Empowering Harlem's Educational Future
The official showcase of Harlem Community School District 5's educational transformation through strategic NYSED grant funding. See how the myON literacy initiative and the PreK–K engineering curriculum are creating pathways to success for our youngest learners.
About the grant
Grant overview
The New York State Education Department awarded Harlem CSD 5 a comprehensive educational enhancement grant designed to address two critical areas: literacy development through the myON digital reading platform, and early engineering education for our PreK–K students.
This three-year initiative began in January 2025.
At a glance
| Funder | New York State Education Department |
|---|---|
| Cycle | Program Cycle 3 |
| Period | 2025–2027 |
| Legs | myON literacy · Little Engineers PreK–K engineering |
| Sites | 4 schools across the district |
Literacy
myON: building literacy through digital access
myON provides personalized digital reading experiences to every elementary student in Harlem CSD 5. With access to over 6,000 enhanced digital books, students can develop literacy skills both in classrooms and at home. Educators and families engaged in a sustained professional learning series built to move from basic navigation toward full instructional integration.
STEM
PreK–K engineering: building young innovators
Our pioneering PreK–K Engineering Curriculum introduces foundational STEM concepts through hands-on exploration and problem-solving activities. Aligned with the New York State Science Learning Standards and Early Learning Guidelines, the curriculum fosters critical thinking through age-appropriate engineering challenges. Students engage with concepts like stability, motion, and simple machines through guided inquiry and collaborative projects, building both vocabulary and practical skills.
Media gallery
Little Engineers in action
Drop classroom photos into cycle-3/showcase/images/ and list the filenames in the PHOTOS array at the bottom of this page. They will appear here in a lightbox gallery.
Contact
Connect with Harlem CSD 5
District
Harlem Community School District 5
123 Morningside Drive
New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212) 222-1395
Grant administration
Debra Spivak
Director of Continuous School Improvement
schools.nyc.gov
Acknowledgments
Made possible through funding from the New York State Education Department. Thanks to our educators, administrators, parents, community partners, and above all our students.