Early childhood educators have always strived to find the joy in learning. So it’s no surprise that even in this difficult school year, the more than 300 educators who attended the UFT’s annual Early Childhood Conference remotely on March 13 treasured the time they spent improving their practice and connecting with colleagues.

The 2021 UFT Career and Technical Education Awards recognized educators who have shown great ingenuity and perseverance while facing the unprecedented challenges created by the pandemic.

The UFT organized four virtual mayoral town halls in February and March to give union members the opportunity to hear from 12 contenders to succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio, who cannot run for re-election.

The UFT held a virtual legislative reception on March 11 to press Albany lawmakers for a large increase in education funding in the state budget to help city public schools address the needs of students recovering from the trauma of the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic couldn’t stop 430 UFT members from virtually joining the union’s annual Lobby Day to advocate for funding for public schools and the union’s own education initiatives in the state budget.

More than a year ago, the School Counselors Conference was the last UFT conference held before COVID-19 shut down school buildings. This year’s event, held on March 20 on Zoom, found school counselors grappling with a new set of challenges as the end of the pandemic slowly comes into view.