This winter, LINC once again had the pleasure of training 14 passionate parents and guardians who are committed to promoting early literacy. These highly-committed individuals are known as LINC’s Very Involved Parents (VIPs)*. They are literacy advocates that make LINC’s work possible, serving in their communities as beacons of possibility and leadership. They promote the joy of reading through local literacy events in their communities, and together they form a larger network of support for each other across the five boroughs of New York City. The VIP Academy is a series of sessions led by LINC’s own Albania Jimenez, Wilkarlys…

On Wednesday, February 2, LINC joined readers around the globe to commemorate one of our favorite days of the year, World Read Aloud Day. This year, LINC families read two inspiring stories: I Want to Be a Reader by Mark Powers and This Is My Book by Mark Pett. These two stories combined to encourage children to both read and write and laid the groundwork for a wonderful virtual program in which they created their own books. Our special guest Dr. Lissette Ceaser (better known as Dr. Liz), and principal at C.S. 375 in Harlem, spoke about her family’s reading…

Move over Santa: East Harlem families welcome LINC D.E.E.R. to the neighborhood! December’s animal month is a DEER which means Drop Everything and Enjoy Reading at LINC. On Saturday, December 11 at 1:00pm, LINC held its highly anticipated inaugural read aloud program in East Harlem! Located at Franklin Plaza on First Avenue, this holiday book giveaway inspired a warm, fuzzy feeling in many East Harlem residents. “Today I saw something here that I haven’t seen since I was a child. To watch you read was phenomenal. I want to say thank you to all of you for what you’re doing…

Literacy, Inc. (LINC) was honored to be one of eight partner organizations selected as a host site during the NY Civic Corps 2022 MLK Day of Service. Thirteen Civic Corps members chose to dedicate their service time to LINC and joined us for a 4-hour program on Monday, January 17th. In an effort to continue to bring storytime home for our families, members participated in a read aloud project to create more content for our YouTube channel. We spent the first part of the day educating and inspiring them by sharing LINC’s history, mission, and work. We played the video…

LINC’s mission is made possible in large part by literacy advocates we call VIPs. These very important people are LINC’s Very Involved Parents (VIPs).* They are volunteers and actively engaged leaders in their communities and we could not do our work without them! VIPs seek out new opportunities to inspire their own children and the children of others. They promote the joy of reading and local literacy events to their neighbors, and together they form a larger network of support for each other. With every graduating class (new group of VIPs), LINC looks for new ways to honor our VIPs…

On Saturday, December 11, the South Jamaica Reads Initiative (SJQ) spread a whole lot of cheer, along with the joy of reading at the annual Holidays on the Avenue festival in South Jamaica, Queens. This tradition, started by Cultural Collaborative Jamaica (CCJ) in 1995, was back by popular demand with well over 350 children in attendance outside the King Manor Museum. In addition to storytime, families enjoyed free workshops, arts and crafts, music, photos with Santa, and yes, gifts! The SJQ Reads Initiative gave away over 100 books and hosted read alouds with their partners Jumpstart and the Queens library.…

When it’s time to celebrate, LINC knows the way. We can all come together, no matter the day. During the holiday season when schools are closed, it is critical for children to continue reading and LINC is here to help. LINC staff make sure that families have access to stories and learning opportunities where they are reminded to keep reading. On Tuesday, December 28, 2021, LINC hosted a Let’s Celebrate Holidays reading event online for all to enjoy. This virtual reading extravaganza included storytime, arts and crafts, dances and a raffle for a $100 Amazon gift card. LINC staff Araceli…

To celebrate their Season of Giving, ViacomCBS employees were invited to record virtual read alouds for LINC families to enjoy over their holiday break. As the pandemic continues to shine a light on the need for increased social-emotional support for children, LINC created “For our littlest NYers with love” to demonstrate to all children that they are loved, that they belong, and that someone cares. We asked ViacomCBS participants to support this theme by selecting books that highlight values such as: belonging, resilience, empathy, love, community, family, comfort, sharing. Using books to reinforce these messages is a powerful way to…

“It’s so wonderful when you can read. It’s like all the worlds in the world are yours. Everything is yours…you can read about everything! ”― Mimi Levin Lieber Reading is the skill that makes everything possible. As we celebrate the holiday season and remember all that we have learned reading with you this year, we would like to thank you for being a big part of the LINC Community. “It’s so important for children to feel that there are a lot of people who care about them, who wish them well and are willing to make some effort to make…

On Thursday, December 9, 2021, LINC staff were proud to participate in a virtual Literacy Summit hosted by the New York City Department of Education (DOE), in collaboration with Advocates for Children of New York and the ARISE Coalition. This Literacy Summit brought together diverse stakeholders, both within and outside the DOE, to strengthen their efforts to advance equitable literacy and pursue education justice. Respected thought leaders in the field like Lacey Robinson, CEO of UnboundEd, and Chancellor Porter explored current challenges in literacy and spoke of solutions that are diverse, evidence-based, and culturally relevant. Equity begins with early literacy,…

