Family Literacy Programs

The Brooke Jackman Family Literacy Workshops were designed to engage parents or guardians and their children in literacy-based activities. Each participant receives take-home literacy packages and age-appropriate books to support their work at home. Parents learn concrete strategies to keep up their child’s learning during the workshops and at home. It is our hope that the magical world of books will continue to promote reading aloud together each night. The program began with 100 families and today welcomes more than 1,000 families for children ages 5–12 each year. All participants are offered a nourishing meal for the families. Graduates of the BJF Literacy Program each receive our signature Brooke Pack—another tool designed to foster bedtime bonding between parent and child.

After successful programs in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, BJF expanded the workshops to Washington Heights and Inwood. They were so well received that we continued our expansion into the NYC Family Justice Centers in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. These Family Literacy Programs were also added throughout the summer as requested by participating families and as graduate programs for families completing prior programs.

We were proud to adjust our literacy programming during the pandemic to reach the children we serve in new ways.... Our virtual literacy program enabled us to continue our important work and to create a sense of normalcy for the children and their families while staying safe within their home. It  was a great success. We created Story Time Videos and Instagram Live Story Time events, hosted by Blake Jackman and other guest readers, so children were still able to have access to new books read aloud each week.