On Wednesday, July 7, a Fidelisaurus, the Fidelis Care health plan dinosaur mascot, was seen distributing free books at NYCHA’s Marble Hill and Dyckman Houses - home to more than 4,400 New Yorkers!
NYCHA’s Marble Hill and Dyckman Community Centers have partnered with LINC for many years to improve the early literacy skills of their little readers. As a way of acknowledging and rewarding their dedication, LINC and Fidelis Care have partnered to create educational libraries of early childhood books featuring Juneteenth and emphasizing the importance of diversity and representation in early children’s literature at these community centers.
Assembly Member Carmen de la Rosa presented the donation of new library books to NYCHA with tremendous gratitude for the array of diverse authors and stories. "We are enhancing our children's lives by providing a library that is multicultural so that our children can learn about their own origins, their history and where they come from."
LINC’s Diversity through Literacy campaign is an initiative to bring authentic books and stories to underserved communities across New York City. Diversity through Literacy began on Juneteenth 2021 and will culminate with a free virtual parent workshop on July 28 when children’s book authors Jessica Ralli and Megan Madison will share their book Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race.
Like this one, many of the books donated were written by black and brown authors, and provide perspectives on race, social justice, equity and inclusion. This workshop has been specifically designed to teach parents the importance of reading diverse books as a way of building early literacy skills and exposing their children to new cultures. After all, "they believe they can be what they see," said Isaiah Alicia who works with NYCHA children daily.
We invite you to join LINC's Diversity through Literacy Parent Workshop on July 28 because "in order for kids to grow, their parents have to grow too!" -- Ninoska Aristy, Director of Arts & Sciences Inc., Dyckman Houses.
