Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York, Inc.
Celebrate “El Día del Niño / Día de los Libros – Day of the Child / Day of the Books

Buffalo, NY – The Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York, Inc. (HHC) will be celebrating Día del
Niño/Día de los Libros | Day of the Child/Day of the Books. This will be the 13th year celebrating this very
important tribute to our children and the future of our community. On Friday, April 28th, the Hispanic Heritage
Council of Western New York, Inc. will celebrate their traditional reading event at the Buffalo Public School #76
Herman Badillo Community School, 315 Carolina St, in Buffalo, HHC along with principal María Rosario-Cala and
assistant principals Arayoán Tylec, Ryan Enser and Danielle Cugalj. Each child at the school will receive a special
book gift from Project Flight to appreciate the importance of independent reading.

Later in the day, in partnership with Mattel / Fisher Price, the Belle Center, and the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day
Parade Association of Western New York, Inc. (PRHDP) the HHC will host a celebration with a fun afternoon filled
with activities, snacks, performances, free books, and a reading by various community leaders, including a special
reading of The Magical Closet Mystery: A Puerto Rican Adventure and more.

Details for April 28th are as follows:
Morning Event: 8:30am
Address: Herman Badillo Community School, 315 Carolina St, Buffalo, NY 14201
Afternoon Event: 3:00pm
Address: The Belle Center, 104 Maryland St, Buffalo, NY 14201

“El Día del Niño” which originated in Mexico in 1925 is celebrated each year on April 30th by many Latin
American countries and in many cities across the Americas. For the past thirteen years HHC has institutionalized
this day here in Western New York, in honor of the children and to promote family values.
El Día del Niño is a day that has been set aside to recognize the importance of children in society and support
their health, safety, and education. Beginning in 1996, several grassroot organizations, libraries, and universities
worked together to link El Día del Niño with language and literacy as a way of supporting the wellbeing of children.
On April 30, 1997, this idea culminated in the first “Día del Niño / Día de los Libros” being observed.

The goals and founding principles of this observance extend throughout the year and call for a daily commitment to:

• Recognize and honor the importance of children and childhood;
• Promote literacy and the importance of reading by linking children to books, languages, and culture in
the home and at school;
• Honor home languages and cultures by promoting bilingual and multilingual literacy in this
multicultural nation, and global understanding thru reading and art;
• Influence parents to become involved in the education of their children;
• Encourage healthy eating habits for nourished bodies and healthy minds; and,
• Show our children the value of character, community, and good citizenship