Literacy in Community (LINC) is proud to announce that we have been named an Official Charity Partner for the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, which takes place Sunday, November 3 and is produced annually by the nonprofit New York Road Runners (NYRR). LINC will be among the record 598 official charity partners providing thousands of runners the opportunity to add meaning to their miles.  Just like the marathon, LINC is in all five boroughs, and, we are here every day! Literacy in Community (LINC) equips children with foundational literacy skills essential for academic achievement by empowering families and mobilizing…

Whether you “Take the A Train” or a harbor cruise on the Staten Island ferry, you will be in good company on July 16th. That’s the day Literacy in Community (LINC), an award-winning early literacy nonprofit, will hold its 10th annual Reading on the Rails: On the Move event. Presented in partnership with One World Observatory, and with the support of lovino Enterprises, this city-wide reading adventure coincides with National Summer Learning Week. Reading on the Rails: On the Move demonstrates in real time how literacy can take place anywhere and everywhere, inspiring all parents and communities to embrace how they…

READERS & LEADERS What happens when the annual city budget tug-of-war seriously threatens the very programs that the evidence from study after study confirms will improve educational outcomes and help to build a more equitable city? Especially when those reductions in funding affect our youngest children? Little kids can’t speak for themselves. YOU MOBILIZE! Thank you to all the individuals and partner organizations that joined City’s First Readers in advocating for early literacy throughout this spring’s heated city budget negotiations. The threats were real: initial budget proposals combined with 5% reductions implemented in the fall of 2023 ($547 million) would mean…

On Friday June 7th, LINC was honored to participate in Deloitte Impact Day 2024. Led by Board Member Will Estilo, Deloitte sent 22 volunteers, up to New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx for “Garden Stories in Wonderland”.  Volunteers jumped right in and helped with tasks big and small – from directing families to the Mertz Library and parking strollers, to handling registration and leading the read aloud. We had an overwhelming turn out, with 50 families in attendance! Some of our guests had attended a LINC program the day before and wanted more, and many others were brand new to the LINC…

We are used to counting steps on our FitBit® devices, but how often do we stop to think about the many steps it takes for a child to learn to read? Just like staying fit, learning to read is hard work and takes a lot of steps.  On Tuesday, June 6th, partner organizations from City’s First Readers gathered on the steps of City Hall to advocate for funding to support New York City’s earliest learners – children from birth through age five. With the expansion of 3K on hold and research increasingly validating the importance of a child’s early years as…

What do we want? Early Literacy! When do we want it? NOW! On Thursday morning, June 6, Councilmembers Jennifer Gutiérrez and Shahana Hanif joined the passionate partners of City’s First Readers (CFR)* for a press conference on the steps of City Hall and proudly chanted those words.  The goal was loud and clear as they called for $6.5 million to be allocated to early childhood literacy programming in the next fiscal budget.   CFR harnesses the collective energy of 17 early literacy partners across all 51 NYC council districts, surrounding families and children with free community-driven programming that builds family literacy and a strong pre-reading…

$6.5 million request would expand vital literacy programming for the youngest New Yorkers New York, NY – The partners of the City’s First Readers (CFR) initiative and Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez will host a rally on City Hall steps calling for $6.5 million in funding to support early childhood literacy programming in the Fiscal 2025 Adopted Budget. CFR harnesses the collective energy of 17 early literacy partners across all 51 NYC council districts, surrounding families and children with free community-driven programming that builds family literacy and a strong pre-reading foundation for children from birth through five. The rally message calls on…

$6.5 million request would expand vital literacy programming for the youngest New Yorkers  The partners of the City’s First Readers (CFR) initiative and Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez will host a rally on City Hall steps calling for $6.5 million in funding to support early childhood literacy programming in the Fiscal 2025 Adopted Budget. CFR harnesses the collective energy of 17 early literacy partners across all 51 NYC council districts, surrounding families and children with free community-driven programming that builds family literacy and a strong pre-reading foundation for children from birth through five. The rally message calls on the New York…

Photography by Matthew Sussman. Wow, what a night! Thank you to everyone who made LINC’s 2024 Spring Gala a huge success. We raised over $775,000 and counting to continue helping thousands of young children become lifelong readers! Watch the video we shared at the gala, featuring our incredible volunteer and LINC Very Involved Parent (VIP), Sandra Patricio. We were joined by friends, colleagues, and supporters old and new to celebrate and present the Mimi Levin Lieber Legacy Award to Jeanine Nadler. A special thanks goes out to PIX 11 Anchor Dan Mannarino, our 2024 Gala Emcee, and his buddy, LINC Very Involved Kid (VIK) Ethan Figueroa. The room was inspired…

