Welcome to Start Lighthouse
“You have no idea what an impact this will have on our students and families,”
Danielle said to me. Danielle is the principal of P.S. 5 Port Morris, a public elementary and middle school located in the South Bronx. Over 96% of Danielle’s students are economically disadvantaged and 56% are currently homeless. The South Bronx, situated within congressional district #15, is one of the poorest districts in the entire nation.
According to a 2016 study conducted by NYU scholars, “in an average community of concentrated poverty, only one age-appropriate book is available for every 300 children, compared to … affluent areas, which offer 13 books per child.” Books are a luxury item for many families in the South Bronx, as 58% of residents are rent-burdened and 29% live in poverty. The current state of our country draws light to a significant underlying issue: access. COVID-19 has magnified the existing disparities between affluent and low-income communities. Widespread school closures left students, particularly those within low-income communities, at a severe disadvantage. The resources and stability of schools cannot be replicated at home for them. Furthermore, due to the existing digital divide, remote learning is not accessible to all.
Danielle spoke at length about how she has been actively looking for resources to share with her students. She even resorted to emptying classrooms to ensure that her students have enough materials throughout the remainder of this school year. At Start Lighthouse, we want to support individuals like Danielle and empower students and families at her school. Start Lighthouse implements a two-generational approach by fostering lifelong literacy for both students and their families in the South Bronx. As an organization, we know that the biggest barrier to literacy is access to books. We create and distribute customized literacy kits for students in grades K-8.
Due to COVID-19, our book collection took place solely online through a curated wishlist of culturally responsive and diverse texts on Bookshop. This platform also allows us to support independent booksellers. We also create supplemental material tailored to each book. These materials include comprehension question guides along with activities to further student engagement and comprehension. This is how Start Lighthouse seeks to create access and build student home libraries.
Danielle’s school operates as one of the meal distribution sites for the entire community, where families arrive daily to pick up meals for their children. As a meal distribution site, it provided us with an avenue to distribute literacy kits and an opportunity to interact with families and children in the community.
This past May at P.S. 5 Port Morris, we distributed 300 books. Danielle arrived at 8 am and her staff and the school safety officers helped us with the distribution. Danielle eagerly greeted many of the families and distributed literacy kits based on children’s interests, whether it was learning how Captain Underpants defeated the evil villains or how Malala used her voice to empower others around her. Our kits were gone within the hour.
We are drawn to Danielle because of her unwavering belief in our mission and the desire to make literacy more accessible. We are eager to continue our partnership with her and better understand how we can support her students who have now been away from school for five months.
During these unprecedented times, we hope Start Lighthouse can serve to bring a little bit of light.
