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Brooklyn Letters IconBrooklyn Letters

1139 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn

4.9 56 reviews

  • Avatar Emily Matles ★★★★★ a week ago
    We would highly recommend Ally! Our son always asks about her, so very thankful to Brooklyn Letters for introducing us.
    ~ Emily, mom of Brooklyn 2 year old
  • Avatar T Ainsley ★★★★★ 5 months ago
    I cannot express how grateful and rewarding my experience with Brooklyn Letters has been. Her tutor Ms. Daria is so knowledgeable, amazing, kind and awesome. My daughter has made so much progress in Literacy and Math and it's all … More thanks to Ms. Daria. I know my daughter is sad that she can no longer work with Ms. Daria, as she looked forward to their sessions every week. Thank you again!
  • Avatar Natalie Levon ★★★★★ 4 months ago
    Nicole has been an amazing therapist!! She played a tremendous role in our daughter’s speech progress and overall development. She has come such a long way and we are so happy with the therapy she received!
  • Avatar Colin Peters ★★★★★ 6 months ago
    We could not be happier with the services Valerie provided! She is very thoughtful and knowledgeable and provided significant guidance to support our daughter's speech development outside of our scheduled sessions. She established … More a great working relationship with her, and she will definitely be missed! Your business model is amazing and it was an absolute pleasure working with Valerie. I've referred your organization and Valerie to the Executive Director of our daughter's school and friends/colleagues who are in need of speech therapy services.
  • Avatar Lil Amatore ★★★★★ 7 months ago
    Christina was absolutely wonderful. She went out of her way to win my son over and it worked. He looked forward to her visits and his speech improved so much under her care. She was super flexible and it’s clear she truly cares. We adore … More Christina and we’re going to miss her. Almost sad he improved so much! She’s simply amazing and we can’t say enough how great she is. I would recommend her services to anyone and everyone, without hesitation. Thank you so much for connecting us with her!
  • Avatar Heather Liljengren ★★★★★ a year ago
    We cannot say enough good things about Effie, the ASL teacher, who was so engaged and effective with our 2 year old daughter from the very first session! Effie gladly included our whole family in the sessions! Her expertise and fantastic … More personality gave our daughter a way to communicate that she was so desperately seeking. The coordinators at Brooklyn Letters were so helpful and communicative…I would highly recommend their services!
  • Avatar Brigid Bower ★★★★★ 11 months ago
    Samantha Dalmas was fantastic! We saw her for a feeding therapy evaluation and while she doesn’t think my daughter needs more feeding therapy sessions at this time, but she gave me lots of tips to try. If my daughter's doctors want … More to see more progress at her next appointment, I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to Samantha again.
  • Avatar Duygu Başaran ★★★★★ 11 months ago
    Brooklyn Letters was recommended to me through a friend's speech therapist friend in NJ. The articulation evaluation for my daughter went well. We were pleased with Kristin's services.
  • Avatar Kelley Peters-Patel ★★★★★ a year ago
    Melissa was wonderful. Our daughter warmed to her immediately and by the time she left, had already started "practicing" some of the techniques Melissa had shown her. I will not hesitate at all to reach out to Melissa again, should … More the need arise.
  • Avatar R Elmore ★★★★★ a year ago
    Aileen was INCREDIBLY helpful to us, both in assessing possible origins of my grandson's food aversions, as well as informing us of various available interventions to consider.
    I can’t thank you and Brooklyn Letters enough for connecting
    … More us with Aileen. In all our feeding therapy journey we have not gotten anything near the kind of benefit that we did from her. Her knowledge, professionalism, and responsiveness have put us on the path of progress with my grandson and has also made us feel genuinely well cared for.
  • Avatar Christine Weiher ★★★★★ 2 years ago
    We were amazed with Allison! She met my son at 2 1/2 years old, not speaking much at all, and over a computer, and she was able to develop a bond and friendship, so much so that he would look forward to his weekly computer time with Allison. … More I was not sure how the speech therapy would go- but we are so happy that we tried it out and continued. It allowed my son to gain confidence in his speech, make a new friend :), and also give him the skills and a bit of understanding of how to shape his mouth or where to place his tongue to make the proper sounds. We were extremely happy with Allison- she was fantastic to work with.
