on Dec. 13 for students living in temporary housing in New York City. The students enjoyed a variety of crafts and games, as well as face-painting, henna hand art, a magic show and a visit from Santa. And thanks to the generosity of UFT members, the union was able to distribute more than 1,500 toys to public school students throughout the city.

Give new members a warm welcome

UFT Vice President of Elementary Education Karen Alford urges members to welcome and offer their support to the 6,600 new educators hired this fall to bring more classes under the new class size limits that the union fought so hard to secure.

Early Childhood Conference

More than 300 educators in grades 3-K though 2 enjoyed a day of inspiration, camaraderie and professional development with an emphasis on how important a strong start is to a child’s educational achievement.

UFT toy drive and holiday party 2024

The UFT, in partnership with Coalition for the Homeless, hosted its annual holiday toy drive and celebration on Dec. 7 for students living in temporary housing in New York City. UFT members donated over 1,000 toys and more than $2,200 to the effort to bring holiday joy to the students, who enjoyed a variety of crafts and games as well as face-painting, a magic show and a visit from Santa.

Giving back to communities year round

UFT Vice President for Elementary Schools Karen Alford writes that our schools are more than academic institutions. They are caring institutions and, as educators, we understand that caring for the communities we work in is part of teaching and...

Early Childhood Conference

The UFT’s 15th annual Early Childhood Conference on April 1 buzzed with energy as nearly 200 educators gathered to learn ways to engage their youngest students with play.

UFT holiday party and toy drive

The UFT welcomed 80 children from eight city shelters to a special holiday celebration organized in partnership with Coalition for the Homeless on Dec. 10 at union headquarters in Manhattan.

Your union is here for you

UFT Vice President for Elementary Schools Karen Alford writes that we are excited to return to our classrooms to do what we do best after recharging over the summer. And we won’t let budget cuts or layoffs stop us from providing our public school...

Early Childhood Conference

Spring was in the air on March 19 at the UFT’s 14th annual Early Childhood Conference, where laughter, play and learning emerged after a difficult winter for nearly 400 educators — a blend of in-person participants at UFT headquarters and remote...

The benefits of mindfulness

UFT Vice President for Elementary Schools Karen Alford writes that it’s been a stressful year, and the pandemic is still affecting all our lives. Some UFT members have gotten a jump-start on their own social-emotional wellness, with training in...