Tiempo de Contar is a nonprofit organization dedicated to art, culture, and education, incorporated in the Puerto Rico Department of State in October 2022 and tax-exempt according to the Department of Treasury. Since then, we have accompanied communities through literary and artistic experiences that affirm reading as a cultural right and a tool for social transformation.
Tiempo de Contar promotes the joy of reading in children and youth, as well as in the families, caregivers, and educators who accompany them in their upbringing. We design literary and artistic experiences that nurture imagination, strengthen community bonds, develop reading and writing skills, and foster equitable access to holistic development through culture and the written word.
We dream of a future where children and youth—especially those who have had limited access—experience literary and artistic encounters that inspire them to imagine, express themselves, and grow as autonomous, curious, and critical readers and creators. From Puerto Rico, we collaborate with reading communities—here and across other Spanish-speaking regions—to nurture spaces where reading, in all its forms, is an essential part of well-being, equity, and daily life.
Tiempo de Contar was founded in October 2022 in response to an urgent need in Puerto Rico: to support children and youth who face significant barriers to accessing books and reading. In a landscape shaped by school and library closures, reading gaps, and a lack of welcoming spaces to enjoy books, we knew we had to act.
From the very beginning, we’ve worked hand in hand with communities, offering reading and art activities in schools, museums, cultural centers, and family-friendly events. Our goal has always been the same: to create meaningful opportunities for children and youth to experience reading in a way that feels joyful, creative, and close to their lived realities.
Along the way, we have accompanied hundreds of readers—encouraging a more human, free, and joyful relationship with books. Our story is still unfolding, written together with every community that joins us in this commitment to reading as an act of care, identity, and connection.
Our story continues to be written alongside each community that joins this commitment: reading as an act of care, identity, and encounter.
The Tiempo de Contar team is made up of reading promoters with backgrounds in education, the arts, social work, and oral storytelling. We bring together academic training and hands-on community experience in reading mediation, along with a deep knowledge of high-quality children’s and young adult literature. What guides us is a shared commitment to creating safe, creative, and meaningful spaces where reading feels accessible, close to home, and truly transformative. Each team member contributes their voice, story, and unique perspective to enrich the work we do together.
Teacher, storyteller, and specialist in Children's and Young Adult Reading and Literature.
Founder and Executive Director of Tiempo de Contar (Time to Tell Stories). She holds a bachelor's degree in Public Communication with a minor in Drama, and a master's degree in Education with an emphasis in Reading, Writing, and Children's and Young Adult Literature from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.
She is a certified Children's Literature Reading Mediator by the Center for Advanced University Studies of the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), and is trained as a storyteller, focusing on the use of stories as an educational and cultural resource. She has participated in research on authentic representation in children's and young adult literature, and on racial issues related to child development.
For over twenty years, she has worked as a communicator, actress, and public relations professional, collaborating on cultural, educational, and community projects. Through Tiempo de Contar, she promotes initiatives that foster a love of reading and affirm children's right to experience literary, artistic, and transformative activities.
Teacher and specialist in Children's and Young Adult Reading and Literature
Reading facilitator with a long history of supporting children's reading development, she holds a bachelor's degree in Special Education with an emphasis on Hearing Impairments and a master's degree in Reading, Writing, and Children's and Young Adult Literature from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.
For the past decade, she has worked in both public and private educational settings, promoting access to literature as a tool for inclusion, enjoyment, and holistic development in early childhood. She has experience in research on migration and authentic representation in children's and young adult literature. These topics inform her pedagogical practice and her inclusive approach to reader development.
Interdisciplinary artist, actor, and
reading promoter
Artist with a background in theater and experience in cultural and educational activities for children and youth. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities with a concentration in Drama from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.
He has worked as an actor in professional and university productions, and as a reading promoter for the "Tell Me, My Giant" project of the Carolina Municipality's Department of Education, where he led dramatizations in public and private schools. His work integrates stage resources such as voice, body, and dramatic play to spark an interest in reading in an accessible and creative way.
Teacher and specialist in Children's and
Young Adult Reading and Literature
She holds a bachelor's degree in Preschool and Elementary Education from the University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón Campus, and a master's degree in Reading, Writing, and Children's and Young Adult Literature from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.
For 12 years, she was a first-grade teacher in the private sector. She complements this experience with her work as a researcher in the field of Children's and Young Adult Literature. She has researched topics related to authentic representation in Children's and Young Adult Literature and reading processes, integrating them into her teaching and professional development practice. Most recently, she served as Academic Coordinator of the Encuentros Project at CELELI, where she integrated pedagogical knowledge and cultural practice into teacher training and reading support initiatives.
Teacher and specialist in Children's and
Young Adult Reading and Literature
She holds a Master's degree in Education with a specialization in Reading, Writing, and Children's and Young Adult Literature from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and a Bachelor's degree in Education with a concentration in English from the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey Campus.
