NYCReads, a collaboration of 11 organizations working together in East New York, East Harlem, and South Jamaica, the Queens Public Library, and the Lewis Latimer House Museum are partnering to present Roar Like a Dinosaur, a Spring STEAM Celebration and Dino Egg Hunt at the Baisley Park Library in South Jamaica on Saturday, April 29. The President and CEO of the Queens Public Library and former Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education Dennis M. Walcott will lead the festivities with a read aloud of We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by author and illustrator Ryan T. Higgins, followed…

Stay Connected with Us! • Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter at www.lincnyc.org/blog. • Follow us on social media – interact with and share our posts and eblasts! Facebook: @literacyinc Instagram: @lincnyc LinkedIn: Literacy Inc. Twitter: @linc_nyc • Join us at a virtual celebration with our families: www.lincnyc.org/onlineprograms. • Become a monthly donor: www.lincnyc.org/donate.

New York, NY April 14, 2023 – Literacy Inc. (LINC), an early childhood literacy non-profit and Molina Healthcare, a provider of managed healthcare services are partnering with Clean Rite Center to present Books and Bubbles, a reading program that promises to be loads of fun on National Laundry Day! The festivities will commence at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 15 at the Clean Rite Center, a designated LINC Literacy Zone, located at 112-05 Sutphin Blvd in Jamaica, NY, and it is not all fluff and fold! This Reading Everywhere event includes a magician, face painting, carnival games, live music, and…

I like the ocean I like the sea I like the water splashing on me. Alayna Brijlal lights up as she finishes reading her sight words before bedtime. Sight words are rhythmic and fun, and literacy leaders love them because they build speed and fluency, increasing reading comprehension. Alayna is one of three children in a South Jamaica family that is dedicated to raising little readers and is seeing soaring results. She is 3 years old and she started attending LINC programs at the age of 1. In that short time, her reading ability has improved dramatically and she is…

Literacy Inc. (LINC) is partnering with Salesforce to improve our impact. Volunteer employee consultants help us leverage Salesforce’s cloud-based, customer-relationship manage­ment technology to grow our transformational early literacy programs in New York City. In addition to improving LINC’s outreach to parents and caregivers, our collaboration enables us to more effi­ciently and effectively monitor our impact on early literacy success. Thank you to Salesforce, especially Archit Budhraja and Brandon Patterson, for your many years of dedication and donating time and talent to Literacy Inc., our staff, families, and children. This partnership has provided valuable training to our team and will continue…

This past January, Literacy Inc. (LINC) and the 17 other partner organizations that comprise City’s First Readers (CFR) united in our quarterly “CFR Week” campaign to reach families with information about free resources, services, and early literacy programming available to them through CFR. The results of this coordinated effort were astounding: 1,500 families reached with information about CFR 1,300 sets of CFR materials (including early learning activities) were distributed 1,100 books were distributed CFR partners are now gearing up for the upcoming April CFR Week campaign, which is themed around celebrating diversity and will run throughout April. Settings where families…

Petula Gay, the Director of the Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center (FOCH) in Staten Island, is more than a friend to Literacy Inc. (LINC). She is a true literacy leader and advocate. Petula has been a LINC Very Involved Parent (VIP) since 2022 and in that short time she has encouraged five of her staff to also become VIPs. The Friends of Crown Heights is a provider of group day care, universal pre-Kindergarten and after-school programs for 3 and 4 year olds, and has been a long-time partner of LINC. We were thrilled to introduce one of our new…

NEW YORK, NY, April 1, 2023– Literacy Inc. (LINC), an early childhood literacy non-profit, and Fidelis Care, a New York State health plan, announced its third 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. Beginning on April 26 with a virtual program with children’s book illustrator and author, Tracy Dockray, the 2023 campaign will span two weeks from April 26 – May 6. Thanks to the support…

Stay Connected with Us! • Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter at www.lincnyc.org/blog. • Follow us on social media – interact with and share our posts and eblasts! Facebook: @literacyinc Instagram: @lincnyc LinkedIn: Literacy Inc. Twitter: @linc_nyc • Join us at a virtual celebration with our families: www.lincnyc.org/onlineprograms. • Become a monthly donor: www.lincnyc.org/donate.