  • Avatar Andrea Saffady ★★★★★ 2 years ago
    My sessions with Karen have been extremely helpful. My speech has improved tremendously. In fact, I just finished 2 hours of conducting interviews with a consulting client via MS Teams and I have an upcoming conference call. Both my … More neurologist and neurosurgeon remarked about how good my speech is. Much of the day it is perfect, although I still have some rough spots when I get tired or speak too quickly. One of my granddaughters is a speech pathology student at Ithaca College. She sat in on 2 sessions while she was home for winter break, and she was very impressed with Karen.
  • Avatar Jacob B ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    We were delighted with Christie. First, and most importantly, our son made great strides under her guidance. So great, that we felt he no longer needed help! She was incredibly patient and kind with him and our son really responded to … More her. Christie was also great with me and my wife. She provided thorough and informative updates on our son's progress and which exercises she was using with him, so we could reinforce what she was teaching him. All in all, we had a fabulous experience with Christie and would highly recommend her.
  • Avatar Jessica C ★★★★★ a year ago
    Theo was wonderful and his work with my son has produced some progress. I am grateful for the services Theo provided.
  • Avatar Melissa Stevens ★★★★★ 2 years ago
    Highly recommend Jill. She is a total pleasure to work with. After a few months working with Jill, my son is reading above grade level and LOVES to read. Mission accomplished!
  • Avatar Demet Evren ★★★★★ 2 years ago
    Paige was great and we had been really happy with her. I would highly recommend her! I recommend Brooklyn Letters to whomever asks for a speech therapist.
  • Avatar Jeizel Rosenthal ★★★★★ 2 years ago
    Isabel was WONDERFUL and our son absolutely adored her, and he is making great progress with his reading and writing.
  • Avatar Lesley Duval ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    Theo was fantastic with our 4yo son. We were very worried that his progress would fall off when we had to switch to remote sessions, but Theo kept our son happy and engaged through the screen. Highly highly recommend!
  • Avatar Samantha Packard ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    We've been working with Theo from Brooklyn Letters for close to 4 months now and the results are apparent; our daughter has vastly improved her speech in a relatively short amount of time. We make "Theo Day" a celebration … More in our house with pancakes for breakfast, and the enthusiasm is matched in the sessions. Theo is fun, patient, professional, and caring, and he gives us the tools to take the lessons beyond the session. Thank you Theo, and Brooklyn Letters, for helping our daughter express herself.
  • Avatar Travis Ricca ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    I worked with Alina to enhance my pronunciation, tone, and pacing while communicating socially and in a work environment. She was great to work with and clear about goals and learning objectives. The improvement from day 1 has been tremendous! … More
  • Avatar Enrico Bermudez ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    Cathy has been excellent with us and our son. We will sorely miss her. He has improved significantly with Cathy’s help. Cathy was a true partner with us, especially as we pursued additional help through our son’s school system.
  • Avatar Kayne Elisabeth Wilk ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    We really loved working with Alina, she is so fantastic. Patient yet firm, and determined the best course of action very clearly and succintly for us. And it all transitioned so well to Zoom as well. I will definitely be back in touch for … More services for our other child after summer break!
  • Avatar Jen S ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Vera was amazing! My 11 yo daughter made progress so quickly and really looked forward to her sessions. She was kept motivated and engaged.
  • Avatar susie tofte ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    The work that Allison P. did with our daughter over the years has been invaluable to us. Our daughter had such a good relationship with Allison, and it allowed them to work really well together - even remotely these past 6 months. This … More year, Allison went above and beyond by helping us throughout the neuropsych eval we did, trying to re-open our daughter's IEP at her school, and eventually landing her at our chosen school. She was in contact with our daughter's teachers, with the neuropsychologist, and made herself available as a reference to speak on behalf of our daughter's learning differences.