She has worked as an English teacher at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in both the public and private sectors. She also worked at the Center for the Study of Reading, Writing, and Children's Literature (CELELI). She has experience in research on racial issues, authentic representation in children's and young adult literature, and reading processes. She has collaborated on reading promotion and social justice projects.
She is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.
Musician, educator and music therapist
Music educator and music therapist with a career focused on the holistic development of youth and the affirmation of Afro-Caribbean culture. She holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and a master's degree in Music Therapy from the International University of La Rioja (UNIR).
From childhood, she trained in Modesto Cepeda's Bomba and Plena Workshop, an experience that cemented her musical identity and her commitment to Puerto Rican cultural traditions. As a singer and percussionist, she has collaborated with artists such as Kany García, RaiNao, and Plena Libre, and is a member of groups like LuisGa Núñez y la Sonoridad, Ausuba, and Álea 21. In the field of music therapy, she specializes in working with adolescents, integrating Afro-Caribbean rhythms to strengthen self-concept, emotional expression, and cultural identity. Her practice intertwines music, healing, and pedagogy, proposing culture as a tool for well-being and transformation.
Actress, workshop facilitator, and educator in training
Pursuing a bachelor's degree in Social Work at Ana G. Méndez University in Bayamón, holds a Certified Early Childhood Educator (CDA), which qualifies her to provide comprehensive care and development for children from birth to age five, and has additional training in yoga and mindfulness for children.
For over three years, she has worked as a caregiver and tutor, integrating sensitive and creative practices into her work with children. Her commitment to social change has led her to collaborate with community and educational initiatives such as the School of Antiracist and Community Leadership, Tiempo de Contar (Time to Tell), and PRCONCRA, spaces that have strengthened her commitment to equity and social transformation through art and education.
In the literary field, her work has been published in magazines such as Kametsa, Santa Rabia, and Nuevo Horizonte, and she is included in the Puerto Rico Poetry Slam Anthology. She was a finalist in this competition and is an active voice in the contemporary Puerto Rican poetry scene.
Literature, art, and community in motion
At Tiempo de Contar, we develop programs that bring reading into the everyday lives of children, youth, and their caregiving communities. Our initiatives combine high-quality children’s and young adult literature, oral storytelling, and creative experiences to foster a love of reading, strengthen relationships, and encourage self-expression.
A space for adults interested in exploring high-quality children’s and young adult books. Through a critical, aesthetic, and emotional lens, the club encourages collective analysis and conversation around diverse and meaningful literary works.
Workshops and performances that celebrate oral tradition through folktales, music, and dialogue. This program uses stories as a tool to strengthen imagination, promote intergenerational exchange, and reflect on cultural identity in a creative and collective way.
A training process for individuals from diverse backgrounds interested in fostering reading in their communities. It combines hands-on tools, critical reflection, and the thoughtful use of children’s and young adult literature framed through an aesthetic, inclusive, and culturally relevant lens.
Activities such as reading picnics, read-alouds, and dramatized readings that invite people to enjoy books together—in community and cultural settings, outdoors, and other shared spaces. These experiences integrate carefully selected books, play, conversation, and creativity to make reading a collective and joyful act.
Ongoing interventions in communities where we facilitate equitable access to literature through workshops, reading corners, and artistic proposals. These experiences strengthen reading engagement, build confidence, and nurture the cultural and emotional development of children and youth.
We collaborate with individuals and organizations seeking to strengthen their capacities to promote reading in diverse environments. We offer training and strategic support to help create meaningful and sustainable reading experiences as part of a diverse reading ecosystem sensitive to community realities.
With your support we can:
Bring books and oral storytelling to communities with limited access to cultural spaces.
Offer reading picnics and creative workshops that spark imagination.
Foster safe, joyful spaces where children feel seen and free to dream.
Train reading promoters / facilitators in schools, libraries, and community organizations.
Strengthen the sense of community through reading, art, and shared stories.
To donate now via ATH Móvil, search under Donations: /TDC.
For larger donations, sponsorships, or other forms of collaboration, contact us at tiempodecontar@gmail.com
Supporting Tiempo de Contar means standing up for the right to imagine, to read, and to grow with dignity.
To donate is to take action for a more just, creative, and reader-centered Puerto Rico.
Tiempo de Contar is a nonprofit organization with tax-exempt status from the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury. After making your contribution, you’ll receive an official certificate you can include with your tax return.
From Puerto Rico, we carry reading as a bridge, a refuge, a right. This section brings together the voices, images, and words that tell the story of our journey—through the media, academic spaces, cultural events, and reading communities. These are stories that inspire us, that reflect the collective impact of every story shared, every workshop facilitated, and every connection made. Here, we gather the footprints that remind us: reading transforms… and transforms us all.