As New York City's children living in poverty recover from the pandemic, they continue to grapple with emotional wellness, academic delays, and other challenges. At community schools and community centers across New York City, we are providing robust pandemic relief services in health and mental health, academic enrichment, food assistance, and family supports to 50,000 young people and their family members.
New York City's children living in poverty face enormous challenges during our recovery from the pandemic. Many children, especially those living in high-poverty neighborhoods, are months delayed in their learning after enduring a prolonged period of remote and hybrid learning. According to polls, 35% of parents say their children's emotional health has been impacted by the months of isolation and disruption. There is also an urgent need to promote COVID-19 vaccines among our young people today.
Our wide array of services tackle these most pressing concerns among New York City's children in need. At community schools and community centers across the city, we are providing tutoring and other academic enrichment services to help students catch up in their learning, and therapists offer mental health care to young people in distress. At health clinics across the city, we are administering the COVID-19 vaccine to children, and assuring parents that the vaccine is both safe and effective.
Academic services will help children stay on track with their future trade school, college, and career prospects, and our therapists will help prevent long-lasting emotional trauma during the critical formative years. Administering the COVID-19 vaccine to children is the most effective way to gain long-term control over this virus, and providing information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine will help parents feel more comfortable about allowing their children to get vaccinated.
