We stand out from other organizations providing books and professional development – our programs are independently evaluated and proven to transform learning outcomes for children.

We coach teachers in-person, virtually and through blended learning, stock classrooms, and provide workshops & seminars on research-based early literacy best practices to improve instruction so children become powerful, readers, writers and thinkers.

Founded in 1988, CLI helps educators serving high-need student populations learn high-impact instructional strategies and nurture dynamic professional learning communities that continue the trajectory of improvement in schools.

Schools served by CLI’s i3 Validation project in Philadelphia and Chicago are still outperforming the control schools from that study on third grade, standardized assessments.

The American Institutes of Research report on a randomized control trial evaluation of CLI’s i3 Validation project found statistically significant results for our impact on teacher practice and student learning. Our approach and results are now part of the What Works Clearinghouse.

In 2010, CLI won a highly competitive $21.7 million Validation grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund to implement its program in 38 schools in four urban cities.

Pivoting its 30+ years’ experience while facing the COVID-19 pandemic, CLI provided teacher coaching and training to support schools and early literacy instruction in the virtual world. Shifting from an in-person model, CLI met the unique needs of educators and students as they transitioned to distance learning.

Using results from i3 Validation, CLI in 2015 won, as the highest-scoring applicant, a prestigious, $19 million i3 Scale-up grant to expand into 27 public schools across the country in Broward County (FL), Denver, Elizabeth (NJ), and Houston.

Your investment will enable CLI and its partners to normalize anti-racist, culturally sustaining early literacy instruction and catalyze generational impact at the onset of every Black and Latinx child's literacy journey.

Educators must be equipped with adequate resources and tools to successfully transition to distance learning. The downloadable documents outlined below provide teachers and coaches the roadmap to continue providing impactful instruction. 

LEARN, is a free, go at your own pace website from Children’s Literacy Initiative that provides educators with a comprehensive, expanding, and research-based resource to read about, watch, and discuss the best practices for comprehensive early literacy instruction.

Literacy is the very foundation of all learning and the pathway to liberation for every human being. Learn more about our pathway to liberation.

Click here to see our impact, how we help both teachers and children, and how your donations make that possible in the communities we serve.

Sign up for The Read, CLI's quarterly
e-newsletter, for regular updates on our work with students and educators, inspiring stories from Literacy Champions in the communities we serve, and book recommendations to promote early literacy in school and at home.