    Allison stopped by our house last week to give our daughter cupcakes and say goodbye, and I literally cried with appreciation for what an amazing speech therapist she has been. She has been our daughter's biggest champion. The new families that she will work with this year are lucky to have her.
  • Avatar Alicia Perez-Katz ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Sydney was great! Our son was sad to end his sessions with her, which says a lot. We appreciated her honest assessment of his skill level, and he now has materials to self monitor and practice. Thank you!
  • Avatar Kristin Ames ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Our experience with Theo was terrific. Theo was great with my son. He developed a positive relationship with him based on sincerity, respect, trust and a deep personal connection. In their lessons, Theo was encouraging, creative and kind. … More He helped our son understand how to differentiate the sounds he made when he spoke, and gave him great exercises to practice every week between lessons. Our son was sorry to have the lessons come to an end, but recognized that Theo had helped him as much as possible and it was time for him to stop. Theo explained to him (and us) how to keep working to get the last 5%, and encouraged him to keep working on the exercises on his own. I have recommended Theo to another parent who noticed my son's improvement and inquired for her own son.
    We are all grateful to have gotten to know Theo, and we greatly appreciate all the work he did to help our son.
  • Avatar Aisha Holder ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    "I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Michelle Macroy-Higgins. We are extremely pleased with her work with our daughter. I was so grateful for my daughter to have a speech therapist who is a researcher (specialty in late … More talkers), graduate professor and practitioner. Her expertise was clearly evident in our conversations and work with our daughter. She was very responsive to my questions and often sent articles and other materials about language development that I found helpful. Thankfully, my daughter's speech improved tremendously. Michelle developed such a warm relationship with my daughter. My daughter was always excited to see Michelle and would greet her at the door with a big hug. Lastly, I would add that Michelle always demonstrated empathy with me as a mother who was initially worried about her daughter's language development. I could go on and on about how pleased we were with Michelle's work."
  • Avatar Andrea Peartree ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Theo is a wonderful Clinton Hill speech therapist. We were really pleased with him. Our son showed drastic improvement, not only in his speech but in his confidence.
  • Avatar mario costa ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Alexa has been an enthusiastic, reliable, well prepared and caring teacher for our 6 year old daughter. She has been able to improve and increase our daughter's confidence lesson by lesson with patience and competence; through varied … More and productive didactic practice. Alexa has engaged our daughter in several activities that always kept her motivated and eager to learn literacy. My wife and I, both of us are educators, feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to observe Alexa's pedagogical skills. Alexa has had a big impact on our daughter literacy growth. Thank you Brooklyn Letters!
  • Avatar Lily Alt ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    We were absolutely DELIGHTED with Marsha's services. She was wonderful. We found her to be kind, fun, engaging, very knowledgeable. She provided us with clear instructions and additional written handouts each week. She engaged our … More son with different techniques and toys, and showed us how to use her techniques when we were interacting with him. I actually just texted her on Saturday - Our son finally said "more" - one of the target words we had been working on with her. It was a total joy to hear, and I had to share it with her - she wrote back immediately to congratulate us. I am so appreciative of her expertise, and wish we could have seen her for longer. I recommended her to another family in our neighborhood who is looking for a speech therapist.

