There can be no question that the city faces serious budgetary challenges. Right now, the Mayor is proposing to balance the budget by making three sequential 5%, across the board cuts that will affect city agencies and nonprofits that provide services. As NYC makes difficult budget choices, early education must not be sacrificed. Investing in early literacy yields long-term social, health, and economic benefits. Now is the time to improve early education, not undermine the future of vulnerable children. City’s First Readers (CFR) is a coalition of 17 partner organizations, including all library systems, providing early literacy services across New…

With your passion, dedication, and support, Literacy in Community surrounds families with the love and joy of reading. Day by day, week by week, year over year, with LINC, our families are empowered to make a difference in their child’s life by instilling a strong literacy foundation. We play. We sing. We talk. We read. We build together. Each year our community grows. We seek knowledge. We envision change. We nurture relationships. We cultivate joy through the books we read. Together, we are raising generations of readers who become leaders. Thank you for being a part of this beautiful extended…

Congratulations to LINC’s team of runners for little readers: Jessica Rogel-Pohl, Laura Walsh, Chris Paulk, Noa Matson, Lily Rosenthal, and Lucy Phillips! You are an inspiration! We salute you for pounding the pavement in the name of Literacy in Community. Today Team LINC joined thousands of athletes for the 52nd annual New York City Marathon–a 26.2-mile course through the five boroughs sidelined by crowds of spectators. LINC staff, family, and friends followed the team on the TCS Marathon app, capturing them at a number of locations, and showering them with love at the charity cheer zone in one of LINC’s…

We are thrilled to share with you a significant milestone in the journey of LINC. Over a year ago, we embarked on a mission to refresh our brand. We did this to establish a visual identity and voice that better reflect our values and personality and speak more directly to the families that we serve. Agency and linking community is at the heart of all that we do at LINC. We believe that educational achievement is possible by centering the voices of our families and the community we build together. This is how LINC advances equity. Today, we are ready…

Over a year ago, LINC embarked on a process to refresh our brand and establish a visual identity that better represents the families that we serve. Today we are thrilled to launch the new LINC brand, featuring an updated logo, a whole universe of colors and illustrations, and a name change, all designed to inspire a feeling of joy for reading and celebrating the efforts of our communities. Same LINC, New LOOK! Please read on for our rebrand FAQ. 1. Is Literacy Inc. (LINC) still the official name of the organization? We’re still—and always will be—LINC, but now those letters…

On Saturday, October 28, LINC families gathered virtually to celebrate one of our favorite reading holidays, Jumpstart’s Read for the Record. Now in its 18th year, this global reading experience keeps expanding with over 26 million participants around the world. The chosen book for 2023, With Lots of Love written by Jenny Torres Sanchez and illustrated by Andre Ceolin, is a beautiful story about family, finding ways to stay connected, and spreading love across distances. LINC’s Family Engagement Specialist, Rocio Apolonio, who shares her name with the protagonist of With Lots of Love, led the read-aloud and included a discussion…

On Friday, October 20, 2023, Literacy Inc.’s (LINC) Chief Program Officer, Laura Walsh and Director of Early Literacy, Josh Barocas were honored to lead a tutor training on the Science of Reading for a new cohort of Reading Partners volunteers. Both LINC and Reading Partners are nonprofit organizations that support children who are at risk for failing to learn to read proficiently. Each organization understands the importance of children acquiring literacy and the consequences for failing to keep up. Each organization serves a different age range and consequently, each structures its programs differently. Adult volunteers with Reading Partners spend one…

Literacy Inc. (LINC) is proud to be an official charity partner for the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon! Our team will join runners from around the globe on Sunday November 5th to experience a thrilling 26.2 mile journey through the five boroughs of New York City. Please join us in supporting them as they push their limits, test their courage, and cross the finish line – all while raising essential funds for early literacy. Meet our runners and discover what prompted them to read and run to change lives in NYC this fall. Noa Matson Noa Matson moved to…

Yesterday, Literacy Inc. (LINC) leaders: Eliana Godoy (Deputy Director), Laura Walsh (Chief Program Officer), and Albania Jimenez (Senior Director of Family & Community Mobilization) joined top national policymakers, educational leaders, students, and parents at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City for the Hispanic Federation’s Annual Hispanic Education Summit. This historical summit focused on the biggest challenges Latinx children face in their K-12 and postsecondary education, and our colleagues honed in on the critical importance of early educational issues, at top of mind for many New York families at the beginning of that journey, those with children ages birth…

Breathe in and breathe out. When young ones practice yoga, they learn habits of flexibility, fitness, and self-soothing. Like reading a good story, we expand our minds and open up to new experiences. It’s no wonder that LINC’s Yoga & Reading in the Park program was such a hit this past summer. On Wednesdays in July and August at 10:30am, LINC families gathered at Marconi Park for a yoga themed read aloud led by LINC’s Community Engagement Specialist Beverley Philips. Beverley doesn’t just read though, she demonstrates the poses as they are described in the story and the children follow…

