According to 2007 census data, New York City is home to more than 970,000 Asian Americans, representing about 12% of the city’s total population. Chinese Americans comprise the largest Asian group in New York City mainly foreign born (75%) and the majority classified as limited English proficiency. In Lower Manhattan’s Chinatown, about 35% of children are living in poverty. Many Chinatown adults do not have a high school diploma and do not speak any English. Studies have shown that early language skills are critical. Speaking to and reading aloud with children provides the richest exposures to language. These activities stimulate language and cognitive skills, while building motivation, curiosity, and memory in the children. Furthermore, a child’s environment and early experiences can have profound effect on later learning, school success, and overall well-being. However, fewer than half of young American children are read to daily. In addition, children from low-income families can hear as many as 20 million fewer words than their more affluent peers before the age of 4. This problem is worse for children in Chinatown whose parents’ limited English proficiency hinder their ability to nurture their children’s education. Without additional support, many children in Chinatown have few opportunities to develop basic language skills that are essential for learning and for future success.

We realize how crucial it is to develop a child's love for reading at a young age. In the Chinatown community, children lack a deep foundation in reading and language development. Our literacy team believes that the numerous social, economic, and health disadvantages facing Chinatown today can be attributed to limited education opportunities. We want to empower children to overcome these disadvantages through the power of literacy. The team has experienced firsthand how enthusiastically children and parents respond to the literacy outreach programs. Our work has a tremendous impact on the development of many children and creates long lasting memories for them. Through instilling a love of reading in these children from an early age, we hope to motivate them to reach high academic goals, break the cycle of poverty, and gain access to the level of healthcare and education we firmly believe that every person deserves. We wish to be able to continue being a part of these children's lives and extend ourselves so that we can reach out to more of the community.

Our most fundamental need is for books. Distributing books to children free of charge has proved to be an effective means of promoting reading. Our team will purchase age-appropriate books for toddlers to pre-teens. These books will be on different topics and genres in order to meet the children’s individual interests and needs. We will create and host a variety of events for the children that cultivate their excitement about reading, such as book clubs and storytelling. We also want to take the children on field trips so that they can experience the cultural richness of New York City. The children love to read books, but their excitement can be fueled when they can connect what they’ve read to what they see. We wish to provide this connection by taking them on field trips to the New York City Public Library, museums, and shows and plays. While our focus is on children, we wish to offer a separate educational program for their parents. Most parents understand the importance of reading and learning, but their knowledge about ways to promote early reading for their children is limited. Most parents do not speak or read English so they are not able to help children chose appropriate reading materials. We will help them choose books, and offer tips on how to motivate their children to read at home, and the importance of enjoying books with children.