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Long Island Reading and Writing Tutors for Elementary Students

Long Island NY Reading Writing Tutoring

Long Island Reading and Writing Tutors

Long Island NY Reading Writing Tutoring
As Featured In:

In-Home Reading and Writing Tutoring on Long Island

When reading or writing takes more effort than it should, individualized instruction can help a child understand what is getting in the way and build the skills to move forward. Our Long Island tutors work one-on-one with preschool and elementary students on foundational reading, comprehension, spelling, and written expression. Tutors travel to families in Nassau and Suffolk counties; remote sessions are also available.

Instruction starts with the child’s current skills and school demands. Depending on need, sessions may target phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, reading fluency, reading comprehension, spelling, handwriting, or written expression.

When Might Your Child Need Reading or Writing Support?

Consider a closer look at your child’s literacy skills if they regularly:

  • Guess unfamiliar words instead of sounding them out, or have trouble remembering letter and sound patterns.
  • Read slowly, lose their place, or struggle to explain what they have read.
  • Read below grade level or need extensive help with reading across subjects.
  • Avoid reading or writing, or become frustrated by assignments.
  • Have ideas to share aloud but struggle to spell words, write sentences, or organize paragraphs.
  • Need repeated adult help to begin or finish written work.

These signs do not by themselves establish a diagnosis. They help us decide which skills to examine and how to shape instruction. We also support children with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences.

Reading Below Grade Level: Structured, Individualized Intervention

Reading below grade level can reflect different needs. One child may struggle to hear sounds in words; another may decode accurately but slowly; another may read smoothly while finding vocabulary or comprehension difficult. As children progress through school, reading challenges may also affect science and social studies.

Our tutors identify the underlying skills and teach them explicitly through guided practice and meaningful reading. A plan may include phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, decoding unfamiliar words, recognizing spelling patterns, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written responses to text. Progress is reviewed so instruction can change as the student develops. The aim is greater accuracy, understanding, and independence.

Dyslexia, Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, and Multisensory Instruction

For a child with dyslexia or persistent word-reading and spelling difficulties, a tutor may use explicit, systematic structured literacy instruction. Depending on the child’s needs and the matched tutor’s training, this may draw on Orton-Gillingham, the Wilson Reading System, or Fundations. Instruction can connect speech sounds to letters, teach phonics and syllable patterns, and give students repeated practice in decoding and encoding words.

Multisensory activities can combine seeing, saying, hearing, writing, and manipulating sounds and letters to make a concept concrete. We match methods to the learner and the professional’s qualifications; families seeking more specialized support can also read our Long Island dyslexia guide and general dyslexia guide. Related Long Island resources include Orton-Gillingham tutoring and Wilson reading tutoring.

Elementary Writing and Written Expression Support

Long Island NY Reading Writing Tutoring

Elementary Writing and Written Expression Support

Long Island NY Reading Writing Tutoring

A child may understand a topic and explain it aloud yet struggle to get those ideas onto paper. Writing draws on spelling, handwriting or keyboarding, sentence structure, grammar, organization, and working memory at once. Tutors can break a task into brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and revising while teaching the skills needed at each step.

Elementary writing sessions may address complete and detailed sentences, paragraph structure, written responses to reading, spelling and vocabulary, capitalization and punctuation, and planning longer assignments. Students practice revising and editing their own work instead of relying on an adult to do it for them. Explore our writing tutoring and handwriting support for more specialized needs.

Literacy Milestones to Discuss With Your Child's Teacher

Children develop at different rates, and these examples are conversation starters rather than diagnostic cutoffs:

  • Preschool: Interest in books, rhyme and word sounds, early letter recognition, and drawing or emerging writing.
  • Kindergarten: Sound–letter connections, beginning to read and spell simple words, and early sentence writing.
  • First grade: Growing decoding and word recognition, reading connected text, and composing short sentences.
  • Second grade: Increasing accuracy and fluency, explaining what was read, and writing connected sentences or short paragraphs.
  • Third grade: Reading to learn across subjects and developing more organized paragraphs, spelling, vocabulary, and revision skills.

If a child consistently struggles with a skill expected in class, share examples with their teacher and discuss whether a closer literacy evaluation would help.

In-Home Tutoring Across Nassau and Suffolk Counties

Our Nassau County service area includes Baldwin, Bellmore, East Meadow, Garden City, Great Neck, Hicksville, Jericho, Long Beach, Manhasset, Massapequa, Merrick, Mineola, New Hyde Park, Old Westbury, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Port Washington, Rockville Centre, Roslyn, Syosset, Valley Stream, Wantagh, Westbury, and nearby communities.

In Suffolk County, we serve communities including Babylon, Bayport, Brookhaven, Centereach, East Hampton, East Islip, Hauppauge, Huntington, Islip, Medford, Northport, Patchogue, Port Jefferson, Riverhead, Sayville, Setauket, Smithtown, Southampton, Southold, and surrounding areas. Travel and scheduling depend on tutor availability. Remote tutoring can serve families throughout Long Island.

Training/Certifications/Organizations

TESTIMONIALS

“

We were happy with Michelle’s services.
Alara had a good year overall – her organizational skills improved and she showed nice progress in reading and writing. Michelle and her teachers were a key part in helping to make this happen, so much appreciated.