Springboard Collaborative closes the literacy gap by closing the gap between home and school. They coach educators and family members to help students learn to read by 4th grade. Springboard envisions a world in which all children have the requisite literacy skills to access life opportunities. As proud NYC Reads partners, they have been privileged and proud to serve four Reads schools, including 227 K-4 students and families this past summer. Springboard’s half day literacy program supercharged existing Summer Rising programs in NYC public schools with its dynamic teacher professional development and joyful family workshops. An impressive 90% of participating…

NYC Reads is proud to announce the launch of our redesigned website now live at https://www.nycreads.org, and better than ever! Since 2014, NYC Reads has worked to increase the number of children who enter school prepared to learn and to sustain academic achievement, and we are thrilled to reach new heights with our new and improved website. The NYC Reads website design is faster and cleaner, making it easier to navigate between the different Reads communities, learn about our partners and the ages they serve, find free resources, and see our results. The perfect combination of family-friendly photos, illustrations, fonts,…

Did you know that 51% of NYC students cannot read at grade level? And when you look closely, the numbers grow worse: Only 42% of children living in poverty score is proficient on state tests and only 35% of Hispanic students and 37% of Black students read at grade level. The literacy crisis disproportionately affects BIPOC families. This is why LINC provides capacity building support through its collective impact work, in addition to providing direct programs. On Wednesday, September 13, LINC’s Chief Program Officer, Laura Walsh, presented a training on The Science of Reading at the Brooklyn Public Library Back…

Literacy Inc. (LINC) is proud to announce that its strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency has earned a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator. This rating designates LINC as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that our organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria. Charity Navigator is America’s largest and most-utilized independent charity evaluator. Since 2001, the organization has been an unbiased and trusted source of information for more than 11 million donors annually. Charity Navigator analyzes nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, referred to as beacons. Currently, nonprofits can earn scores for…

Aspiring young readers excel when they are surrounded by family and caretakers supporting them. Grandparents often play a vital role in a child’s success, sharing their love, experiences, and wisdom through stories and other activities. To celebrate Grandparents Day this year, LINC facilitated a reading celebration in honor of these significant figures in the lives of our children. On Wednesday, September 6th, families logged in for a virtual party that featured games, music, crafts, and, of course, stories! Special guest and Senior Director of Family & Community Mobilization at LINC, Albania Jimenez led our bilingual read-aloud storytime of the hilarious…

The Bronx is ready to read! It’s a long road to get to a child’s first day of school, and we at LINC know the importance of ensuring families feel supported during the early years before their children reach the classroom. On August 22nd, LINC partnered with NYC Parks, Fidelis Care, the New York Public Library, the Fire Department of New York, and other community organizations to equip Bronx families with the knowledge and resources that their children need to excel. LINC and our partners set up a ring of stations around Poe Park creating a Bronx Back to School…

Grab your books and pencils, it’s time to go back to school! Or, for many young learners, it’s time to go to school for the first time. NYC Reads and its partner organizations work to ensure that children in their communities enter the classroom ready to read and excel from day one. In celebration of this special time of year, the NYC Reads partners are joining forces to host Back to School fairs across the city! The neighborhoods of South Jamaica and East New York have already distributed hundreds of books and school supplies this month, and the third fair…

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the tragic passing of our dear friend and colleague Daniel Nkansah, a beloved literacy advocate who dedicated his life to promoting literacy and education.Mr. Daniel Nkansah made an indelible impact on countless lives through his work at the Queens Library and through his partnership with LINC, Reads, and CFR. Those of us who were fortunate to work alongside him know that his dedication to our work and our families had no limits. His passion for fostering a love of reading went beyond the call of duty. He worked tirelessly to create and…

Join LINC in welcoming these five new all stars to our team! We are thrilled to have their expertise and their passion as we continue to cultivate little readers across New York City. Each of them brings a unique background, skills, and set of experiences that will take our mission to new heights, and we could not be happier! Josh Barocas, Director of Early Literacy. Josh began his career working in NYU’s Acoustic Phonetics and Perception Laboratory before moving into elementary school teaching. During his years teaching 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, he sought out training in many research and…

On Thursday, August 17, LINC families gathered at one of the most treasured public gardens and cultural centers in New York City, Wave Hill,* for an interactive read-aloud of Danbi’s Favorite Day with guest author Anna Kim. Anna Kim is an Asian Pacific American writer, and her story is filled with exquisite artwork that honors the distinct personalities and characters represented by a multitude of skin tones and hairstyles. This children’s story is a true celebration of diversity through literacy, one of LINC’s favorite themes, and a core part of our mission. Councilmember and LINC champion Eric Dinowitz joined us…

Thanks to the New York City Council’s renewed allocation, City’s First Readers enters its 10th year of serving New York City families and children with diverse early literacy programs; all support some of our most at-risk children on their path to acquiring the reading proficiency that will help them to achieve in life. As the facilitating partner for this critically important initiative, Literacy, Inc. (LINC) is pleased to extend its deep appreciation to the Council for recognizing our collective commitment to improving access and creating opportunities for young children. Below is a letter from LINC’s Executive Director, Shari Levine. We…