2021 has been a year of tremendous growth and transformation for LINC and we are proud to announce a number of new staff. As we embark on our 25th anniversary, we prepare ourselves to support even more families and we are grateful to have these new staff members join us in our efforts. They are excited to get to know the LINC community and for you to get to know them. Gladys Gomez, Community Engagement Manager, Fordham/Kingsbridge Gladys is a mother of two children, ages three and eight. She became a LINC VIP in 2019 and has attended LINC programs…

All aboard! Step in and stand clear of the closing doors! Hot off the press is Beyond the Book: Books, Activities, & Fun–NYC Reads’ calendar booklet and your ticket to a year of brand new reading adventures. Each month from July 2023 until June 2024, NYC Reads shines a spotlight on a captivating book that celebrates a unique perspective for youngsters. Alongside it comes free resources and engaging activities for families to enjoy. Suggested activities include savoring foods from different countries, practicing other languages, exploring libraries and museums, and learning about a multitude of cultures. Stories like Bo & the…

Check it out! LINC is partnering with Uptown Grand Central in East Harlem and was featured in a recent article of the Patch. EAST HARLEM, NY — A two-block stretch in East Harlem known as “Restaurant Row” has a full slate of activities throughout the summer. The Open Streets section on 100th and 101st and Lexington Avenue has outdoor dining, live music, activities for kids, and once a month movie nights. The Open Streets is organized and run by Uptown Grand Central, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming sections of East Harlem into a thriving area that puts advocacy into actions…

Literacy Inc. (LINC), programs invite families with children five and younger to experience the joy of reading and promote the idea of “reading everywhere.” Yesterday, thanks to powerful collaborations with One World Observatory and Penguin Random House/Penguin Young Readers plus support from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, LINC families participated in a very special event, Reading on the Rails: Cities, Skylines and Subways, where they did, indeed, “read everywhere!” Departing from neighborhoods across the city including East Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Kingsbridge, Fordham, South Jamaica, East New York, and Staten Island’s North Shore – families converged at One World Observatory. Panoramic…

Literacy Inc. (LINC), an award-winning early literacy non-profit and One World Observatory, a renowned attraction with panoramic views of New York City, present Reading on the Rails: Cities, Skylines and Subways, a reading program and literary adventure in celebration of National Summer Learning Week (July 10-14)! National Summer Learning Week elevates the importance of keeping kids learning, safe, and healthy every summer, a concept that LINC embraces every year to ensure children succeed in school and life. One of this year’s themes, a Love of Literacy & Learning, is exactly what LINC’s Reading on the Rails is all about. This…

Reading Everywhere includes many special places, both inside and outside the home, and what better environment to grow little readers than a garden! LINC has partnered with a number of green spaces in the five boroughs throughout the years and is thrilled to present a series of programs this summer with our partners at Wave Hill. On June 15, LINC VIPs and families welcomed new families at the Wave Hill public garden and cultural center with interactive readings of The Hungry Caterpillar and How Things Grow by Eric Carle. It’s not surprising that the stories came to life magically as…

It is with great pleasure and excitement that LINC launches its 2022 annual report, reflecting on another year of leading the work we call “Literacy in Community.” LINC’s 2022 annual report describes passionate people doing the hard work of helping children be ready to read. Our people, whether staff or Very Involved Parents, ensure reading becomes valued and visible in some of the most unlikely places – a waiting room, a corner of the neighborhood pharmacy, or perhaps the local flower shop or laundromat. By doing so, they help to build a culture of literacy that extends beyond the classroom…

On June 16, 2023, we welcomed to the LINC community the newest graduates of our Very Involved Parents (VIP) program. 22 parents, caretakers, and role models joined our network of VIPs bringing the power of early literacy to their homes and neighborhoods. Designed as a four-part workshop series, the VIP program equips participants with knowledge and leadership skills that allow them to plan and promote reading programs with community partners and LINC staff. VIPs are outstanding examples of community-led impact and the power of raising resilient readers. Participants come to the VIP program for a variety of reasons, often because…

LINC recognizes Juneteenth – a day to celebrate African American’s contributions and reflect on the systemic injustices that are still rampant in our society today. Juneteenth marks the date, June 19, 1865, when approximately 250,000 Black enslaved people in Texas learned they had been liberated, released from bondage, nearly two and half long years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had outlawed slavery. Although this is the 158th anniversary of Juneteenth Independence Day, it was recognized as a federal holiday only three years ago. Juneteenth is an opportunity to acknowledge the tragic fact that slavery is part of our American reality…

