Literacy Partners

A huge thank you to our friends at Sony! 📚

Recently, Sony volunteers rolled up their sleeves to pack books and build book kits for our Books of Their Own program — giving families in our community books to call their own.

Did you know that the likelihood of a child being on track in literacy and numeracy almost doubles if at least one book is available in a student’s home?

We're so grateful for partners who show up for literacy like this. Thank you, Sony!

Three days, one team, and a whole lot of fun! 🎉

Recently, the Literacy Partners staff gathered in NYC for our retreat.

📚 We started at Macmillan Publishers, learned about our programs from our Chief Program Officer, Michelle Lopez, and tried out storytelling with The Moth. A few brave coworkers even took the stage to perform their stories!
🏡 We explored history at Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, then enjoyed a delicious lunch at Lakou Cafe.
🌳 We spent an afternoon in Prospect Park playing Taboo, co****le, frisbee, and volleyball (things got competitive).
💡 We wrapped up back at Macmillan with a Culture of Philanthropy session and a panel on leadership with Jacqueline Ebanks (Nonprofit NY), LaToya Williams-Belfort (The Bronx Community Foundation), and Kimberly Ayers Shariff (Penguin Random House).

We're so grateful for the chance to learn, innovate, and connect as people, not just coworkers. When our team grows together, the families and adult learners we serve benefit, too. 💙

"Now I read to my kids. They see the pictures and put together their own story. They use their imagination a lot." — Hortensia, a parent in our programs

This is what happens when a book makes it onto a shelf at home. It doesn't stop at the last page — it becomes a habit, a routine, a moment parents and kids share every night.

That's the heart of our Books of Their Own program, and it's why we launched The Page Turners this September: a community of monthly donors who keep new, age-appropriate books flowing into the homes of the families we serve, all year long.

$10 a month — less than a coffee run — builds a child's home library one book at a time.

Sign up as a Founding Page Turner before September 30th and we'll send a small thank-you your way. Join us: https://literacypartners.org/recurring-gifts/

What a way to send off summer! 🎒 Our Back to School Event brought together students, parents, caregivers, and community members to kick off the new school year with free backpacks for the start of the new school year!

Every family who registered to learn more about our programs took home a free boo and Consejo Cards (or tip cards)— simple, fun tips for building reading habits with their kids at home.

We were also so glad to have Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia, representing the 86th Assembly District, join us — thank you for standing with our community!

As our Chief External Affairs Officer Kristine Cooper put it: "We hope to equip not only the students with adequate resources for the year, but to connect families and community members alike with the essential support our team offers." Here's to a great year ahead! 💛

Today is International Literacy Day! 📚 This year's theme, "Literacy for people, the planet and prosperity," is a reminder of something we see every day at Literacy Partners: literacy is economic mobility.

When a parent builds their reading, writing, and English language skills, doors open to better jobs, higher wages, and greater confidence navigating everyday life. Our programs take a two-generation approach so that opportunity doesn't stop with one person. It reaches their children, too.

On this 60th anniversary of International Literacy Day, we're highlighting that investing in a parent's literacy is investing in a family's future.

Literacy opens doors for the whole family and that's why we do what we do. 💛

Big news — we're growing our team! Literacy Partners is hiring a Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships to lead partnership-building across schools, early childhood providers, healthcare organizations, and community groups in the San Diego and Las Vegas regions.

This is a role for someone who thrives on connection — someone who can walk into a community meeting, a school, or a funder's office and build the kind of trust that turns into real opportunity for the families we serve.

Must be Bilingual in English/Spanish.

Know someone who'd be perfect for this? Tag them below, or head to our website for the full job description and how to apply.

https://literacypartners.org/careers/

This is what Barbara Houser's legacy looks like: a mother and her children, together in the library, building a future through literacy. 📖

Barbara grew up in a small rural town and reading was her passport into a bigger world. Her reading skills led her to learning several different languages, to traveling the world, and eventually, to volunteering at Literacy Partners.

Her nephew Eric remembers: "It was reading that introduced her to the world and education that enabled her to experience the world."

Before she passed, Barbara left an estate gift to Literacy Partners through our Literacy Champions Circle — a legacy that will touch families just like this one for generations she'll never meet.

You don't have to be famous to leave a legacy. You just have to believe, like Barbara did, that a parent's literacy today can change their child's world tomorrow. 💛 Learn how you can leave your own legacy gift: https://literacypartners.org/legacy-giving/

Did you know August is Make-A-Will Month? 📝

It's a great reminder to think about the future—not just for yourself and your loved ones—but for the causes closest to your heart.

Today, you can take the first step to create a will that supports the literacy of children and families across the country.

At Literacy Partners, our two-generation approach to literacy creates ripple effects for generations to come. You can be a part of this!

Interested in creating your own literacy legacy?

Visit our website: https://literacypartners.org/legacy-giving/