Read, Sing, Talk and Play, shouted an enthusiastic crowd!
Some reading is loud and proud! On Monday morning, June 8, City’s First Readers’ partners, friends and elected officials gathered on the steps of City Hall to make their message clear.
Early literacy is the foundation for lifelong success
Every child deserves access to high quality early learning
Building a citywide commitment to children and families
The rally commenced with a read aloud of Eric Carle’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the crowd was welcomed by Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, the Chair of the Education Committee.
“Every child deserves the investment from Day 1,” said Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, a former New York City educator, who has been a champion for City’s First Readers since its inception over a decade ago.
Councilmember Dinowitz was joined by by a roster of passionate speakers, including Literacy in Community’s Executive Director, Shari Levine, Andre Eaton, the New York State Director, ParentChild+, Eva Shapiro and Rachel Payne of the Brooklyn Public Library, Anne Seery, the Director of PlayReadVIP, and Sejal Kothari, pediatrician and Program Director of LINC’s Upper Manhattan Early Childhood Connect (UMECC). The City’s First Readers’ partners’ Committee for Hispanic Children and Families (CHCF), Literacy in Community (LINC), Reach Out & Read of Greater New York and many New York City families who have used CFR services joined forces during the rally and spoke of the powerful support that they have received through the years.
Shari Levine showcased a map with over 600 locations where City’s First Readers has made an impact and talked about how we must prepare children for the work of 2K. “We want to make sure that the council understands that an investment in CFR means an investment in the children of New York City.”
Early Literacy Matters because early literacy…
- Builds Communities
- Builds Health
- Builds Wealth
- Builds Brains
- Builds Intelligence
- Builds ELA scores
What do we want?
Early Literacy.
When do we want it?
NOW!
Anny Seery, Director of PlayReadVIP spoke loud and proud, “Since it started 12 years ago, I am so proud of what this initiative has accomplished, we have been reaching kids all over the city, distributing millions and millions of books and resources. My team and I are so thankful of the support and ongoing recognition that the city council has made of why it is so important in supporting the littlest readers in their reading journey.”
We are delighted by the progress New York City has made in expanding opportunities for early literacy, starting with the FY15 budget’s initial support for City’s First Readers. Each year has marked progress not only for City’s First Readers but also for the NYCPS programming reaching this early childhood age group.
“Learning to read begins at birth and what a child experiences before they even enter a classroom can determine their trajectory. We know that early intervention can help children to achieve reading proficiency, which by third grade becomes the single most important way knowledge is acquired,” said Sejal Kothari, Director, UMECC.
Thank you to all who participated in the rally today and to all who make City’s First Readers possible every day. Immediately following the rally, volunteers celebrated the moment in community like true New Yorkers with pizza and noisemakers outside of the City Hall R train station.
For more information about City’s First Readers, visit: www.citysfirstreaders.com or contact Emmanuel Novy, Chief of Strategic Initiatives at enovy@lincnyc.org.