Wow, what a night! Thank you to everyone who made LINC’s 2023 Spring Gala a huge success! We were joined by friends, colleagues, and supporters old and new to celebrate LINC Board member Jacqueline Kaiko and present the Mimi Levin Lieber Legacy Award to Diane Katzin and Richard Kurnit. A special thanks goes out to PIX11 Anchor Dan Mannarino, our 2023 Gala Emcee. Of course, we were so proud to feature LINC Very Involved Kid Ethan Figueroa, and we hope you were inspired by the LINC staff who shared the impact of our programs on their families and communities. Thank…

On this special day, we want to express our deepest gratitude for the remarkable mothers among us. Your unwavering strength, compassion, and dedication inspire us all. Your ability to balance the demands of motherhood and work is nothing short of extraordinary. As you continue to nurture and guide your children, both at home and within our community, know that your impact is immeasurable. The love you share and the stories you tell create a ripple effect that will resonate for a lifetime. You truly embody the spirit of Mother’s Day, and we are blessed to have you as part of…

LINC is proud to stand with Speaker Adrienne Adams and many other early literacy advocates in championing the need to address critical shortcomings in New York City’s early childhood education system. Applications for 3-K increased by over 20% this year, and we cannot afford to disinvest from our children’s futures. Yesterday our Executive Director Shari Levine and South Jamaica Neighborhood Manager Demelza Wilson joined Speaker Adams in calling for a better deal to ensure our children and the professionals teaching them are supported in building a brighter future for our city. Read the full article written by Reema Amin in…

On Tuesday, March 21, LINC’s content and delivery team successfully presented Reading Begins with Hearing, the third session of LINC’s Learn N’ Play Workshops series for 4-5 year olds at PS89 in East New York, Brooklyn. These workshops are bilingual, given in both Spanish and English are met with enthusiasm from local children, like Dylan (in photo) who attend LINC programs regularly. What makes these workshops so special? In this series, caregivers learn about the steps of phonological awareness in their native language and what it means to climb those steps or what we call the “phonological awareness staircase” that…

On Saturday, April 29, over 50 families gathered at the Baisley Park Library in South Jamaica for a unique opportunity to read and roar like a dinosaur! That afternoon, NYCReads, the Queens Public Library, and the Lewis Latimer House Museum partnered to present A Spring STEAM Celebration and Dino Egg Hunt with special guest reader, Dennis M. Walcott. Dennis M. Walcott, the President and CEO of the Queens Public Library and former Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education gave an animated rendition of the hilarious tale We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by author and illustrator Ryan T.…

New York, NY March 24, 2023 – The New York City Reads Initiative, a collaboration of 11 organizations working together in East Harlem, East New York, and South Jamaica to improve outcomes for the children in their neighborhoods, and Brooks Olbrys, author of the children’s book series, The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob, a picture book and four early chapter books that teach children achievement principles and ocean awareness, joined forces for a five-day book tour that got youngsters diving into reading this spring. From March 15 through March 21, Mr. Olbrys visited eight NYCReads schools (PS 375M, PS 108M,…

On April 6, LINC lost a true literacy advocate and role model for our families, Herman Pereira. Mr. Pereira was a pastor, a beloved member of the South Jamaica community, and a beacon for those who followed him both here in the United States and in his home country Guyana. As the father of LINC’s Very Involved Parent (VIP) Amanda Pereira, and the grandfather of Gabriella H. Balram, (4 years old) and Armando A. Balram (1 year old), Mr. Pereira was actively engaged in LINC programs and proudly promoted LINC events to his extended family and friends. Throughout the pandemic,…

It may have rained all weekend in New York City, but inside it was warm and cozy, and LINC families were thrilled to cuddle up with a new book. This past Saturday, April 29, LINC’s Diversity Through Literacy campaign took The Bronx and Staten Island by storm with guest authors and free books for children in both boroughs. The first stop on the Diversity Through Literacy tour was the Poe Park Visitor Center in The Bronx. LINC families packed the house to listen to author and illustrator Anna Kim read her brand new story Danbi’s Favorite Day. The latest in…

It’s electric! LINC’s Diversity Through Literacy campaign has begun and the circuits are running! On Wednesday, April 26, children’s book author and illustrator, and LINC board member, Tracy Dockray lit up the room as she read Bright Dreams: The Brilliant Inventions of Nikola Tesla, her very own work, to over 50 online participants! The bilingual program featured a captivating read aloud in Spanish and English, as well as two electricity demonstrations and an illustration lesson in drawing cats courtesy of Tracy. Why cats you may ask? It was a spark from the protagonist Nikola’s cat that ignited his imagination over…