Make the Road New York Parents in Action Committee

Make the Road New York’s Padres en Acción (Parents in Action) Committee is fighting for kids in New York City.

Parents have been leading the fight to improve access to physical education (PE) in New York City for years. AHA NYC is proud to advocate alongside members of Make the Road New York’s Padres en Acción Committee, who are speaking up for their children and their communities.

As part of a storytelling video series. recently released by the Phys Ed 4 All Coalition, two members of the Padres en Acción Committee shared their stories.

“We [parents] see that our schools are overpopulated, and so are the physical education classes,” said Rafaela, a Queens parent. “Even though the law says that our kids should have a certain number of hours of PE class they aren’t getting it.”

Cristina, also a Queens parent, decided to switch her son out of one of the most crowded schools in the city largely due to lack of physical education.  His old school’s PE space was “two spaces that are only about 30 feet wide. They have columns in the middle of it. It’s actually the receiving area for shipping packages.”  But his new school “has recess every day, has [PE], has a beautiful outdoor play area” where her son can “be more active in his own life and goals.”

Learn more about Cristina and Rafaela’s experiences on the Phys Ed 4 All Coalition website..

Make the Road New York’s Padres en Acción Committee is giving a voice to parents across the city, especially those most impacted by educational inequity. As Rafaela put it, “If we as parents don’t speak up about it, no one will do anything for us. We must fight so our kids have PE.”