Michelle worked very well with Alara and we appreciate it!

Mark S.
“

We are very lucky
Our son, Logan, has been working with Cathy for just over a year now. Logan’s twin sister, Audrey, has had the pleasure of Cathy’s care for a slightly shorter time than that. Through the last year, we have noticed a definite improvement in all areas of the twin’s communication skills including verbal comprehensibility, aural comprehension, and overall learning skills including reading. Some of this can be marked back to inherent developmental growth and change in schools, but a large part we believe to be due to Cathy’s good work. The twins worked with another SLP for years and, although a wonderful person and therapist in her own right, her play-based approach often made improvement in the kids hard to gauge. Cathy’s approach is much more traditionally pedagogic and started with her conducting many diagnostic tests to get a clearer baseline to read/picture of the kid’s abilities and issues. From there, she developed a very well-reasoned course of therapy for both Audrey and Logan and they continue to benefit from Cathy’s skills and experience. Beyond her obvious professional expertise, Cathy has proven to be a kind and caring therapist and has extended herself when asked to participate in team meetings with our son’s school. Cathy has also referred us most recently to an OT that we are beyond happy with, further proving her commitment to the overall well-being of her students.
In summary, we consider ourselves very lucky to be working with an SLP of Cathy’s professional expertise and personal quality.

Toni & Tim
“

Alyssa was excellent and Dean improved his handwriting significantly.
I’ve been told by his teacher that he has some of the best handwriting in his 4th grade class and she also made the sessions fun and enjoyable for Dean.

David J.
“

Rachel has been an amazing tutor for my daughter
She established a close relationship with her and helped her to jump several reading levels. Thanks to Rachel, my daughter is now a confident reader! I am very happy that I reached out to you and I will certainly recommend Brooklyn Letters in the future.

Joseph, father
“

An advocate for special needs children through and through, and amazing in her dedication and practice.
Cassie is a reading specialist who has worked one on one with our 6-year-old son for the last 9 months (Aug 2016-May 2017). Our son brings challenging avoidance behaviors and impulsivity to their sessions. Cassie uses the Orton-Gillingham approach and improvises with clever multi-sensory ideas to engage him. Through practice, she learned that if she uses gentle squeezes on his arm corresponding to syllables/letter sounds, it allows him to stay engaged. She is always very flexible, while firm, and creative in adjusting or rearranging tasks based on his needs and attention level. She makes a point of creating success for her students and having the session ended on a positive note. He has made incredible progress in his phonology and reading, which he then applies in school, using the specific tools Cassie has taught him. He loves reading and is very proud of his skills. She has provided detailed reports after each session, along with strategies and activities to practice. She is an advocate for special needs children through and through, and amazing in her dedication and practice.

Emily, mother
Learn More

Why Choose Brooklyn Letters and Long Island Letters?

Long Island NY Reading Writing Tutoring

Brooklyn Letters began in 2010 and created its sister site, Long Island Letters, to serve families across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Our team offers individualized reading and writing support alongside related speech-language, math, and special education services.

  • Qualified, matched specialists: We consider the child’s needs and the tutor’s relevant training, including structured literacy approaches where appropriate. Families can review our reading specialists.
  • Personalized instruction: We use school information and, when appropriate, in-person literacy assessments or remote assessments to shape goals and monitor progress.
  • Reading and writing together: Support may connect decoding and spelling with comprehension, vocabulary, handwriting, and written responses. Families seeking a narrower focus can explore Long Island reading comprehension tutoring.
  • Flexible format: In-home sessions provide one-on-one practice in a familiar setting; online sessions offer another option when a family or specialist needs it.
Get in Touch

With over 20 years of experience in New York City, Craig Selinger is a New York State licensed speech-language therapist and educational specialist who serves as the CEO of Long Island Letters. His expertise is deeply rooted in his academic training in Communicative Disorders and his specialization in childhood development and language-based learning issues.

Craig’s professional journey is distinguished by his extensive work in school and home settings, where he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to fostering long-term relationships with clients of various ages and developmental profiles. His approach, characterized by flexibility and adaptability, is designed to meet each client’s unique needs, making him a trusted resource.

