America SCORES New York’s Literacy in Action project partners with public elementary schools in low-income parts of New York City to provide year-round programming designed to develop students who are passionate about reading and writing, self-confident physically and mentally healthy, and engaged with their local community. Our program achieves this by hiring and training teachers to deliver our nationally standardized curriculum through leading a team of their school’s 3rd-5th grade boys or girls in extracurricular soccer and academic enrichment.  In addition to daily programming, students, coaches, and families celebrate youth achievements at our community events throughout the year such as soccer game days, Poetry SLAMs and our SHOUT! Day of Service. Students self-select to be a part of Literacy in Action, which is free to them, at the start of each school year.  Participation is not based on soccer skills and we do not require try-outs to join our program. In fact, our soccer games are non-results oriented and have a strong focus on teamwork. Students join our program for various reasons, including an interest in soccer, poetry workshops, and/or the opportunity to build friendships during various SCORES events and activities. Our Power of Poetry and Writing for the Community curricula incorporate the values of teamwork and commitment typically associated with athletics, while our Soccer and Health curriculum incorporates the values of creativity, listening skills, and communication traditionally associated with writing workshops. Our students might begin a poetry lesson by playing a communication game involving a soccer ball, or break from a soccer exercise to a discussion of their notions of healthy eating habits.