“Reading is absolutely power,” Antwan Lewis began the interview on FOX5’s Good Day Street Talk! Yes, indeed it is, and LINC’s Director of Family & Community Engagement, Anastasia Gladden reminded viewers that “reading is everywhere” and explained how LINC mobilizes parents and communities to use each and every opportunity they can to read to their children.
Reading starts with talking to your children and reading recipes, newspapers, and signs. It happens everywhere, not just at school and not just at home. LINC has literacy zones in barbershops, laundromats, doctor’s offices, and building lobbies. We find the resources that already exist in the community and empower caregivers to use them.
Anastasia made us proud! Listen for yourself as she describes LINC’s community model, the overwhelming success of our annual Reading on the Rails program, and even best of all, her personal story! Anastasia is the daughter of a Caribbean immigrant who worked two jobs and had very little free time, yet still found creative ways to read to her, like during her train ride to school.
Discrepancies have always existed in neighborhoods like the ones LINC serves (East Harlem, East New York, South Jamaica, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Lower Washington Heights, Inwood, and the North Shore of Staten Island) and that gap only widened during the pandemic, resulting in some of the lowest reading and math scores in the last 20 years.*
LINC equips children with the foundational literacy skills essential for academic achievement when it matters most, from 0 to 5 years old, and fights for educational equity so that all little New Yorkers have the same opportunities regardless of their zip codes.
Thank you to our friends at FOX5 for showcasing our work and spreading the importance of reading to the world, and to Anastasia for wholeheartedly representing us live on TV.
Reading is Power! Register now for LINC’s latest programs at www.lincnyc.org/onlineprograms.
* The National Assessment of Educational Progress recently released test scores showing that reading and math scores among 13-year-olds across the country are at a 20 year low.