Today, March 22, would have been the 95th birthday of Mimi Levin Lieber. LINC is proud to remember this extraordinary woman who had the vision and the energy to start Literacy Inc. (LINC) after a successful professional career as a consumer attitude consultant and fifteen years of public service as a member of the New York State Board of Regents. Either by itself would have been a significant legacy, but at a point when many would be thinking only of retirement, Mimi decided to begin a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children learn to read and learn to love reading.…

It’s a new year and LINC is thrilled to welcome four new staff members! Each of them brings a unique background, skills, and set of experiences that will take our mission to new heights in 2023, and we could not be happier! Please join us in welcoming: Deon Daniels, Family Engagement Specialist Deon Daniels, one of our most dedicated and enthusiastic Very Involved Parents (VIPs), recently joined the team as a Family Engagement Specialist in Staten Island. Deon has a background in teaching and has supported numerous LINC events before becoming a full time staff member. Using literacy strategies that…

New York, NY 2/10/2023 Literacy Inc. (LINC) is filled with hope for our children and our city today with Mayor Adams’ announcement of the creation of the first-ever Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, under Dr. Michelle Paige. This is an agency that many of us in the fight for education justice have long sought and one that Mayor Adams has historically made possible. Access to quality early childhood education and care is often determined by demographics even though we know these programs are effective preventive measures that mitigate the impacts of structural inequities. Such services prepare…

LINC is proud to announce that Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand championed and secured $800,000 in support of LINC’s Community Literacy Model as part of the federal budget President Biden signed into law on December 29, 2022. We celebrate the US Senate’s prioritization of children and its recognition of the critical role literacy plays in advancing equity and democracy. Literacy is the key to all learning. Access to quality early literacy programming provides children with a strong foundation to start school ready to thrive and ensures their well-being and success beyond school. This one-time grant will enhance LINC’s…

Sign-up for our Get-Together Conversation with Parents! The Reads Initiative would love to hear from parents and families! Sign-up for one in-person or online group get-together with parents/families from your neighborhood of East Harlem, East New York, or South Jamaica for February or March 2023. The goal is to learn about your family’s experiences with reading at home, in school, and throughout the neighborhood. We want to hear your family’s needs and how the Reads Initiative can better support you. Our in-person get-together will take about one hour, happen at a local library, and we will provide snacks and activities…

Four times a year, the 17 organizations that comprise City’s First Readers (CFR) celebrate CFR Week by promoting early literacy in their communities. The first CFR week of the new year is taking place from January 16-20, 2023. As part of this new campaign, the partners will distribute packets containing: • A welcome letter and brochure about CFR • Information about how to get a library card • An activity card with a chance to win a $50 gift card • A QR code that enables families to easily connect to CFR programs • A variety of books CFR partner…

Join us for an inspiring evening as we Celebrate Literacy in Community. We are excited to gather to recognize LINC and the extraordinary accomplishments of our children, parents, and honorees. Literacy is essential to our economy, to our democracy, and to building a more equitable society. Since 1996, Literacy Inc. (LINC) has worked to improve literacy among children living in some of NYC’s highest poverty neighborhoods. Through engaging community programming that parents, caregivers and children can participate in, LINC works to promote equity in education and inspire families to embrace the power and joy of reading. The programs and tools…

Literacy Inc. is proud and excited to announce three winners in our children’s “Thank You” Card Drawing Contest: one from Inwood, one from South Jamaica, and one from Kingsbridge! Each family will be awarded a $50 gift card and a free book. And, we would like to say “thank you” to all of the little artists who participated! You inspire us to carry out the mission of LINC and remind us why we love our reading programs! Congratulations to our winners: Alayna Brijlal, 3 years old and Ryan Brijlal, 6 years old, South Jamaica Community Angel De Bernardo, 9 years…

Literacy Inc. (LINC) is thrilled to announce a new partnership with sponsors, MoneyGram/Visa, to help them promote a fast, safe, and convenient way to transfer funds to loved ones around the world. When you send funds with MoneyGram and use the Visa Debit Card Deposit receive option, MoneyGram will move your money through Visa’s global network in real time and funds will arrive in your recipient’s account in *30 minutes or less (*dependent on receiving financial institution and region). It’s simple, efficient, and, best of all, your family and friends don’t have to wait in line to get their money…