Virginia May 2, 2024 2 min read

On Saturday, April 20, Literacy in Community (LINC) and Fidelis Care concluded our 4th annual Diversity Through Literacy campaign with resounding success at the Bronx Library Center!  LINC’s Diversity Through Literacy campaign recognizes the power of children’s literature to celebrate diversity in all forms and sharing different cultures is only one of the ways we do it. Each book is carefully chosen to collectively amplify underheard voices in children’s publishing, embrace unique perspectives, and teach children empathy, acceptance, and self love.   Guest author Cynthia Weill shared her story Vámonos at Alianza Dominicana on April 19th, and joined us again for our final…

A big thank you to our friends at Encantos for their continued support of the work we do to empower families as they build a strong foundation of early literacy skills with their children.  Encantos is a children’s educational and entertainment company with a purpose and a generous corporate partner. Encantos has donated hundreds of books to LINC, and to LINC partners like the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, Nido de Esperanza, Mama Tingo, and more. But their support doesn’t stop there! We were honored to kick off our 2024 Diversity Through Literacy initiative with an event in Kingsbridge featuring Susie Jaramillo. Susie is…

Please join us in welcoming our newest class of Very Involved Parents (VIPs), hailing from our LINC neighborhood in South Jamaica, Queens! On Wednesday, February 14th, LINC staff and caregivers gathered together in the library of P.S. 48Q The David N. Dinkins School for a graduation ceremony honoring a group of LINC volunteers who are making an enormous impact in Queens.  Our Very Involved Parents (VIPs) represent the pinnacle of what we strive to foster at LINC: caregivers equipped with the skills and resources to bring a passion for reading to the children in their family and their community. Before…

“I have known all my life that building and strengthening communities is one of the best ways to help children, my own and everyone else’s.”– Mimi Levin Lieber This year was marked with many milestones for Literacy in Community (LINC)!  We paid tribute to our founder, Mimi Levin Lieber, by embracing the word “community” in our name. We wrapped up 2023 proud of what we accomplished with you by our side. It is with deep gratitude that we present LINC’s 2023 annual report, a testimony to what we have accomplished together as committed colleagues, caregivers, and supporters. Download LINC’s 2023 Annual…

April is Diversity Month and we are thrilled to launch our latest PIX 11 Public Service Announcement (PSA) as we begin our 4th annual Diversity Through Literacy campaign! Since 2021, Literacy in Community (LINC) has partnered with Fidelis Health Care to present Diversity Through Literacy, an annual campaign recognizing the power children’s literature has to celebrate diversity in all forms by representing unheard voices, embracing unique perspectives, sharing different cultures, and more.  This PSA showcases the multigenerational, culturally responsive programming that we are proud to offer, in honor of Diversity Month and all year long at LINC! Watch the PSA…

We know that families are busy and there isn’t always time to sit down and read a book, which is why City’s First Readers (CFR)* helps families find ways to bring reading activities into daily chores and provides a wide variety of free and fun literacy programs across the five boroughs. There is a CFR program for every family, whether you are looking for play time activities, free books and toys, or workshops that provide tips and tools for parents and caregivers, and this April there are more opportunities than ever! April is CFR month and our 17 partner organizations…

Literacy in Community (LINC), an early childhood literacy non-profit, and Fidelis Care, a New York State health plan, announced its fourth year of the Diversity Through Literacy campaign. Started in 2021, Diversity Through Literacy is an annual campaign recognizing the power of children’s literature to celebrate diversity in all forms by representing unheard voices, embracing unique perspectives, sharing different cultures, and more.  Thanks to the support of children’s book publishers Nancy Paulsen Books, Lee & Low, and Encantos, LINC will hold seven in-person author events across all five NYC boroughs. Along with distributing more than 500 free books, LINC will…

On Wednesday, March 6 LINC’s dynamic Content & Delivery Team made history again with their annual Wear Your Crown virtual program. Wear Your Crown is a special event that takes place every March in honor of Women’s History Month and pays tribute to all of the women in our lives.  This year’s program included a bilingual read-aloud of A Crown for Corina by Laekan Zea Kemp and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri, as well as a flower naming game, a drawing lesson, and a crown-making craft activity. Over 40 participants gathered online and by the end of the session, many were eager to…