As New York City communities emerge from the pandemic, early childhood learning loss is an ever-increasing threat, and LINC’s literacy work is needed now more than ever before. What consequences are on the horizon if this need is not met? Illiteracy helps to sustain a cycle of systemic poverty that plagues communities across the city and disproportionately affects children of color. It is a pressing social justice issue that demands an urgent response. Children everywhere must have access to experiences that will help them develop their early literacy skills, as this is not only the path towards academic success but…

On Tuesday November 30, the LINC Professional Advisory Council (PAC) hosted another riveting virtual Trivia Night to benefit LINC and in recognition of Giving (Taco) Tuesday. Participants answered questions on pop culture, sports, and of course, books! They eagerly engaged in the smart and fun game raising $1000 for LINC families by the end of the night. Winners walked away with a unique and tasty prize: a gift card to the League of Kitchens, which offers online multicultural cooking classes taught by women from around the world. “I always love hosting the PAC trivia nights. My favorite part of these…

On Thursday December 2, New York Times best-selling author Adam Rubin joined LINC and our partner, the Bronx Library Center online for a bilingual reading of his book, “Dragons Love Tacos.” In advance of the program, LINC staff safely distributed copies of the book and the materials needed to participate in the online activities in their communities. This gave families a chance to read the book on their own and in tandem with Adam online during the live interactive program. Dragon-themed songs, games, and crafts, a Q&A with Adam, and a chance to learn sign language was all part of…

It’s that time of year again! #tacoboutbooks is Literacy, Inc’s (LINC) seasonal celebration of reading, gratitude, and, yes, tacos. On Monday, November 22nd, with the help of New York Times best-selling author Adam Rubin and his taco-loving dragon friend, children at PS 189 in Washington Heights were treated to a live read aloud of Dragons Love Tacos in English and Spanish. P.S. 189’s pre-k classes had a blast singing, dancing, and reading and making tacos. They were excited to ask all sorts of questions from how to make the best tacos to what goes into hosting your own taco party.…

Learning about Native and Indigenous culture is an opportunity for our children to understand the true history of our country and debunk common stereotypes about Native American Peoples. Start at home by talking about the land we all live on, the issues facing Indigenous populations today (like access to clean water) and by reading these books by Indigenous authors that celebrate their culture and draw attention to some of the issues facing their communities. My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith This joyful story about children and the things they love is a vibrant celebration of Cree culture.…

It is with great pleasure that LINC welcomes a new Chief Program Officer, Laura Walsh, to lead the development and implementation of our community-based early learning programs. With her background and expertise, Laura will manage the effectiveness of the content and delivery, parent engagement, parent leadership, and community engagement teams as LINC continues to accelerate their impact on New York City’s literacy crisis. Laura is an experienced manager of educational programming that specializes in early literacy, non-profit management, and staff development. She is also a trained literacy specialist that received her Master’s in Special Education and Literacy from St. John’s…

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the loss of our beloved founder Mimi Levin Lieber, a lifelong education justice and children’s advocate. She started Literacy Inc. twenty five years ago to make literacy a right of all children. Mimi worked with us to fight for universal literacy until her last breath. Her passion and dedication to our mission inspires us to work with urgency. We honor her today by committing to accelerate our resolve to end the literacy crisis that negatively affects children. Mimi believed that universal literacy was not only possible but supremely imperative to sustain a…

LINC’s founder, Mimi Levin Lieber, recently passed away at the age of 93. Her life was long and her accomplishments, many. Mimi’s conviction that literacy is essential to democracy was a fundamental reason she started LINC. She understood that the ability to read was necessary not only for individuals to succeed but for our democracy to flourish; she always knew that access to reading is a social justice issue. In her memory, LINC is urging all registered voters to participate in the upcoming city elections. We are launching a series of social media messages encouraging everyone who is eligible to…

LINC warmly welcomes Pat Mitchell to our Board of Directors! Pat graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the State University of New York at Albany in 1987. She earned her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from City College and her professional degree in school administration from Long Island University. After working for two years as a social worker, she began her tenure as an elementary school teacher at PS 299 in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Pat has held various positions in the Department of Education and in 2007 became the…

In the community and online, LINC connects families to critical learning activities and helps children access literacy programs that meet their individual needs. Our collective impact programs like the Reads Initiative combine the power of 11 early literacy organizations across three New York City communities, an effort that requires strong focus and leadership abilities. We are delighted to welcome a new leader to that role, Gilberto Agosto, Jr. is the new Director of the Reads Initiative. A native of East Harlem, Gilberto Agosto has led a myriad of teams within non-profit organizations for over three decades. Early in his career,…