Literacy Academy Collective

12/22/2025

Thrilled to be featured in this month’s New Yorker Magazine. Thank you David Owen for putting the spotlight on dyslexia. We believe access to literacy is the greatest Civil Rights issue of our time, and we are proud to stand with NYC Public Schools, and our partners at The Windward School to make sure that all students learn to read.

Proven methods for teaching the readers who struggle most have been known for decades. Why do we often fail to use them?

12/02/2025

Last week, we teamed up with the Centerbridge Foundation to provide turkeys for all 150 LAC families across SBLA and CBLA. With many families impacted by SNAP and other federal funding cuts, this support meant so much.

Huge thank you to everyone who helped make the holidays brighter for our community!

11/26/2025

This Giving Tuesday (12/02/2025), we’re asking you to help open doors for learners who need it most.

Even a gift of $250–$500 can create lasting impact - providing the literacy support, confidence, and opportunities every student deserves.

Mark your calendar & make a difference next Tuesday. A little giving goes a long way. 💙📖

11/15/2025

Nonprofits keep New York housed, fed, cared for, and learning.
At Literacy Academy Collective, we do this even as we face new challenges in 2025. We do this because New Yorkers, and our students, need us. The city works because nonprofits like Literacy Academy Collective do.

11/12/2025

Every day, Literacy Academy Collective empowers students with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities to unlock their potential through literacy-focused education and support. Our work doesn’t just change report cards, it changes futures.

We’re proud to stand with thousands of nonprofits telling New York: the city works because we do. Nonprofits like ours are the quiet engines behind NYC’s progress. They uplift, they educate, and they create pathways where barriers once stood.

11/10/2025

New York City’s nonprofit sector is more than charity. It’s
an essential part of the city’s infrastructure and
economy. Collectively, nonprofits generate $78 billion
annually and employ nearly one in five New Yorkers.

At Literacy Academy Collective, our goal is to break the cycle of illiteracy for students with dyslexia, language-based learning disabilities, and other struggling readers.

We’re proud to be part of , celebrating the people who make nonprofit work possible. Pictured is our Director of Community and Family Engagement, whose passion for families and literacy truly represents the heart of NYC.

If you value a thriving, resilient New York, we encourage
you to learn more and share this campaign.

11/04/2025

NYS SOMOS panel alert‼️
If you are traveling to the conference, make sure to stop by our panel. We will be showing clips of the Left Behind documentary, how we began our work and how we are working towards improving literacy across NYS.

10/24/2025

In honor of Dyslexia awareness month, the documentary, Left Behind, will be streaming for a week for F-R-E-E starting tomorrow, Friday October 24th until Saturday, November 1st. This film highlights the work of our organization’s co-founders and how we opened our first school, South Bronx Literacy Academy.

Register here:
https://kinema.com/events/Left-Behind-ckbc7o?fbclid=IwdGRjcANnp_FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrNw4IERNvF7hmo77sRLyltyqAegZwP_JEJ2WGAXiC3KC-yYw4BCbhjigLKc_aem_k0FKNEI1rMp1JEgB48ImcA

Get tickets for the virtual screening of Left Behind

08/13/2025

Our session proposal, “Breaking Barriers: Opening the First Public Dyslexia School,” is up for community voting for the SxSW EDU Conference. We would love your support!

Learn about our session below – We need your vote!!

Here’s how to help us share our story on the big stage: 
- Use our link: https://bit.ly/LACatSxSW 
- Sign in (or create a SXSW account—it’s quick and free)
- Click the heart button on our session
- Share with your friends and family who believe in LAC’s mission
- Voting closes Sunday, August 24 at 11:59pm PT - every click counts!

Thank you for taking these steps in helping us bring our conversation to SXSW. Hope to see you in Austin!!

In 2023, LAC opened the first district public school in the nation specifically for kids with dyslexia and reading difficulties in the South Bronx. Hear how our co-founders, as mothers of children with dyslexia, navigated the New York City Public School system to make this happen. They will tell tales of their struggle to give access to culturally responsive, evidence-based literacy instruction to students at the intersection of race, poverty, and disability– proving that if we can do this in the country’s largest public school system, we can reach struggling readers everywhere!

06/12/2025

On June 4th, hosted a special screening of Left Behind, followed by a dynamic panel discussion featuring LAC founders Emily Hellstrom and , who also appear in the film. The event was proudly hosted by the Niagara Falls City Mayor’s Office and drew a fantastic crowd.

The post-screening conversation offered deep insights into the film’s themes and creative process, with lively discussion and thoughtful audience questions. It was a huge success and so much fun for our team to attend!

We’re grateful to everyone who came out and helped make the evening so memorable.

06/09/2025

Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy is here!

06/06/2025

Last week, our Director of External Affairs & Strategy, Emily Hellstrom, joined the D17 Health Fair!

It was an inspiring day with our full district community comign together; parents, families, teachers, students, and talented performers.

We were honored to connect with Superintendent Lindsay, CEC 17 President Erika Kendall, and the incredible team from the D17 office.

Shoutout to all the amazing school and health organizations who tabled and made the day so impactful!