For the second year in a row, Literacy, Inc. (LINC) is proud to be recognized by Nonprofit New York for its excellent management practices. LINC was designated as one of New York City’s top three non-profit organizations and received a Special Recognition for its innovative practices in fundraising and resource development. We were honored to be recognized for excellence in financial management in 2018 and are thrilled to have our organization’s work further validated again this year by this prestigious honor. Nonprofit New York’s annual NonProfit Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding management practices. We extend congratulations to Henry Street Settlement, the…

Este verano, LINC convirtió a la ciudad de Nueva York en una zona rica en alfabetización, centrado alrededor del tema de “Los lectores son soñadores”, que les dio la fuerza a 1,212 padres y 2,316 niños a leer 3,764 libros juntos. Desde jardines en viviendas públicas en East New York a los Cloisters en Inwood, en todos los rincones de cada distrito en la ciudad de Nueva York, creamos más de 200 eventos de alfabetización para fomentar amor por la lectura, dando 7,808 oportunidades para que familias puedan involucrarse con la lectura.   Las palabras se convirtieron en parques infantiles. Historias…

Literacy Inc. is thrilled to announce that the #1 The New York Times bestselling author Adam Rubin has agreed to be our 2019 Giving Tuesday ambassador. Adam is the author of ten critically-acclaimed picture books, including the Those Darn Squirrels trilogy, Dragons Love Tacos, Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel, Secret Pizza Party, Robo-Sauce and El Chupacabras (short-listed for the 2018 Texas Blue Bonnet award). With Adam’s support, LINC decided to make one of our favorite books, Dragons Love Tacos a running theme in our upcoming Giving Tuesday campaign, #TacoBoutBooks on December 3. Connecting LINC’s mission with Adam’s story has…

A sea of umbrellas filled parks and gardens. The rain never stops us. LINC makes reading irresistible. Over 50 families gathered at St. James Park to join Victor Ramirez and his daughter, Iratze for bilingual storytime. An active Very Involved Parent (VIP), Victor is a trained community literacy ambassador. LINC’s VIP program has become increasingly popular, and parents, like Victor have developed quite a following. Rain or shine, families are ready to read, and LINC’s VIPs don’t disappoint. Our VIPs help us to make reading highly visible in the community, and leverage their linguistic assets to make literacy accessible in…

On August 12, over 250 children and families from all five boroughs read their way to Yankee Stadium to celebrate a book-filled summer with Reading on the Rails. Families read while in route to the stadium to reinforce that reading while traveling is an effective way to keep children engaged in learning during vacation. Families enjoyed literacy activities and a read aloud of the heroic Effa Manley—the first and only woman ever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Children were thrilled to watch the game from their very own suite and receive on-field recognition. They left the Yankee Stadium…

LINC’s collective initiative, South Jamaica Reads, has a lot to celebrate. The community has seen remarkable improvements in reading skills with more children than ever reading at grade level. In 2019, reading levels in participating schools increased significantly. One school experienced a 40% increase since the Reads Initiative began in 2014. To celebrate our children, South Jamaica Reads held a community celebration on August 21st at Marcona Park, where close to 150 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to get kids inspired to reach even higher this school year. Families received a surprise visit by a special guest reader,…

For the seventh year, LINC led community programs for Dads Take Your Child to School Day. This year, over 200 dads and caregivers across the five boroughs participated in LINC’s literacy activities. Programs like these encourage the importance of male role models and parent support in early literacy, increasing a child’s chance to succeed in school.

LINC is one of five beneficiaries of RBC Race for the Kids. Held on Saturday, September 21 at Brookfield Place, The RBC Race for the Kids is a benefit organized by Youth Inc. to support New York City children. Over 3,700 runners, supporters, families, and friends from over 30 companies joined forces and raised money to improve programs and services for our youngest New Yorkers. LINC was well represented by a team of 50 strong board, staff, PAC members, and families. Our board member and RBC Managing Director, Donovan Campbell represented LINC in a stellar athletic competition, demonstrating his commitment…

“Books became our language. Books became our home.” Yuyi Morales, Dreamers LINC’s Summer Reading Everywhere Program kicked off with LINC’s participation in The National Summer Learning Week (July 8th-13th). Dreamers by Yuyi Morales, an award-winning book that portrays a family of immigrants who find refuge at the library and a home in books, was read aloud in English and Spanish, in seven libraries across the New York City. We turned the city into a literacy-rich zone that powered more than 1,212 parents and 2,316 children to read 3,764 books over the summer. From public housing gardens in East New York…

LETTER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES To the Editor: Re:Ocasio-Cortez Unveils Legislative Plan to Tackle ‘Root Causes’ of Poverty September 25, 2019 While Ocasio-Cortez’s anti-poverty initiative “A Just Society” is a bold step towards tackling the ‘Root Causes” of poverty, it omits a critical and foundational factor: early literacy. If we are going to address the systems that are the root causes of poverty, we cannot ignore literacy. Literacy is vital to poverty alleviation. Early literacy unlocks opportunities in upward mobility, educational achievement, health, and economic development. Right now we face an invisible literacy crisis that disproportionately affects the poor,…

LINC says farewell and best wishes to Board Member Will Estilo and welcomes new Board Member, Nasreen Davidson! LINC’s Board of Directors sets the pace and the policies that guide the organization. We are very grateful to Board Member Will Estilo, who stepped off the board in early June, 2019. Will’s professional obligations with Deloitte are taking him and his family to Japan. He will remain involved with LINC through his work with the Finance and the Audit Committees. All of his board colleagues and the LINC staff unite to say “Thank you” for the energy, enthusiasm for LINC’s mission,…

Five years ago, the NYC City Council took an important first step towards preparing children to start school ready to learn by creating an early childhood literacy initiative: City’s First Readers.City’s First Readers is a coalition of eleven NYC organizations working across all five boroughs to provide fun and informative programs for families with children from birth to age 5―and LINC is the lead partner, coordinating this citywide effort. City’s First Readers wants every NYC family to understand the importance of building strong literacy foundations before children start school. The family is a child’s first teacher; all the things parents do with their…

On June 13th, LINC celebrated the children who placed first at their school in overall hours of reading in LINC’s 2019 T.I.G.E.R. Read-a-thon. In partnership with the Bronx Zoo, Wildlife Conservation Society, LINC hosted a ceremony at the Congo exhibit in the Flaherty Learning Center to recognize their achievement. Attendees got the chance to meet fellow Read-a-thon winners and hear from Howie Minsky, who read from his “Conserve Our Wild” book series. Our second guest reader was Julio Aquino, a Wild Animal Keeper at The Bronx Zoo, who grew up in the surrounding neighborhood. Participants left with certificates, new books, and passes that will…