Under Craig’s leadership, Long Island Letters has become a respected provider of speech-language therapy, multisensory literacy, and math practices in the NYC metro area. Craig’s expertise is recognized widely, leading him to speak at prestigious conferences and institutions, including the Everyone Reading Conference, Mount Sinai Health System, NYU Langone Health, and Bard High School Early College Queens. His work is also closely associated with esteemed organizations such as the YMCA of Greater New York and the Educational Alliance. These affiliations with leading organizations and educational institutions underscore his authority in the field.

Craig has been interviewed by NBC News, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and PIX 11 News. Long Island Letters has been mentioned by the New York Times and Yahoo.com, further cementing his reputation as a leader in speech-language therapy and learning services. His research has been published in the Journal of Brain Research, and his insights have been featured in outlets like Healthline, NYMetro Parents, Momtastic, Psych Central, and About.com.

In response to the educational challenges posed by the pandemic, Craig hosted the Craig Selinger Podcast, interviewing professionals in education, therapy, and medicine, further establishing his role as a thought leader.

How Tutoring Begins

Contact us for a free consultation. We discuss the child’s reading and writing history, current school concerns, teacher feedback, prior evaluations, and family goals. An assessment can help pinpoint needs when appropriate. We then suggest a suitable tutor, agree on goals and session format, and review progress as instruction continues.

All reports and communications are securely stored in a HIPAA-encrypted system, ensuring confidentiality. We strictly adhere to privacy protocols and do not release any information without your written consent, providing peace of mind regarding the security and privacy of your data.

Schedule a Free Consultation!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can a literacy tutor come to our home on Long Island?

Yes. Tutors provide in-home sessions in Nassau and Suffolk counties where scheduling and travel are available. Online tutoring is another option.

2. How does in-home tutoring work?

After a consultation and tutor match, sessions focus on the child’s identified reading and writing goals. A tutor may work on phonics, decoding, fluency, comprehension, spelling, sentence writing, or written assignments, then adjust instruction as progress is reviewed.

3. My child is reading below grade level. Can tutoring help?

A tutor can identify whether the most pressing need involves foundational word-reading skills, fluency, language comprehension, or several areas, then provide targeted instruction. The plan should reflect the child’s starting point and school expectations.

4. Do you offer elementary writing tutoring?

Yes. Tutors help with sentence and paragraph development, spelling, grammar, organizing ideas, written responses, and revision, according to the child’s age and needs.

5. Can you support a child with dyslexia?

Yes. Depending on the student’s needs and tutor match, instruction may use explicit structured literacy strategies, including Orton-Gillingham or Wilson-based approaches. Tutoring does not replace a diagnostic evaluation.

6. What does private literacy tutoring cost?

Rates vary by specialist, session length, and format. See our rates page and discuss a suitable plan during the consultation.

Get Started Today!

Whether you are looking for customized literacy tutoring in NYC, Long Island educational support, or remote services, we have the expertise and flexibility to meet your needs. Our in-person and remote services offer the same high-quality instruction tailored to your child’s needs. With our one-on-one support, your child will experience significant academic growth and develop a lifelong love for learning.

Contact us today to learn more about how our on Long Island, NY tutoring services can help your child achieve their full potential in reading and writing. Let us partner with you to build a brighter academic future for your child.

Check out our rates here!

MEET OUR LONG ISLAND READING WRITING TUTORS WHO TRAVEL TO YOUR HOME

Michelle C e1730004119470

Michelle C.

M.S. Special Education

Patricia e1729672285392

Patricia S.

M.S., Ph.D., Literacy Specialist

Anastasiya K. e1730003924335

Anastasiya K.

MA, NYS CERTIFIED (BIRTH-GRADE 2) GENERAL AND SPECIAL EDUCATION

giana

Giana Marie S.

NYS CERTIFIED in Childhood Education and Special Education (1-6)

Check out our full roster of reading and writing tutors!

FREE CONSULTATION!!!
Call: (347) 394-3485,
Text: (917) 426-8880

Email: info@brooklynletters.com
(we respond to email right away!)
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